Capability

Optical Sorting & Packing

Every part passes the sorter before it is packed

100% passVision inspectionDefect removalFeeder-ready packing

Bulk micro screws prior to optical sorting

Optical Sorting & Packing · Bekasi plant

Process overview

Every part passes the sorter before it is packed

At M1.0 a defective screw is not a screw that fails a test — it is a screw that jams a feeder, cams out a driver or stops a line. The economics of micro fasteners are dominated by the cost of that stoppage, which is why sorting is a production step rather than a final inspection.

Sorting works by passing every part through a vision and laser station that checks the characteristics a human cannot check at production speed: head presence, head diameter, head height, recess presence and depth, concentricity and surface defects. Accepted parts are then packed in the format the customer’s feeder expects, because a correctly made screw in the wrong packing is still a line stoppage.

Step by step

How the process runs

Each step has a defined control point. The sequence is not arbitrary — changing it changes the result.

Bulk receiving

Parts arrive from finishing and are loaded into the sorter feed.

Singulation

Parts are separated so that each one passes the inspection station individually and in a known orientation.

Vision and laser inspection

Head, recess, dimensions and surface are checked on every part, with defective parts ejected.

Defect review

Rejected parts are examined to identify the process drift that produced them, so the cause is corrected rather than just the symptom removed.

Counting and packing

Accepted parts are counted and packed in bulk, tray or tape and reel according to the customer feeder.

Label and traceability

The carton is labelled with the lot code that links back to wire heat number, forming, heat treatment and finishing batch.

Specification

Process window and capability

The numbers below define what the process can hold repeatably. They are not laboratory bests.

Inspection coverage

Every part passes the sorter — 100% by count

Characteristics checked

Head presence, head diameter and height, recess presence and depth, concentricity, surface defects

Method

Vision and laser inspection

Reject handling

Ejected and reviewed to identify the process cause

Packing formats

Bulk, tray, tape and reel

Traceability

Lot code linked to wire heat number and every process batch

Equipment patent

Automatic sorting and packaging — efficiency increased by 35%

Equipment

What the line is built on

Capacity figures are per machine and assume a standard part. Complex geometry reduces throughput.

Equipment	Specification
Optical sorting machines	Vision and laser inspection of every part
Automatic sorting and packaging line	Patented equipment — efficiency increased by 35%
Counting and packing	Bulk, tray and tape-and-reel formats

Process control

What is checked, and when

A control that is not recorded is not a control. Each item below generates a record linked to the lot code, retained for the programme duration.

Quality & certifications

Sorter set-up verified with known-good and known-bad samples

Reject rate monitored through the run

Rejected parts reviewed for the process cause

Count verified at packing

Carton label checked against the lot record

Packing format verified against the feeder specification

Questions

Optical Sorting FAQ

Practical questions from sourcing and engineering teams.

Considering a process change? If a tolerance or finish is not achievable on our current line, we will say so before quoting rather than after the first lot.

Is the inspection really 100%?

Every part passes the sorter, so the inspection is 100% by count. What the sorter can detect depends on the characteristic and the optics — it is not the same as a 100% dimensional measurement of every feature, and it should not be represented as one.

What defects does the sorter remove?

Head and recess defects, dimensional drift, missing features and visible surface defects. These are the failure modes that stop a feeder or a driver, which is why they are the ones checked.

Can you pack to our feeder specification?

Bulk, tray and tape-and-reel formats are available. Send the feeder specification with the enquiry so the packing is agreed with the quotation rather than after the first order.

What does the lot code trace?

The wire heat number and the process batches the part passed through — forming, heat treatment, coating and sorting. That is what makes it possible to investigate a complaint against the actual process conditions rather than against a guess.

Related capabilities

What happens before and after

These processes are usually sequenced with the one above.

Capability

Cold Forging

Single- and multi-station cold heading forms the screw from wire, so the grain follows the part contour and no material is machined away.

PVD coated screws with a decorative pattern finish

Capability

Surface Treatment & PVD

Zinc, zinc-nickel, nickel, passivation and PVD finishing, selected for corrosion resistance, appearance, electrical behaviour and the effect on thread fit.

Plated socket head screws inspected in the laboratory

Capability

Inspection Laboratory

Metallography, hardness, dimensional measurement, tensile, friction, salt spray, coating thickness and RoHS testing, all in-house so a question can be answered without waiting for an outside lab.

Need optical sorting for your part?

Send the drawing and the annual volume. We will confirm feasibility, tolerance and lead time in the quotation.

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