Aligned Parts Assembly System (APAS) captures and
maintains part orientation throughout manufacturing and
assembly processes. The need for additional equipment or labor to
re-orient parts during assembly is eliminated. For APAS, carriers
enter the mold and plastic connector tabs are molded onto the
carrier, thus securing the part to the carriers. The carriers/parts
are then taken up onto a spool for storage and transport.
Assembly then becomes a simple operation feeding parts into a
machine, trimming the part from the carrier and placing the part
directly into the assembly in its proper location.
vs.
Traditional manufacturing methods lose orientation as the
part is ejected from the mold and randomly falls into a bin. At time
of assembly, part orientation must be reestablished by one of
three methods: 1) Manually by a human operator, 2) Robotically
using a robotic arm and grippers, or 3) Automatically using
expensive, specialized automated assembly equipment, typically
dedicated to perform one task. This creates an unnecessary step
in the manufacturing process.
Copyright 2009 APAS Automation, LLC.
What is APAS?