Automatic Quartz Crystal Loading System
A manufacturer of quartz crystals needed an automated assembly system for precisely placing crystals into carriers. A slow and delicate process, the client required a special purpose machine capable of substantially increasing production speed while maintaining absolute quality and consistency.
The Challenge: Automating a Complex Manual Placement Process
Before the system was built, the crystals were oriented and placed manually – one at a time – by operators using tweezers. After placing the crystals in the carriers, a top half was placed onto the carrier to retain the crystals to a silver deposition process.
The Solution: A Magazine-Fed Indexing Carrier with up to 10X Production Speed
Creative Automation designed and fabricated a special system for performing the above task. Fixture bases were magazine-fed onto an indexing carrier.
Once in the loading station, 10 crystals at a time were transferred from a magazine and placed into carriers. A servo-controlled elevator was used to raise the crystals in the magazine to a precise pickup height. The magazine was loaded with crystals with a separate automatic feeding and placing system. Then, once the crystals were loaded into carriers, tops were attached to the carriers using a second vertical magazine.
Special Purpose Assembly Machines Engineered for Precision and Productivity
Creative is the nation’s leading engineering and manufacturing company for turnkey automation systems and special purpose machinery. Our experience ranges from automatic assembly and placement processes to digital fluid dispensing. No matter what the industry or application, Creative provides innovative automation solutions that meet our clients’ highly diverse production requirements.