Polyfeed feeding device provides maximum flexibility with Cognex vision

Citation

(2006), "Polyfeed feeding device provides maximum flexibility with Cognex vision", Assembly Automation, Vol. 26 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2006.03326cad.001

Polyfeed feeding device provides maximum flexibility with Cognex vision

Polyfeed feeding device provides maximum flexibility with Cognex vision

Keywords: Image sensors, Parts

Time to market is a deciding factor in manufacturing. Mikron Assembly Technology based in Boudry, Switzerland understands this concept and makes it a defining factor when designing their production lines and notably their Polyfeed feeding devices.

The Polyfeed is a flexible feeding device that is part of a turnkey assembly solution that serves many industries such as automotive, medical, electrical and consumer goods. The Polyfeed is based on the use of vision recognition and vertical vibration systems to identify parts in their various forms and positions. The vision system inspects the components on the tooling plate and identifies which ones are suitable for being picked. The coordinates are sent to a four-axis Cartesian robot. The robot then picks all identified components from the plate and places them, properly orientated, into a nest on a link that transports the parts to the assembly machine (Plate 1).

Plate 1 Mikron chose Cognex's PC-based PatMax^® technology

Mikron chose Cognex's PC-based PatMax^® technology for part recognition in the Polyfeed application after speed, robustness and precision benchmarking was done with several vision algorithms. The vision system ensures the optimal or “intelligent” placement of the parts to maximize efficiency. This feeding method, unique in the industry, is patented and enables oriented customer parts to be fed that would be impossible, or very difficult to feed with conventional systems. A variant change can be made quickly, requiring only a few minutes delay before production can restart. A new product can be made production ready in only a few days.

As “time to market” becomes an increasingly important element in feeding components into a machine to make parts, Mikron and Cognex provide concrete solutions for shorter lead times.

Mikron to date has sold over 20 of the Polyfeed machines in Europe and they are all standard equipped with Cognex PatMax^® vision. Mikron Assembly Technology uses vision on almost all of their machines and have a team of vision specialists that pioneer the use of vision in many revolutionary applications.

Visit Cognex on-line at: www.cognex.co.uk