April 2015 Archives

This section explains the unit of the separation (escapement) mechanism.

• There are two typical methods for the separation (escapement) mechanism: a drive mechanism to separate the workpiece by pushing in a linear manner and a mechanism to separate the workpiece by rotation.
• For the method of pushing linearly, use the air cylinder and design the shape of pusher section according to the shape of magazine containing the workpiece and that of workpiece.
• The method of separating the workpiece by rotation (see Photo), which is applied in the Bingo Machine, is designed using various drive mechanisms for such applications as rotary motors and a rack and pinion mechanism.
• Making full use of commercial units offers many advantages in terms of shortening the design time and standardization.
• The figure below ([Fig. 1]) shows the appearance of an SMC rotary table.
• This oscillating actuator utilizing pneumatic force can easily switch rotation directions between forward and reverse and adjust the angle of oscillation.
• Specifications with a built-in shock absorber are also available for the purpose of alleviating impact when oscillation stops.
• [Fig. 2] shows the internal structure of a typical rotary table.
• In this rotary table, air cylinder mechanism is used to convert reciprocating motions of the rack in the linear direction into rotary oscillation motion.
• High rigidity is achieved in a compact structure because the bearing for oscillating shaft is supported in two steps (circle part in [Fig.2]).

(Source of [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2]: MSQ series rotary table in SMC Catalog)

The Bingo Machine keeps on rotating all the time for the color balls to be randomly selected.This section explains this low-speed rotating mechanism.This mechanism can be applied to a drive mechanism for conveyer drive or an elevator mechanism of up/down movement.

• This low-speed rotating mechanism is composed of Misumi's rotating shaft, bearing holder set, pulley for round belt, round belt, and drive motor.
• One end-stepped and one end-threaded type is selected for the rotating shaft, and a double-retaining-rings type is used for the bearing holder to enforce retention rigidity.A round belt is adopted because it is easy to handle for a low-speed drive.Aluminum material is used for pulleys for rust-proofing and weight reduction.
• The rotating shaft retaining mechanism of the color ball stocker has the same mechanism in [Fig. 1]. However, the adoption of a bearing holder set in this mechanism eliminates the necessity of designing and processing for retaining the bearing as shown in [Fig. 1].