When designing the gripped portions of parts to be inserted using automated insertion equipment, the characteristics of the parts' shapes and the force created during insertion (leading to, for example, deformation due to insertion counterforce) must be taken into account.

(1)Example: Automatic insertion of a long shaft

- If automatically inserting a locating or rotary shaft into a circuit board or plastic board (Fig. 1), the inserted shaft can be fixed in place without the use of adhesive or similar material by using the elastic deformation force of the insertion hole.

- When performing this type of insertion, errors during automatic insertion can result in troublesome process faults such as board breakage and reclamation difficulties.

- Elastic deformation from a board at insertion generates an unexpectedly complex counterforce. Stick slip causes problems such as intermittent repulsive force and rotating torsion. It is important to use gripping mechanisms that minimize the effects of these types of fluctuations (Fig. 3).