Special Issue; Products for Industrial Machinery - NTN

NTN TECHNICAL REVIEW No. 742006
succeeded in generating vibration of not only the
alignment and feeding section but also of the return
section with just one driving unit and one controller.
Furthermore, the vibration direction of the alignment
and feeding section is opposite the vibration direction
of the return section.
The author has adopted a vibration-direction
switching leaf spring with rigidity in the leaf thickness
direction that is lower than the leaf spring rigidity of the
linear feeder. Consequently, the vibration in the leaf
spring thickness is dampened while only the
longitudinal vibration is utilized so that the vibrating
angle with the linear feeder (alignment feeder) is
converted to the opposite direction, which is
necessary for the driving motion on the return side.
2.1 Advantages
The author’s monodrive two-way feeder boasts the
following advantages.
1) One linear feeder propels transfer chutes in two
directions—the alignment/supply side and the
return side (patent pending)
The completely new operation principle combines
the resonance phenomenon, which has been used
commonly, with forced vibration movement.
2) Reduction of installation space
The greatest advantage of the author’s parts feeder
is the reduction of installation space. Compared
with the combination of a conventional bowl feeder
and a linear feeder, the floor space requirement for
the author’s design is approximately 1/2 or less
(Fig. 1).
3) Energy conservation and lighter weight
The author’s linear feeder system is capable of
parts storage, alignment and supply, and therefore
is a lighter parts feeding system that contributes to
reduced energy consumption. Compared with the
combination of a conventional bowl feeder and a
linear feeder, both the weight and energy
consumption of the author’s system are less than
1/3 (data by NTN).
4) Simple construction makes it an optimal choice
for multiple product type and small-lot
production
The author’s feeder arrangement is very simple. It
essentially consists of an ordinary linear parts
feeder with the addition of a vibration direction
switching leaf spring unit, and it boasts excellent
maintainability. The author’s system is capable of
handling a variety of workpiece types just by
mounting the relevant chutes.
5) Possibility of CAD design for the tooling
(alignment section)
Three-dimensional tooling efforts such as those
needed for conventional bowl feeder systems are
usually not necessary with the author’s system.
Thus, the tooling on the author’s feeder system can
be readily designed using a CAD system.
2.2 Technical data
The main technical specifications of the monodrive
two-way feeder are given below.
¡Models: Three models—MD10, MD20 and MD30
¡Size
MD10: 366L x 120W x 189H (mm)
MD20: 458L x 166W x 229H (mm)
MD30: 663L x 205W x 342H (mm)
*The size of the alignment chute is not included.
¡Mass of feeder
MD10: 9 kg (The chute is not included.)
Bowl-type
(conventional design)
Monodrive two-way feeder
Monodrive
two-way feeder
Bowl-type (conventional design)
Fig. 1 Comparison of space-saving
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