Since its founding in 1945, Arthur G. Russell has been an innovator in the field of automatic assembly equipment. At that time the lack of adequate parts feeders and reliable automation components limited assembly speeds and equipment reliability. In response, AGR developed a line of vibratory feeders based on the modular Vibroblock® that was state of the art both electrically and mechanically. These engineered feeders could deliver parts at much higher rates, which raised the bar for automatic assembly systems. Feeder performance was further enhanced with AGR’s introduction of closed loop vibratory control and variable frequency operation. Other AGR innovations included modular mechanical devices including cam driven pick and place units, grippers, part escapements and rotary and linear actuators.