Medical Industry - Case Study # 2409

Application -
Automatically Assemble a Valve for Material Fluid Control utilized in the Medical Industry.

Challenge -
Volume requires Automatic Feeding of all parts, Automatically Assembling all parts and applying a Measured amount of Silicone Sealant to each Part while maintaining a Maximum Output.

Solution -
Assemble product, in a two up configuration, through the use of a Fully Automatic 8 position Assembly Dial. The Main Body is automatically fed via a Vibratory Bowl and Automatic Pick and Place Unit. The Second station will automatically inspect for presence of the Bodies. The Third station will automatically spray a measured amount of Silicone into the bottom of the Body. The Fourth station will automatically feed the Valve via a Vibratory Bowl and Automatic Pick and Place Unit. The Fifth Station will Press the Valve in the Body. The Force and Distance are monitored during the Pressing Operation. The Sixth Station consists of a Final Test station, which verifies the Operation Torque range of the Valve and the Air Flow through the Valve. The Seventh Station automatically removes the “Rejected Parts” from Assembly Dial. The Eighth and Final Station removes the parts removes the Tested Parts and places all on parts Chute.

Bottom Line -
Due to the Automatic Assembly and Inspection of the product the customer has improved production 500% and cut scrap production by over 30%.

Inspection – Manufacturing - Case Study # 2316

Application -
Automatically Inspect a Sintered Metal Part.

Challenge -
Project Specifications on project require part be verified to meet a tolerance of +/- .001 on a Pin to Pin dimension while meeting a machine rate of 120 parts per minute.

Solution -
Design and Build a Continuous motion, unattended Station. Product was fed via a vibratory bowl and inline track system. Once parts were fed through the bowl, parts were cingulated via a custom parts escapement. The parts escapement was equipped with a linear transducer, which verified part width. A second escapement presented the parts in front of a Keyence Laser array, which verified the parts Pin-to-Pin centerlines. Once inspected the good parts were offloaded to a finished parts bin, while parts that failed were separated into reject bins depending on which dimension was rejected.

Bottom Line -
Due to the Automatic Inspection, customer was able to increase output and quality of product being shipped.

Epoxy System – Electrical Industry - Case Study # 2513

Application -
Remove a finished assembly from an automatic Press System and Automatically Dispense Locktite material around two terminals on a Variable Cam Timing Coil Assembly.

Challenge -
Dispensing application requires extreme control of the index of the part and servo controlled positioning of the dispensing nozzle delivering the material while maintaining a 5 second cycle time.

Solution -
Transfer product station to station through the use of a Precision Link Indexer. The Assembly is first transferred from the Press Station the Epoxy Station via an IAI Slide and Robohand gripper. The second work station applies Locktite Material around two terminals via an EFD dispensing nozzle supported and positioned by two IAI Slides. The next station cures the material via a Curing system. The following station inspects for presence and integrity of the Locktite via a DVT camera system. The final station automatically removes the Assembly via an IAI Slide.

Bottom Line -
Due to the Automatic Dispensing, Curing and Inspection of the product the customer has drastically improved production and quality of the product.