Overview:

The horizontal tube feeder uses a pneumatic pusher or blaster to push parts horizontally from a PVC tube.

Process Description:

Parts are loaded at the vendor into PVC tubes.  The tubes are loaded horizontally into the feeder.

At the bottom of the tube stack, the tube rests on a retractable shelf.  As a tube is emptied, the "on-deck" tube is held in place by an escapement.  The empty tube is dropped, and the new tube is dropped into the feeding zone.

Parts are pushed from the tube in two ways - with a pneumatic plunger or with a blast of air. When a part reaches the pick nest, an optical sensor fires to stop the feed process.

Features:

Pneumatic operation;
Precise registration;
Scalable.