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.

McClellan's medical devices industry expertise