Automation NTH focuses on consulting, custom turnkey design and system optimization for a wide range of industries. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the company has specific expertise in the life sciences, automotive and electronic sectors.
Transformational Technology
For many patients, innovative medical devices have transformed their care regimen. These devices use advanced sensors to monitor vital health metrics.
Data is transmitted to the patient via a mobile phone or other device – or can be linked directly to other medical equipment.
“Assembling the monitoring device is an exacting process,” said Jeff Buck, vice president of engineering, Automation NTH. “And this is where our company excels – in high-precision, discrete applications.”
Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Automation NTH focuses on consulting, custom machine building and system optimization. While the company serves many industries, it has developed specific expertise in the life sciences, automotive and electronic sectors. Automation NTH is a member of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™ program.
Ramping Up Production
Automation NTH was approached by a medical device manufacturer transitioning from manual assembly to automated production. Like any medical device, it is subject to FDA design validation that includes verification of manufacturing controls throughout the process.
First, Automation NTH determined the requirements for each of approximately 30 precise process steps.
“The process includes intricate steps like bending fine wires, soldering, dispensing epoxy and curing,” explained Joe Cocchini, staff controls engineer, Automation NTH. “And that’s just for one part of the device.”
The assembly system runs on a Rockwell Automation platform, based on Allen-Bradley® controllers. To transport the device to each assembly station, Automation NTH chose a belt-driven conveyor system.
Automation NTH commissioned the validated, modular assembly system – and put it into production.
“As our client continued to scale-up, they asked us to determine a way to increase capacity and decrease costs,” Buck said. “Specifically, they wanted to maintain the validated process – while lowering the overall cost of the finished product.”
A More Cost-Effective Way
Automation NTH determined that the production costs of the assembly process were driven by the extensive footprint of the system.
“The assembly system resides in a cleanroom, a costly environment,” Buck explained. “And scaling up production by increasing the manufacturing footprint would adversely impact product price.”
To develop a more cost-effective approach, Automation NTH turned to MagneMover® LITE™, an intelligent conveyor system from Rockwell Automation.
Instead of running at fixed speed and fixed pitch like conventional conveyors, MagneMover LITE enables independent control of magnetically propelled carriers on a track in a simpler, more compact footprint. The system is designed to run light loads efficiently – and as a contactless drive system, it performs well in a cleanroom environment.
Working with Rockwell Automation technical support, Automation NTH used simulation software to help guide the system design.
How It Works
An Automation NTH proprietary software engine serves as an interface between the MagneMover LITE carriers and the controller.
“By default, the software engine is configured to handle up to 100 carriers – and 100 stations,” Cocchini said. “It’s like a template and can be used every time we develop a system.”
Similarly to a robot, the MagneMover LITE system can be trained using a manual mode to jog the carrier to the precise position.
“You just walk the line and teach,” Cocchini said.
The station manager feature enables users to add, remove or change stations without additional programming. It also considers user-defined behavior and current machine conditions to determine the best station destination for the next carrier.
“Everything is dynamic,” Cocchini explained. “The MagneMover LITE system assesses the real-time situation – and then automatically chooses the action that has the least impact on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).”
While the medical device is 100% machine-assembled, the manufacturer wanted the flexibility to use either a robotic or manual process for picking and loading items at the stations, depending on facility business requirements.
“We designed a hybrid approach – and that’s where MagneMover really shined,” said Cocchini.
Because accelerations, decelerations, velocities and positions are programmable, the same equipment can be modified to support either the manual or robotic “pick and load” process.
More Efficient Manufacturing. Lower Price Point.
To date, Automation NTH has installed six device assembly lines based on MagneMover LITE in the United States and Asia.
“In the end, we were able to reconfigure the solution using MagneMover LITE and repurpose the tooling – and maintain the proven, validated process,” Buck said.
The initial belt-driven solution could be configured two-up. With MagneMover LITE, Automation NTH can design a four-up configuration in the same space – essentially doubling the capacity and speed of the application.
“Our key objective was to ramp up production and enable a lower price per part – so the product can be more readily available to patients around the world,” Buck said. “We achieved that.”
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Published September 11, 2023
