Research on Key Technologies for Automatic Sorting of Automobile Shock Absorber Valve Plates

In today’s fast-moving automotive world, shock absorbers are small but mighty parts that keep your ride smooth. China now leads the world in car ownership, and making shock absorbers at home has become a big deal. Let’s look at how smart sorting of tiny valve plates is changing the game for car part makers.

Why Automatic Valve Plate Sorting Matters

Shock absorbers need many small parts to work right. The hardest parts to handle are the valve plates – thin metal discs that control how oil flows inside the shock absorber. These tiny plates are:

• Too small to grab easily
• Need exact counting and stacking
• Must be placed in perfect order
  Only about 30% of factories can fully automate this process today. Most still count valve plates by hand, which:

1. Slows down production
2. Costs more money
3. Leads to mistakes

The Challenge with Valve Plates

When we look at popular shock absorber designs like , the valve plates are super important. These parts:

• Are made mostly of stainless steel
• Come in different types (flow plates, adjustment plates)
• Need to be stacked in exact order
• Must be placed with perfect alignment
  Let’s look at what goes into a real shock absorber valve assembly:

The Magnetic Sorting Solution

The breakthrough came when engineers noticed something simple – valve plates are magnetic! This led to a clever new way to sort them.

How It Works:

1. Magnetizing: Special poles magnetize the valve plates
2. Separation: Like poles repel each other, pushing plates apart
3. Pickup: Air suction cups grab just one plate at a time
4. Placement: The plate moves to where it needs to go
   The system has four main steps:
5. Loading and separation – plates get ready
6. Suction pickup – the machine grabs one plate
7. Movement – the plate travels to its spot
8. Return – the machine gets ready for the next plate

Big Benefits of Automatic Sorting

When factories switched from hand sorting to automatic sorting, the results were amazing:

Speed Comparison

Other Benefits:

• Fewer mistakes: Less than 0.1% error rate
• Lower costs: Needs 70% fewer workers
• Higher output: Can make more shock absorbers per day

Real-World Success Story

One factory that makes rear shock absorbers for pickup trucks tested the magnetic sorting system. Their valve assembly had:

• 3 adjustment plates
• 1 open plate
• 1 flow plate
• 2 positioning plates
  The magnetic sorter kept everything in perfect order, every time. Workers who used to get tired and make mistakes could now handle other important jobs.

The Future of Shock Absorber Assembly

This technology is just the beginning. Soon we might see:

• Smart cameras that check each plate
• Robots that handle the whole shock absorber
• Systems that work with heavy-duty truck parts too

What This Means for Car Owners

Better shock absorber assembly leads to:

1. Lower costs – savings get passed to car buyers
2. Better quality – fewer defects mean longer-lasting parts
3. More options – factories can make more types of shock absorbers

Summary

The magnetic valve plate sorting system solves a big headache for shock absorber makers. By using the natural properties of the metal plates, engineers created a simple but powerful way to handle these tricky parts.
This technology helps China’s growing auto parts industry make better products faster and cheaper. As commercial vehicle makers look for ways to improve, smart automation like this will lead the way.