Micro-Parts Feeding by a Saw-tooth Surface

This paper investigates micro-parts feeding using a saw-tooth surface. In parts feeding, the driving force applied on each part must vary according to the direction of motion of the part so that the part moves in one direction. Traditional feeders employ oblique or asymmetric vibration of the feeder surface, which often causes unstable motion of micro-parts. In this paper, we propose micro-parts feeding using a saw-tooth surface with simple planar and symmetric vibration. First, we describe the principle of the proposed technique. We then develop a model describing the contact between a micro-part and a saw-tooth, and formulate the condition for feeding. Next, we conduct experiments to assess the feasibility of micro-parts feeding by the proposed method. Finally, we discuss how well the feeding model fits experimental results.