Screw Feeding and Counting for General Assembly

Bellco designed and delivered a vibratory bowl system that feeds and counts screws/fasteners with a dual-finger escapement

Project Overview

A company in the consumer goods industry needed a system that would count and feed 4 fasteners, ready to be picked up by an operator. The rate of the system needed to be operator-led, in order to prevent back-up.

The Challenge

Many automated parts feeding systems present parts for the next stage in an automated system or for robotic-pickup. In this instance, a human operator is picking the parts four at a time, so we needed to ensure the next four parts are not released until the previous batch is picked.

The Bellco Solution

The Bellco team designed and delivered a vibratory feeding system consisting of a vibratory bowl feeder; a tooled, stainless steel track with adjustable guides, and a dual-finger escapement. The system releases one (1) screw at a time until there are four (4) in a shallow scoop tray, ready to be picked up. The system will not release more until the current batch has been picked. Because this system is operator-assisted, it also includes a polycarbonate sound enclosure to reduce noise and contain debris, creating a safer workspace. The system also includes a sensor across the pick window to ensure more parts are not released until all four are removed.

This system could be built with optional add-ons including:

• An audio/visual light stack for “ready to pick” and “refill needed” states 
• Level and jam detection with auto stop 
• Part-specific inserts and tooling for custom scoop sizes

How It Works

1. Bowl orients and meters parts into the track. 
2. Escapement releases one screw at a time, counting each release until it reaches four.
3. After counting to four, the system waits for the operator to pick, verified by sensors, before continuing.
4. Downstream devices can receive a “4-count complete” signal.
   
   
   

Let's work together on your next parts feeding challenge.