Automated Equipment Provides Consistency to Coiling Process

InvotecCase Study, Error Proofing, Machine Vision Systems, Precision Joining

fully-automated coiling

Invotec helps medical manufacturer transition manual coiling process to a more repeatable, accurate, automated process.

The Challenge

A medical device manufacturer was struggling to produce consistent results in a highly complex, manual sub-assembly of their device.

The process called for an operator to manually coil a delicate, .020” thick wire around the exterior of a mandrel.

Doing so required operators to feed, wind, clamp, coil, and cut the material before transferring the device to a welding station—all of which was done by hand leading to long cycle times, inaccuracies, and inconsistency between operators.

Our Solution

Invotec worked closely with the customer to assess their process, environment, and operators. Ultimately Invotec recommended a fully-automated system that would allow operators to load multiple mandrels at once, secure the device, wrap the mandrel with coils of precise spacing, and secure the final product with welding inside the same machine.

Here is how the system works:

  • The system allows operators to load up to 13 mandrels into the machine at once where they are then indexed and set into position.
  • The wire is then coiled along the length of the mandrel and secured with at each end.
  • Next the system welds the wire into place and inspects the device using integrated vision systems.
  • After inspection, the final product is released onto a returning conveyor where rejects are automatically separated into a reject chute, and approved devices are cycled out every 80 seconds.
Results

After implementation, our customer experienced better consistency in the coiling of their device that led to greater confidence in the accuracy and effectiveness of their product.

This new process also significantly reduced the cycle time and footprint of the process as a whole.

Additionally leveraging the integrated vision system allowed them to better isolate rejects.

Are you looking to increase accuracy and scale up production for your organization? Contact us today!

< Previous PostBack to Case StudiesNext Post >

Share this Post