Comment by londons_explore

Proposed feeder design:

Massive hopper (non-tapered if the tapering causes jams), feeding into slowly rotating (60 rpm) spiral-inner drum, falling onto very fast moving (10 feet per second) belt.

Parts get spread into a ~2 inch thick layer inside the drum, and then falling (at least a foot) onto the fast moving belt will then likely separate them further. For parts that end up entangled, end up on the belt too close together, or are unrecognisable in the orientation they fall, simply redirect them back into the top of the hopper to be resorted.

Even a 50% successful sort rate should be good enough.