Abstract: A component tray handling system is provided which is capable of handling vacuum formed plastic component trays which have very different controlled surfaces and tolerances. In these vacuum formed trays, a leading ridge is formed at a known location with respect to each of a plurality of component cavities. The present system utilizes a unique drive system which is capable of interacting with this ridge rather than interacting with the leading edge of the tray. The present system also has a dual drive characteristic wherein the component trays are quickly removed or taken away from the first drive system so as to avoid any interference by the drive system with the trays or damage to the trays. This tray handling system is designed to allow easy incorporation into any number of automated manufacturing and component handling systems.

Abstract: A balanced rotary manifold is disclosed which is capable of carrying a plurality of control signals from a control housing to an outlet port on a rotatable structure. These control signals can then be appropriately transmitted to further devices which are mounted to the rotatable structure. The rotatable manifold structure is balanced in that all outlet ports are closely positioned and symmetric with regard to some desired reference point. Therefore, uniform lengths of connecting cable can be utilized to transmit the control signals to the actuating devices.