CIE HS Project

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Weight sorting is applied in many industries where mass is relevant to the determination ofquality. The problem becomes more complex in the case of very small parts produced in highvolumes. The accuracy required to determine quality is higher, as is the throughputrequirement.This need is prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry where the mass of tablets and capsules isof critical importance. There are also many other cases where an item's mass can be used asan indicator of failure, voids in injection moulded components for example.Any mass measurement system will be susceptible, to some degree, to variations in theposition and orientation of the product being measured. For high accuracy systems, this effectcan cause a source of error as well as a significant reduction in throughput. For systemsdesigned to weigh only a single product shape, this can be addressed by tailoring the handlingsystem to the specific dimensions of the product being weighed.Furthermore, the time taken for the weigh head to settle after the disturbance caused by thedelivery of a part, will affect the cycle time. In order to maximise throughput withoutcompromising accuracy, it is essential that the handling mechanism can deliver the part withas little disturbance as possible.Because of the wide range of part shapes, sizes and materials, there are few options availableto meet any particular need other than a bespoke solution.The objective of the HS project is to develop a cost effective machine to meet this need withone generic solution. It will be capable of weighing and sorting a wide range of small shapesand sizes at high throughput rates. This will be achieved by the application of a novelhandling system capable of singularising and feeding a wide range of shapes, sizes andmaterials in a very consistent way. It will also be capable of dealing with contamination issuesassociated with certain materials.