B23P19/002

ASSEMBLY SUBSTATION FOR ASSEMBLING A CARTRIDGE FOR A SMOKING ARTICLE AND RELATED METHOD

The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for assembling cartridges for aerosol delivery devices. The cartridges may be assembled by coupling a base of the cartridge to a carriage that is transported via a track. The track transports the carriages between various substations at which one or more parts are added to the base. The carriage may be lifted from the track by a lifter mechanism at each substation in order to perform assembly operations on the base. An inspection system may inspect the cartridges at various stages of completion at or between the various substations.

STATION AND METHOD FOR INSERTING A COMPONENT IN AN ASSEMBLY TO BE ASSEMBLED
20210245311 · 2021-08-12 · ·

An insertion station of a component (2), for example a clevis, in a component seat (12) formed in an assembly (3) to be assembled, for example a hinge assembly for doors, includes a component ordering device (14) to order the loose components coming from a component feed hopper. A component support seat (16) receives the component and is configured in such a way as to guide the component in the horizontal insertion direction. A manipulator (20) picks a component (2) from the component ordering device (14) and deposit the component in the component support seat (16). An insertion actuator (30) has a pusher member (32) operable to push the component (2) in the component seat (12), and a positioning unit (40), including an abutment (42) operable to block the assembly (3) in a component insertion position.

System for assembling a cartridge for a smoking article and associated method

The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatuses, and methods for assembling cartridges for aerosol delivery devices. The cartridges may be assembled by coupling a base of the cartridge to a carriage that is transported via a track. The track transports the carriages between various substations at which one or more parts are added to the base. The carriage may be lifted from the track by a lifter mechanism at each substation in order to perform assembly operations on the base. An inspection system may inspect the cartridges at various stages of completion at or between the various substations.

Screw-presenting device

A device to present screws of different sizes and characteristics for insertion and fastening in manufacturing processes includes an aligning module and a dispensing module. The aligning module includes a track with two supporting plates. One end of each supporting plate is chamfered and the two supporting plates are spaced to form a first receiving space and a second receiving space for receiving the screws, a screening module functions to brush away screws which do not fall correctly into place on the track. The dispensing module includes a circular member with notches to receive screws transported by the track.

Part alignment and transport device

Parts merge smoothly without any stopper at a branching region. A determining and sorting unit determines, between an introduction passage and a branching region, whether weld nuts at rest are facing up or down. The weld nuts determined as facing up are fed to a first branch passage, whereas the weld nuts determined as facing down are fed to a second branch passage.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING AND FIXING SNAP CONNECTORS
20210187590 · 2021-06-24 ·

A system and method for feeding and fixing snap connectors of a ripple fold curtain system, in which a drum mixes loose snap connectors, successively introduced individually in an opening in the drum for letting one of the snap connectors out. The orientation of the one of the snap connectors is forced by having the opening have a height smaller than the width of the snap connectors. After travelling while maintaining their orientation aligned with motion, each snap connector is received in the same orientation at a receptacle comprising shoulders for retaining a larger portion of the one of the snap connectors, the receptacle retaining it at a definite location and maintaining the orientation. A rivet is positioned on that larger portion of the snap connector and snapped using a hammer of which the surface is parallel with the snap connector and underlying receptacle bottom surface.

LUG NUT HOLDER AND METHOD OF USE
20210283948 · 2021-09-16 ·

An apparatus and method for holding a lug nut. The apparatus includes a base (150), a barrel (140), a lug nut engagement assembly (130), a plunger and a cam guide (170). The barrel (140) is coupled with the base (152) in a manner allowing the barrel (140) to move upwardly or downwardly within the base (150). The barrel (140) has an internal cam track portion (145). The lug nut engagement assembly (130) includes retractable fingers (132). The lug nut engagement assembly (130) is removeably affixed to the barrel (140). The plunger (160) is disposed within a portion of the lug nut engagement assembly (130), the barrel (140) and the cam guide (170). The plunger (160) has a tip for engagement with the retractable fingers (132). The cam guide (170) is disposed and moveable within a bottom portion of the barrel (140). The cam guide (170) has longitudinal rails (172) for engagement with the internal cam track (145) of the barrel (140).

Singulating and Orienting Objects for Feeding
20210276814 · 2021-09-09 ·

Objects in a stream in a duct are singulated and oriented by rotating at least some so that the orientations of all aligned. In one arrangement a slot is provided in the singulation duct into which the shank falls while the head remains in the singulation duct. In another arrangement there is provided a buffering device and a transfer member for transferring the singulated oriented objects from the buffering device to an operating location. In another arrangement a first path changes the orientation of relative to the second path. The objects can be fed from a singulation duct to a supply duct having an exit mouth lying on a rotation axis of the singulation duct.

End effector for a riveting device
11027326 · 2021-06-08 · ·

The disclosure relates to an end effector for a riveting device, wherein the end effector includes a riveting module for placing a rivet element in a structural part, a rivet dispenser for dispensing rivet elements from a rivet magazine and a handling device for delivering a rivet element from the rivet dispenser to the riveting module The handling device includes an adjustment kinematics and a gripper arranged thereon for grabbing the rivet element. In some cases the adjustment kinematics has at least two adjustment axes for positioning the gripper.

Station and method for inserting a component in an assembly to be assembled
11020828 · 2021-06-01 · ·

An insertion station of a component (2), for example a clevis, in a component seat (12) formed in an assembly (3) to be assembled, for example a hinge assembly for doors, includes a component ordering device (14) to order the loose components coming from a component feed hopper. A component support seat (16) receives the component and is configured in such a way as to guide the component in the horizontal insertion direction. A manipulator (20) picks a component (2) from the component ordering device (14) and deposit the component in the component support seat (16). An insertion actuator (30) has a pusher member (32) operable to push the component (2) in the component seat (12), and a positioning unit (40), including an abutment (42) operable to block the assembly (3) in a component insertion position.