ABSTRACT
To provide easy access to automatic workheads and the assembly machine, the parts feeders are usually placed some distance away from the workheads. The parts, therefore, have to be maintained in their orientation and transferred between the feeder and the workhead by using a feed track. Most parts feeders do not supply parts at the discrete intervals usually required by an automatic workhead. As a result, the parts feeder must be adjusted to overfeed slightly, and a metering device, usually referred to as an
escapement
, is necessary to ensure that the parts arrive at the automatic workheads at correct intervals. After leaving the escapement, the parts are placed in the assembly, a process usually carried out by a parts-placing mechanism or a robot.
