Patent ID: 9579179
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: A61C,B65B

Claim:
1. A method of processing ingots, comprising: introducing a plurality of ingots to a production line via a first feeding mechanism; inspecting said plurality of ingots for conformance with one or more predefined parameters; transporting said plurality of ingots via a second feeding mechanism to a tray insertion station; introducing a tray into said production line at said tray insertion station, said tray having a plurality of cells each configured to accept one of said plurality of ingots; inserting said plurality of ingots into said plurality of cells in said tray at said tray insertion station; weighing said trays to check said tray's compliance with a predefined weight range after said plurality of ingots have been inserted into said plurality of cells; marking each of said plurality of said ingots with a first marking; and optically inspecting said first marking on each of said plurality of ingots.