Manipulation of small parts being assembled on a horizontally vibrating plate

Abstract

The article proposes a new method of manipulating parts on a horizontal plane, when the plane is excited in two perpendicular directions by a harmonic law with different frequencies and a phase shift.  To determine motion patterns which are most suitable for automatic assembly, a mathematical model of movement of parts on the horizontal plane was developed. The results demonstrated that by changing the excitation parameters and the coefficient of friction between the part and the plane, the part can be easily moved along prescribed trajectory ensuring a necessary positioning precision and alignment for the assembly operation. The most suitable trajectories for connecting surfaces matching as well as the most suitable excitation parameters for automatic assembling process were obtained. The proposed method can be efficiently applied in automatic assembly to match the surfaces of small parts with a small assembly clearance.