Feeder and Hopper
Please note the following points of installation.
- Mount on a horizontal surface.
- Mount on a solid underground.
- Fasten tightly with bolts.
If the installation surface is not flat and level, or stiffness of the mounting base is low, parts will not be dispersed fully. The number of the parts that can be picked up decrease and it may result in lowering the cycle time. For details on the installation, refer to each of the following feeder manuals.
"Epson RC+ 8.0 Option Part Feeding 8.0 IF-*** - Environment and Installation"
***: Feeder model (IF-80, IF-240, or IF-380, IF-530)
Install the hopper on the flat and level surface. Securely fix it on the base with high stiffness. Be careful not to set the hopper over the feeder platform. By making the platform access as wide as possible, the number of the parts that can be picked up increase and the cycle time improves. For more details on installation or adjustment, refer to the following manual.
"Epson RC+ 8.0 Option Part Feeding 8.0 Hopper"
Set the hopper so that the position to feed parts on the feeder faces to the position to place. Feed the parts to the red shaded area in the following examples. By setting the hopper as shown below, you can use the parallel feeding function and the cycle time is improved.
Alignment example 1
| a | Position to place |
| b | Feeder |
| c | Hopper |
Alignment example 2
| a | Position to place |
| b | Feeder |
| c | Hopper |
If a fed part rolls into the area where the robot picks up the parts, it may result in a bad effect on the pick-up operation.
To prevent this, the following alignment is effective.
Alignment example 3
| a | Position to place |
| b | Feeder |
| c | Hopper |
When feeding the parts from the hopper, feeding the proper amount to the proper position is important. Therefore, please consider the following:
- To adjust the part feeding amount, make a dam structure on the hopper.
- To control the part feeding position, make a guide at the end of the hopper.
Electrical Wiring
Cautions Regarding the Power Supply
The following describes cautions for the power supply to the robot controller, CV2, feeder, and hopper.
According to JIS B 9960-1(IEC 60204-1) Safety of machinery - Electrical equipment of machines - 5.1 Incoming supply conductor terminations, we recommend connecting electric equipment of the machine designed by the user to a single power source. When using a different power source from the input power source on the particular part such as a feeder or a hopper, we recommend supplying the power from an electric transformer or a converter inside the electric equipment of the machine.
When connecting to single AC200V power source, the following is an example of electronic equipment which is designed by user. For more details, refer to JIS B 9960-1(IEC 60204-1) Safety of machinery -Electrical equipment of machines-.
Wiring for the Feeder
For more details on wiring, refer to the following manual.
"Epson RC+ 8.0 Option Part Feeding 8.0 IF-*** - Connecting Cable"
***: Feeder model (IF-80, IF-240, or IF-380, IF-530)
We recommend designing a circuit that turns off the power to the feeder and hopper via an external safety relay when the emergency stop switch is pressed. Refer to "Controller Manual - Emergency - Circuit Diagrams". Reference diagram is as follows:
Wiring for the Hopper
For more details on wiring, refer to the following manual.
"Epson RC+ 8.0 Option Part Feeding 8.0 Hopper"
Wiring for Robots
Refer to manuals of each robot and controller to perform the wiring.
Wiring for the Camera
Refer to the following manual to perform wiring.
"Epson RC+ 8.0 Option Vision Guide Hardware"