When the part does not fit the catalogue
Most of what leaves our floor is not a standard unit. It is a bowl, a track and an escapement designed for one specific part, in one specific orientation, at one specific cycle time — and then proven on video before it is crated.
“Non-standard” is not one problem. It is usually one of these four.
Knowing which one you have tells us what to quote, and tells you what to expect in the schedule. Most custom jobs are a combination of two.
1. The part will not stay oriented
Stable in several attitudes, geometrically ambiguous, or with a centre of gravity that keeps flipping it. Solved with rejecters, air blow-off, a second sorting track, or a change in track angle and speed.
2. The rate is higher than one track can give
Your cycle time needs 320 ppm; one lane gives 180. Options: cascade tracks, a twin outlet, a larger bowl with more track length, or a second bowl on a shared hopper.
3. The environment is hostile
Washdown, coolant mist, cleanroom, food contact, or a surface finish that cannot be marked. Solved with material choice, sealing, and a track that carries rather than drags.
4. The interface is the problem
The bowl feeds beautifully and the robot still misses. Usually pitch, presentation angle, or the handoff to the gripper — solved at the escapement, not in the bowl.
Tooling is cut to the part, then tuned until the video proves it
A bowl is not a machined part you draw once and ship. It is a mechanical system you iterate. We plan for two tuning cycles on a difficult part and build that time into the schedule instead of hiding it.
- Orientation matrix — every stable attitude of the part is modelled; the track only accepts the one you need.
- Reject logic — scrapers, air jets or a second track, chosen by how the part fails, not by habit.
- Escapement design — pneumatic, servo or gravity release, matched to your gripper and cycle.
- 30-minute run proof — rate, mis-picks and noise logged, on video, before balance payment.
Adapt what you have, before you replace it
When a product revision changes the part, existing feeding equipment can often be adapted instead of replaced. Send photos and the new part; we assess honestly whether the unit can be re-tooled or re-tuned — and quote accordingly if a new build is the better answer.
What we do to your existing bowl
- Strip, clean and inspect the bowl body and drive coils
- Re-machine or re-cast tooling to the new part geometry
- Replace PU lining, scrapers and worn track sections
- Re-tune amplitude and spring set for the new part mass
- Run test with your sample parts and a video report of the result
What to send us
- Photos of the bowl, top-down and side, with the tooling visible
- The nameplate details — brand, model, serial, voltage
- The new part: STEP file, or 50–100 pcs by courier
- Required rate and the orientation the machine needs
- Optional: a short video of the current failure
If the equipment is beyond economic repair, we will say so before quoting.
What the custom side of the shop builds
Three examples of the kind of work that starts with “a standard machine will not do”.
DOB module feeding line
LED DOB modules and lamp beads sorted, oriented and fed automatically, docked directly to SMT placement. Built for quick changeover between module specifications.
Multi-process assembly machine
A non-standard part that needed feeding, positioning, pressing and inspection — built as one machine instead of four stations and three operators.
Elevator + hopper buffering
Height difference between two floors and a station that kept starving. A Z-type elevator with hopper storage keeps material moving without an operator on refilling duty.
A good enquiry takes ten minutes and saves a week
You do not need a finished specification. You need to tell us the part, where it has to go, and how fast. Everything else we can work out together.
| Item | Why it matters | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Part file | Tooling is cut from geometry | STEP / IGES / sample |
| Material & mass | Sets drive size and track angle | Photo + ruler |
| Target rate | Decides bowl size and lane count | ppm or cycle time |
| Presentation | How the gripper receives it | Sketch or photo |
| Supply | Drives are built to voltage | V / Hz / phases |
| Space | Footprint and headroom | Approximate |
Not sure whether this is a feeding problem at all?
Send a photo of the line and a description of the failure. We will tell you what we think is actually wrong — even when the answer is that you do not need a new bowl.