System for loading collars onto bolts in large-scale manufacturing operations

A gripperless system for loading collars onto a die pin portion of a swaging die tool and for transferring a loaded collar onto a tail portion of a bolt extending through an opening in a workpiece stackup during manufacturing operations, comprising:

• a swaging die tool;
• and
• a collar feed assembly, including a channel which includes a stop assembly in the vicinity of the end of the channel, defining a receiving cavity for the collar, wherein the receiving cavity is configured to permit a collar therein to move slightly, thereby permitting the die pin portion of the die tool to reliably engage a center opening of the collar, the collar thereby coming into accurate alignment with the center axis of the die tool, wherein the feed assembly is moveable sufficiently thereafter to permit the die pin-engaged collar to be moved toward a workpiece, wherein the die tool is mounted so as to be moveable slightly transversely relative to a center axis of the bolt to permit a reliable transfer of the collar onto the bolt, the center axis of the die tool and the collar thereby coming into alignment with the center axis of the bolt, wherein the collar is more compliant than the die tool during loading of the collar onto the die pin and wherein the die tool is more compliant than the collar during transfer of the collar from the die pin onto the bolt.