Abstract: A product, such as a process cartridge, is provided with a plurality of functional units that can be easily disassembled so as to be recycled. The product is constructed to have an equipment body having an attachment member in which to hold the functional units. A joint section portion of the attachment member has a through-slit provided which can be broken off and thereby facilitate removal of the respective functional units.

Abstract: A method for stocking a plurality of containers in a stocking device and feeding one container at a time to a robot includes the steps of separately supporting each container in a vertically moveable frame and moving the frame to align a selected container at a drawing position. The selected container is withdrawn from the frame and a lid of a pallet on the withdrawn frame is removed. The articles are then supplied to the robot.

Abstract: In a programmable controller system, a sequence program, an operation sequence control program module and a plurality of I/O control program modules including interlock control are independently provided. In the interlock control of the start condition and the operation end condition of an actuator, an interlock condition set program is separated from the operation sequence control program, and the interlock condition is described in a table, thereby easily setting the interlock condition in the form of a table. As described above, when the operation sequence control program executed by a programmable controller and the input/output control program including the interlock control are independently provided, the number of steps in programming can be decreased, and reliability and maintenance performance of the program can be improved.

Abstract: A method for feeding articles to a robot comprises the steps of temporarily storing a plurality of containers in a temporary storing device including a rest on which the plurality of containers are stacked and a separator for simultaneously separating the stacked containers from each other, stocking a plurality of containers supplied from the temporary storing device in a stocker, and feeding the stocked containers to the robot one-by-one.

Abstract: This invention discloses a method for supplying a robot for assembling or working on works or component parts, with the works contained in pallets through a supply apparatus. The pallets in stacked state, containing the works, are delivered to an elevator in the supply apparatus, then moved to a work supply position by the elevator, and maintained in this position for effecting the pick-up operation of the works by the robot. When a pallet is emptied, the empty pallet is moved from the work supply position to a discharge position, and the empty pallets are circulated to an empty pallet discharge position.

Abstract: An article feeding apparatus which feeds articles from a feed source to a section to be subjected to feeding includes a stocker for stocking a plurality of pallets retaining a plurality of articles in units of types of articles, with the stocker being capable of moving one pallet to a predetermined position, and a take-out unit for taking the pallet moved to the predetermined position outside the stocker in order to transfer articles to the section to be subjected to feeding. In addition, a buffer receives replacement of the pallets retaining the articles from external equipment and temporarily stores the plurality of pallets, and a replacing unit replaces the pallets in the stocker with the pallets in the buffer in accordance with a decrease in number of articles in the pallet in the stocker to a predetermined value as the articles are fed to the feeding section.

Abstract: A method for stocking a plurality of containers in a stocking device and feeding one container at a time to a robot includes the steps of separately supporting each container in a vertically moveable frame and moving the frame to align a selected container at a drawing position. The selected container is withdrawn from the frame and a lid of a pallet on the withdrawn frame is removed. The articles are then supplied to the robot.

Abstract: An injection molding apparatus uses motors to effect measuring and kneading of a material to be molded and injection driving. The amount of movement of a rotary shaft or rectilinearly moving means connected to a screw is detected by a sensor, and the driving of the volume measuring motor and the injection motor is effected by the output of the sensor.

Abstract: An injection molding apparatus includes a screw housed in a heating cylinder, a rotator for rotating the screw, a linear mover for moving the screw linearly, a motor for driving the rotator, a driver for driving the linear mover, and a base member for supporting the screw, the rotator, the linear mover, the motor and the driver. The screw, the linear mover and the rotator are supported by the base member along a vertical line against the ground. In the injection molding apparatus is a nozzle touch mechanism which includes a support member mounted on the base member, and a member for mounting a die member mounted on the support member to support the die member. The die member is mounted by the member for mounting the die member so that a molding material entrance port of the die member engages an injection port of the heating cylinder.

Abstract: An assembly (machining) apparatus and method for performing assembly or machining of an article. A first article supply device including a plurality of supply devices for supplying articles and a first robot for picking up the articles from the first article supply device to perform the assembly or machining are paired as an assembly unit, and a plurality of the assembly units are aligned. The apparatus also includes a buffer device for adjusting a difference in article assembly or machining time between the plurality of assembly units.

Abstract: An injection molding method uses motors to effect measuring and kneading of a material to be molded and injection driving. The amount of movement of a rotary shaft or rectilinearly moving means connected to a screw is detected by a sensor, and the driving of the volume measuring motor and the injection motor is effected by the output of the sensor.

Abstract: An injection molding apparatus includes an electrically driven injection apparatus in which a screw accommodated in a heating cylinder is driven by a motor. The injection apparatus includes a pressure detection device for detecting an injection pressure of the screw and a device for detecting a stroke of the screw. Speed control is first conducted until the preset packing rate which represents that a dwell process is almost started is obtained, and the remaining injection process and the dwell process are conducted using an output of the pressure detection device. If a volume of resin in the cylinder which is required to fill the cavity is obtained beforehand, a packing rate of the molding material in the cavity is obtained by detecting the screw stroke. A packing rate which represents that the dwell process is nearly started is preset, and speed control of the screw is conducted and the resin is thereby packed at a fixed injection rate until when that preset packing rate is obtained.

Abstract: An injection screw disposed in a heating cylinder is connected to a rotary driving force receiving mechanism, a linear driving force receiving mechanism, and a back pressurizing mechanism. The rotary driving force of an electric motor is transmitted to the rotary driving force receiving mechanism and the linear driving force receiving mechanism through clutches, which are controlled according to sensors for detecting the position of the screw or the linear driving force receiving mechanism.

Abstract: A pallet for supplying component parts has a flat bottom plate serving as a recess for accommodating plural parts and plural partition members protruding upwards from the bottom plate for separating the parts accommodated in the recess in mutually independent manner, wherein the partition members have a polygonal shape in plan view and are arranged at a constant pitch.

Abstract: In a compliance apparatus wherein a movable plate movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of a gripped part is provided on a portion in which a robot hand is mounted to a robot arm to thereby enable relative displacement of the robot hand and the robot arm, a plurality of cylinders of which the extended end positions are adjustable and of which the protruding force can be changed by a spring or fluid are opposed to one another as positioning devices for the movable plate and sandwich the movable plate therebetween.