Modular beats the chill

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 1 June 1998

68

Keywords

Citation

(1998), "Modular beats the chill", Assembly Automation, Vol. 18 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1998.03318baf.009

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited


Modular beats the chill

Modular beats the chill

Keywords Assembly, Modular automation, Pick and place, Plastics

A new assembly process for mobile telephone cases, developed by Modular Automation of Birmingham, could call an end to hang-ups in the plastics moulding industry.

Commissioned to design, build and install an integrated assembly system for contract plastic moulders ROST (Wembley), Modular Automation had to overcome a number of difficulties (Plate 8).

The first stage of the build process involved the placement of a series of threaded metal inserts and connectors into plastic handset bodies over a four-second cycle time, while retaining the flexibility to accommodate a number of model variants. Requiring heating prior to fitment, the M1.6 inserts were found to lose their heat too quickly for traditional assembly techniques.

Modular engineers began by developing a fast-acting pivot mechanism for picking the pre-heated miniature components from the feed unit and inserting them directly into the plastic moulding.

Although considerably faster than standard linear movement, the new pick and place device failed to beat the rapid heat dissipation associated with these components, prompting the concept team to adopt a completely new approach to overcome the problem.

The solution enables the insertion of four M1.6 inserts at a time on a rotary indexing table, comfortably achieving the required four second cycle time overall. This runs in conjunction with a secondary assembly process for an M5 operation on an eight second cycle to allow more time for the plastic to cool and regain its rigidity following insertion.

Modular's Technical Director Trevor Dixon said, "Once we began work on this project, it became clear that the problems of picking and hot insertion of small metal components into plastics were not uncommon. Therefore, it was particularly gratifying to have arrived at such an effective solution."

As part of the same contract, Modular Automation also supplied ROST with a similar machine system for the cold insertion of six M1.6 zinc screw inserts and a single battery connector into the handset rear shield.

The entire project is typical of the growing trend for plastic moulding companies to increase profitability by adding value to their moulded products during production. The level of preassembly also simplifies main-line production systems and allows greater flexibility for dealing with frequently changing product models.

Plate 8 Modular Automation has overcome the problem of heat dissipation when fitting small threaded inserts into plastic bodies. This machine, built for ROST of Wembley, demonstrates the technique

Contact Dee O'Hale, Modular Automation, Talbot Way, Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham B10 0HJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 121 766 7979; Fax: +44 (0) 121 766 6385.

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