Automotive

Quiet segment conveyors reduce screw wear – bringing screws into the correct position and separating them is a challenge faced by many partially and fully automated productions. Vibratory conveyors are one solution here, but they are often associated with high noise levels and also cause abrasion on the conveyed screws due to the vibrations.

ARNOLD UMFORMTECHNIK offers a good alternative with its segment conveyors. Here, screws are not separated and aligned by vibration, but by the upward and downward movement of a segment blade. A segment conveyor supplies up to two press-fit heads. These can be located both in the pressing tool and in the C-clamp or an automatic C-clamp system. If several press-fit heads are required, additional segment conveyors can be integrated into the system. Segment conveyors that are gentle on screws are used wherever screws are automatically brought into the correct position and fed individually to a joining process.

High cleanliness requirements are another argument for their use, as less abrasion also means less dirt. Automotive production is therefore a typical area of application. To position the screws, they slide at the lowest point of the segment blade with their cylindrical end into a guide groove and remain attached to their head. Elements that are not in the correct position are removed from the segment blade by a deflector during the upward movement. Correctly positioned screws slide into the accumulation section of the transport unit, are separated and fed to the processing unit by compressed air. A sensor monitors the fill level of the accumulation section – if it is empty, the segment blade is moved up and down until the section is filled again. As segment conveyors can only hold a certain number of screws at any one time due to their function, regular refilling is necessary. This is carried out by a special belt conveyor, in whose storage hopper a larger number of screws can be stored. A laser light sensor detects the screw fill level in the segment conveyor and reports the need to the belt hopper, which then automatically refills with new screws. The fill level in the belt hopper is also monitored by a light barrier and the system operator is automatically informed when the screws in the hopper are running low.