One operator brings a stack of trays holding 25-50 components per tray depending on the size of the parts being worked on that day. The trays are then fed into the work area automatically as needed. The components are not oriented so the Adept Vision system is used to orient the parts. The robot picks up a part and places it on a stage in order for the vision system to capture an image and orient the part.
The robot then picks the component from the stage and places it into the first of three machines for the machining process to take place. As each machining process is completed the robot moves the machined component to the next machine for the next machining step.
Stages are used between the machines as resting points for parts while the robot unloads a part from one machine preparing it for the next component. The robot continuously loads and unloads the parts through each of the three machines and finally unloads the completed piece from the third machine. So the robot is continually loading and unloading parts as each piece moves from one machine to the next to complete this three step machining process.