From Loose Parts to Finished Circuit Breaker: Fully Automated Assembly at 3-Second Cycle Time

A circuit breaker assembly machine automates the full assembly sequence — from base and circuit board loading through multi-stage vision inspection and tray unloading — built around a single servo-driven SDC Indexing Ring. This system was built for a manufacturer of electrical protection devices that needed to replace a slow, manual assembly process with a reliable, high-speed automated cell. The machine combines three FANUC SCARA robots, SDC servo-driven pick-and-place units, three SDC Tray Handlers, Keyence vision systems, and three Bellco vibratory bowl feeders into one integrated system. A dedicated preforming station handles stranded wire routing before a servo-driven transfer system delivers each current path assembly to the main ring at the right point in the cycle. Designed cycle time: 3 seconds per part, with a 2.8-second target as tooling and programming are optimized. The machine runs two product variations with minimal changeover on a footprint of approximately 40 by 20 feet. Instead of building an entirely custom system, SDC adapted its proven, pre-engineered technology — the SDC Indexing Ring and SDC Tray Handling platforms — to a project with many unique part-handling challenges. The result: lower engineering risk, a faster path to production, and a machine that delivers consistent, inspected assemblies at a rate manual assembly could never match. What's covered in this video: 00:10 — Intro 00:25 — SDC Tray Handling loading station 00:57 — SDC Indexing Ring 01:20 — Business impact & results 01:30 — SDC Servo Pick-and-Place 01:43 — Vision inspection 01:55 — SDC Tray Handling unloading station Read the full case study: https://sdcautomation.com/case-study/... #CircuitBreakerAssembly #RoboticAutomation #ManufacturingAutomation