The ShadowGage noncontact sorting machine from Resec Systems Inc., Bergenfield, N.J. (resecsystems.com), can sort up to 900 parts/hr, doing a 360° scan on all parts.
It checks up to 30 critical dimensions and can ensure they are within 0.0002 in. of their specified tolerances. The device can handle parts up to 1.75 in. long and 1 in. in diameter.
In operation, parts are loaded via a vibratory feeder or gravity track. A screw-driven rod pushes them, one at a time, onto the unit’s rotary stage. The stage revolves through 360° in front of a camera lens optimized to take silhouettes of the part at various angles. The unit measures various dimensions such as diameters, lengths, angles, and radii, virtually anything that casts a shadow. Users can determine tolerances for each part. And all inspection data can be saved to a computer file.
