Product presentation to a pick-and-place robot, from trays.

Our client required a set of equipment to enable trays of a 23mm square product to be unloaded, and presented to their robot for 'pick and place'. Our system included the following equipment;interface betwqeen turnover and chutes

  • Double turnover unit (tray unloading)
  • Decline infeed
  • 30 lanes of vibratory tracks
  • Magazine feeder/gravity chutes
  • Strip-off mechanism
  • Controls (Siemens C7 PLC)

    Double Turnover Unit

    Two trays of product are loaded into the turnover unit. Then via a manual operation, the trays are turned through 195 degrees, feeding the product onto the declining infeed and then on to the vibratory tracks. The unit is specially designed to allow easy removal of the empty trays.

    Vibratory Tracks

    The vibratory tracks feed the product into the gravity chutes, and then on into the strip off unit. The tracks also act as a small 'buffer', to ensure a constant supply of product is fed at a consistent pressure into the strip-off mechanism. If there are any stoppages downstream, product can accumulate in these tracks.

    Strip-off mechanism

    This mechanism will 'strip-off' product being fed to it by the gravity chutes and present the product in the required pattern to a pick-and-place robot.  These units individually rotate through 90 degrees for ease of maintenance.