Some effects of ultrasonic vibration on the inserting operation

This paper describes a new method for inserting parts with very close clearance in the assembly process. The inserting motion becomes smooth and easy by the application of ultrasonic vibration to either the peg or the hole to be mated. In the experiments, longitudinal vibration and/or bending vibration were applied to the peg by using an ultrasonic exciter. Smooth mating with a clearance of less than several micrometers was realised by a robot under rough control to about several hundred micrometers. This effect is due to the result of the reduction of the apparent friction and the generation of surface force on the parts' surfaces.