Claims

1. A method comprising:providing a lapping machine tool having a first spindle and a second spindle, the second spindle being rotatable about an axis that is generally perpendicular to a rotational axis of the first spindle, the lapping machine tool having a loading zone for loading the first and second spindles;providing a robot with an end effector;loading a first gear set to a first end of the end effector, the first gear set having a ring gear and a pinion gear;moving the first end of the end effector into the loading zone; andloading the first gear set to the lapping machine tool without removing the end effector from the loading zone such that the ring gear is loaded onto the first spindle and the pinion gear is loaded onto the second spindle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pinion gear is loaded to the second spindle before the ring gear is loaded to the first spindle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the robot includes an articulating arm that is coupled to the end effector, the articulating arm having a first arm member and a second arm member that is pivotally coupled to the first arm member.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein loading the first gear set to the end effector includes:positioning the ring gear such that a rotational axis of the ring gear is disposed in a predetermined attitude; andpositioning the pinion gear such that a rotational axis of the pinion gear is generally perpendicular to the rotational axis of the ring gear.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein prior to loading the first gear set to the first end of the end effector the method includes conveying the first gear set to a material loading station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at the material loading station the rotational axis of the pinion gear is generally parallel to the rotational axis of the ring gear.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to loading the first gear set to the lapping machine, the method further comprises:locating a second end of the end effector in the loading zone; andunloading a second gear set from the lapping machine tool to the second end of the end effector, the second gear set including a ring gear and a pinion gear.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:indexing the end effector out of the loading zone;rotating the end effector; andindexing the first end of the end effector into the loading zone.

9. A method comprising:providing a lapping machine tool having a first spindle and a second spindle, the second spindle being rotatable about an axis that is generally perpendicular to a rotational axis of the first spindle, the lapping machine tool having a loading zone for loading the first and second spindles;loading a first gear set to the lapping machine tool, the first gear set including a ring gear and a pinion gear, the ring gear being loaded to the first spindle and the pinion gear being loaded to the second spindle;providing a robot with an end effector;moving a first end of the end effector into the loading zone; andunloading the first gear set from the lapping machine tool to the first end of the end effector without removing the first end of the end effector from the loading zone.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ring gear is unloaded from the first spindle before the pinion gear is loaded to the second spindle.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the robot includes an articulating arm that is coupled to the end effector, the articulating arm having a first arm member and a second arm member that is pivotally coupled to the first arm member.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein unloading the first gear set from the lapping machine tool to the first end of the end effector includes:coupling the ring gear to the first end of the end effector such that a rotational axis of the ring gear is disposed in a predetermined attitude; andcoupling the pinion gear to the first end of the end effector such that a rotational axis of the pinion gear is generally perpendicular to the rotational axis of the ring gear.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further includes unloading the first gear set to a material loading station.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at the material loading station the rotational axis of the pinion gear is generally parallel to the rotational axis of the ring gear.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein prior to unloading the first gear set to the material loading station, the method further includes loading a second gear set to a second end of the end effector, the second gear set including a ring gear and a pinion gear.

16. An end effector comprising:a beam portion with a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the beam portion having a rotational axis that is disposed between the first and second ends;a first tooling set coupled to the first end of the beam portion, the first tooling set including a first tooling subset and a second tooling subset, the first tooling subset having a first set of jaws that are arranged about a first gear axis and being adapted for releasably engaging a first gear, the second tooling subset having a second set of jaws that are arranged about a second gear axis, the second gear axis being perpendicular to the first gear axis, the second set of jaws being adapted for releasably engaging a second gear; anda second tooling set coupled to the second end of the beam portion, the second tooling set being identical to the first tooling set.

17. The end effector of claim 16, wherein the second tooling subset further includes an abutting member that is spaced apart from the second set of jaws and wherein the abutting member and the second set of jaws cooperate to capture the second gear.

18. The end effector of claim 17, wherein the abutting member has a conical abutting surface that is adapted to mate with a surface of a mating conical recess that is formed in the second gear.

19. The end effector of claim 16, wherein the second jaws travel in directions that are perpendicular to the second gear axis.

20. The end effector of claim 16, wherein the first jaws move in directions that are perpendicular to the first gear axis.