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Automated feeding and assembly of flexible connectors for medical manufacturing

Case Study: Feeding Flexible Medical Connectors at 40 ppm: Cutting, Coiling, Welding and Assembly with Vision Inspection

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Ward Automation developed a high-performance integrated system combining robotics, machine vision and special processes to ensure continuous production and consistent quality when handling flexible medical components.

The Challenge

Challenge – Flexible Connector Handling
  1. Handling flexible and deformable components prone to tangling and overlapping, while avoiding jams typical of traditional feeding systems.
  2. Maintaining a constant throughput of 40 parts per minute, ensuring stable picking and positioning for downstream welding and dispensing operations.
  3. Guaranteeing process repeatability and quality, preventing micro-stops and protecting critical stations from non-conforming parts.

The Solution

FlexiBowl 800 Solution
  1. FlexiBowl® 800 ensures stable feeding of flexible parts, eliminating jams and stops, and features a quick emptying function for fast emptying if batch changes are required.
  2. Vision-guided Mitsubishi SCARA robots pick parts directly from the feeding system, enabling precise and repeatable pick-and-place at production speed.
  3. Integrated cutting, coiling and welding operations prepare and stabilize the product before assembly.
  4. Ten vision systems distributed along the line provide robot guidance and in-process quality inspection.
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The Benefits

FlexiBowl Benefits
  1. Speed and production continuity: stable operation at 40 parts per minute, thanks to a dual-grip system that enables picking parts on both possible gripping faces; the parts are then placed onto a buffer system and finally correctly oriented.
  2. Safe handling of delicate parts: controlled feeding and vision-guided pick-and-place preserve part integrity throughout the entire process.
  3. Process quality: distributed vision inspections and in-process checks prevent non-conforming parts from reaching critical stations.
  4. Compact and efficient layout: optimized integration of feeding, robotics and inspection reduces footprint and improves overall process flow.
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