How to choose the right flexible feeding system for automatic pick-and-place
Choosing the right flexible feeding system for automatic pick-and-place requires matching your part geometry, material properties, and production speed to the correct vibration and vision technologies.
Assess Part Characteristics
- Size and Weight: Most standard flexible feeders handle parts from 1 mm to 150 mm wide and up to 200 grams. Select larger platform dimensions (such as 300 mm to 500+ mm surfaces) if you need a higher number of pickable parts visible per cycle.
- Geometry and Entanglement: Flat, rigid, and simple geometric parts work best. Avoid parts that heavily tangle or clump together (like loose small springs) unless the flexible feeder features specialized anti-tinkling or multi-axis impulse profiles.
- Material and Transparency: Opaque, matte, and rigid items are easy for standard cameras to detect. Transparent, clear, or highly reflective parts require specialized backlighting or advanced 3D/AI vision configurations.
Define Throughput and Production Needs
- Cycle Speeds: Expect typical automated pick rates between 20 and 80 parts per minute depending on the robot type (such as SCARA or Delta arms) and how fast the vision system processes coordinates.
- Changeover Frequency: If you run high-mix, low-volume batches, prioritize software-driven recipe changeovers (taking 1 to 10 minutes) over physical track adjustments.
Select the Technology Platform
- Vibration/Axis Plate Feeders (e.g., Asyril Asycube): Great for delicate, tiny electronic or medical components requiring multi-axis micro-vibrations.
- Rotating Disk Feeders (e.g., FlexiBowl): Ideal for rolling, cylindrical, or sticky parts (like rubber O-rings) because centrifugal and rotational impulse forces quickly singulate components.
