Ats, Inc.

Gustavo Barea

Kenneth Wayne Nicholson

Philip David Munroe

David Andrew Tait

Robert James MacGregor

James Mark McLean

Roger Hogan

Robert James Macgregor

James Mark Mclean

An O-ring processing station for an automated mass production system includes: (a) at least one feed device operable to control discharge of O-rings from an output end of the feed device; (b) an indexing device having a plurality of O-ring retainers, the indexing device operable to advance each retainer to a loading position in alignment with the output end for receiving an O-ring from the feed device, and an unloading position spaced apart from the loading position for unloading the O-ring from the retainer; and (c) a pick-and-place robot including at least one end effector movable between a pick-up position in alignment with a retainer at the unloading position for removing the O-ring from the retainer, and a drop-off position spaced apart from the pick-up position for installation of the O-ring onto a workpiece.

Automated O-ring processing stations and related methods

Methods and systems are provided for mass producing different products in an automated production station having a plurality of part-processing devices. An example method includes identifying a workpiece received in the production station; selecting control parameters associated with the identified workpiece; electronically synchronizing the part-processing devices based on the selected control parameters to perform coordinated operations on the workpiece for producing one of the different products; and automatically repeating the identifying, selecting, and synchronizing steps for different workpieces received in the production station to produce a plurality of different products in a continuous mass production process.

Automated production station and related methods

A method of inverting workpieces in a mass production process includes: advancing an end effector in electronic synchronization with advancement of a carrier to synchronize arrival of the carrier at a stop position with arrival of the end effector at an unloading position, in which the end effector is in alignment with a workpiece held by the carrier for engaging the workpiece; while the end effector is in engagement with the workpiece, retracting the end effector away from the carrier to unload the workpiece from the carrier and advancing the end effector back toward the carrier to load the workpiece back into the carrier; and rotating the end effector relative to the carrier to invert the workpiece in electronic synchronization with the retracting and advancing of the end effector for loading the workpiece back into the carrier when inverted.

Automated workpiece inversion systems and related methods

Processing O-rings in an automated mass production system includes advancing an O-ring retainer toward a loading position in alignment with an output end of a feed device, discharging a leading O-ring from the output end in electronic synchronization with advancement of the O-ring retainer to the loading position to initiate loading of the O-ring into the retainer prior to the retainer arriving at the loading position, after loading the O-ring into the retainer, advancing the retainer away from the loading position toward an unloading position, and moving an end effector in electronic synchronization with advancement of the retainer to the unloading position to synchronize arrival of the retainer at the unloading position with arrival of the end effector at a pick-up position in alignment with the O-ring at the unloading position for pick up of the O-ring by the end effector.

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Cambridge, Canada

Gustavo Barea