Fully Automatic Equipment with Rapid Changeover
Customer automation need
Upon the success of the sub-assembly machine and the increasing demand for the customers' product, McClellan was requested to design and build a fully automated assembly system for their medical Valve. This involved assembling four components in two configurations. The two configurations required McClellan to design a means to switch feeding bowls between runs, with the following features:
- Feed/orient from bulk a flexible part and pick and place it to the dial
- Feed/orient a second piece singulate and insert into the waiting flexible part resulting in a subassembly
- Feed/orient/Singulate one of two potential Housings, pick and place the Housing to a second nest on the dial
- Place the Sub-assembly into the waiting Outlet Housing
- Apply 5-10 microliters of 1000 cps silicone oil onto the flexible piece
- Feed/Orient and pick and place a second Housing onto the waiting assembly
- Ultrasonically weld the two Housings
- Create a .01" x .08" slit into the top of the flexible piece and apply 10 microliters of 100,000 cps silicone fluid
- Three vision inspection stations
- Offload the parts as good/reject
The project had the following restrictions for machine design:
- Must fit through a 60" doorway
- Machine target rate 45 parts per minute limited by an Ultrasonic Welder
- Feeding bowl must be changeable by one technician
- Bowl Hoppers must hold one shift of material
- Class 100,000 Clean room
- Limited budget Cost savings due to McClellan designing the semi-automatic version
McClellan machine design solution/features
- Majority of movements are servo-ballscrew motions (motions as fast as 40 in/second)
- Feeding/handling a flexible piece
- Feeding/Inserting a small fragile polycarbonate post
- Interchangeable feeding system changeable by (1) technician
- Added three Vision inspection stations after machine was designed and built
Benefits of McClellan Automation System's Expertise
- McClellan Built three follow-up automation systems.
- Customer requested McClellan upgrade the existing semi-automatic machine to a fully automated system after two years of operation, three shifts/day. McClellan refurbished the machine and added the functionality of feeding the flexible piece.
- Assembled difficult to feed/handle components.
- Machine could produce two product configurations with a simple feeding system change (one feeding system, changeable by one technician).
- Open stations were added during the machine design allowing future inspection stations to be added.
