41
Troubleshooting
Stone Placement Issues
Consistently moving stones from the
Sorter Bowls
to the
Transfer Sheet
depends on a few key factors. Quality of the crystals,
C-Stick
condi-
tion, and issues with the
Sorter Bowls
can degrade performance.
Poor Stone Quality
Poor quality or mistreated stones will effect transfer consistency and,
ultimately, throughput. These problems can cause transfer issues:
n
Contaminated stones.
Dirt on stones can clog the filter and
cause drops. Use high quality stones and handle as little as pos-
sible. If stones get dirty, thoroughly clean or discard them.
n
Inconsistent stone dimensions.
Irregular stone sizes or stone
dimensions that vary greatly among lots will not work well in
the
Sorter Bowls
. High quality stones are consistent and work
better in with the
Sorter Wheels
and make a better end product.
C-Stick Difficulties
The
C-Stick
will wear over time and eventually require replacement.
The
Routine Maintenance
chapter describes how to increase useful life.
n
Stones are not sticking to the C-Stick.
The
C-Stick
must make a
vacuum seal on the stone. A worn tip or clogged vacuum filter
can cause dropped stones. Replace the C-Stick tip and carriage
filter when this happens.
A damaged vacuum pump or
Sorter
Bowl
issues (see below) can also cause this.
n
Stones are not releasing from the C-Stick.
Poor quality stones
can get stuck in a worn tip. Replacing the
C-Stick
Tip
may
help. Gently remove stones with tweezers or a fingernail.
Sorter Bowl Problems
The most common issues effecting
Sorter Bowls
are; over or under-
filling, dirty
Sorter Wheels
and stones trapped under the
Sorter Wheel
.
n
Over or under-
filling.
Follow guidelines in the
Operation
chap-
ter to avoid wheel jams or missed placements from poor filling.
n
Dirty
Sorter Wheel
.
The
Routine Maintenance
chapter has direc-
tions for cleaning debris from the
Sorter Wheel
that can cause
stones to miss the alignment pits and reduce throughput.
n
Misalignment.
Proper C-stick alignment with the
Sorter Bowl
is
critical. Call Customer Service for help checking this.
n
Stone trapped under the
S
orter Wheel
.
Stones trapped under
the
Sorter Wheel
will cause
C-Stick
misalignment and failed pick
ups. Make sure the
Sorter Bowl
is completely clear of stones
when changing the
Sorter Wheels
.
Stone trapped on
Figure 39.
Sorter Bowl
shaft.
6ss Stone
Causes Wheel
to Misalign