Pin Inserter

The Pin Inserter is a mechanized station for pressing three brass pins into a plastic housing, after molding.  

The operator loads the plastic housing into a nest, and triggers the dual finger buttons to start the process.  A rotary clamp actuates to hold the plastic housing in place.

The pins are then fed from a bowl feeder into a rotary escapement, which distributes the pins into one of three lanes.  Once the pins are ready, they are blow fed into grippers, located beneath the table top.

When the pins are detected in the grip fingers, the lower platen raises up the grippers to align the pins with the insertion holes.  The grippers are then pulled outwards, forcing the pins into the holes.  The grippers release, and the platen lowers.  The housing is then released, and the whole process starts anew.

Two of these systems were eventually built to meet demand.