Project Background

In mass production, to optimize and reduce costs, production cards are designed to be reusable. However, manual classification and sorting of these cards often take a great deal of time, are prone to errors, and require significant manpower.
Particularly, when the number of cards reaches hundreds or thousands per production shift, managing and arranging them according to product combinations becomes a burden for the operation team.
Recognizing this issue, ETEK cooperated with the customer to develop an automated production card checking and sorting machine, which helps automate the entire process — from reading information and verifying product combinations to sorting and error alerting. We successfully completed a project of 27 automated inspection and sorting machines for the customer.

Customer Requirements

The customer requested a system that can:

• Automatically filter and read production card codes, replacing manual operations.
• Automatically sort cards according to product combinations to synchronize with the assembly process.
• Automatically push cards to the standby position after each completed cycle.
• Automatically detect and reject incorrect combinations while alerting operators to avoid errors in production.
• Operate stably, at high speed, with high accuracy, and be easy to maintain.

ETEK Solution

Based on the customer’s requirements, ETEK designed and manufactured an automated production card checking and sorting machine with the following key features:
1. Automatic card feeding and information checking:

• Cards are fed to the barcode reading position.
• Sensors and cameras scan production card information and verify product combinations.
• Communicates with the factory system to retrieve combination data.

2. Automatic card sorting by product combination:

• The suction and stacking mechanism (servo/linear motor) performs precise, high-speed operations.
• Cards are sorted and stacked in predefined order corresponding to each product.

3. Automatic card pushing to standby position:

• When the tray is full, the system automatically pushes all cards to the pickup area for operators or robots.

4. Automatic rejection and warning for incorrect combinations:

• The system detects errors, rejects faulty cards, and activates light/sound alarms.

 

Configuration & Technical Specifications

 

Specification	Value
Overall dimensions	1.3 x 1.5 x 1.4 m
Processing speed	4 seconds/card (average)
Number of cards per cycle	600 cards
Drive system	Servo / Linear motor 1.2 m/s
Sensor	Card recognition & inspection sensors
Safety standard	Protective cover frame, light and sound alarms

Performance Results

 

• Increased productivity by 200% compared to manual operation.
• Reduced required manpower by 80% in the card handling process.
• Completely eliminated human errors, ensuring accurate product combinations.
• Optimized continuous production workflow, synchronized with the MES/ERP system.

Conclusion

The automated production card checking and sorting machine project is a clear demonstration of ETEK’s capability in integrating automation technology into smart manufacturing processes.
This solution not only saves time and labor but also enhances accuracy and efficiency in production information management.