Case Study
Building New Versus a Proven Performer
Our customer needed capacity expansion on an existing product line with very specific throughput requirements. The solution also had to accommodate capital expenditure and cleanroom footprint restrictions.
THE CHALLENGE
Our customer was successfully using an ATS Life Sciences Systems (LSS) tube set assembly system to meet their needs until a new order meant they required additional capacity.
The increased demand exceeded the 120 ppm capacity of the system they were running but was not enough to justify operating two separate systems (50% more than needed, and exceeded the footprint available). LSS was challenged to develop a 180 ppm solution.
THE SOLUTION
Using recently developed innovations around tube set assembly technology, LSS worked through a concept that made use of servo driven linear compound motion and proven mechanical cam technology.
The resulting tube set assembly system included:
Tube dereeler with vacuum box versus dancer wheel tension control to minimize tube stretch and length variation: Minimizing tube handling as it comes off the supply reel and again once it is coiled into the final form factor reduces risk from inconsistencies in tube age, raw material, and production method.
Ultrasonic tube cutting: The standard razor blade or tool steel knife tend to wear out quickly resulting in poor cuts, stringers and debris which produce rejects. The leading-edge technology of ultrasonic cutting is extremely clean, fast, creates no particulate and seemingly has infinite knife life.
Servo guided tube insertion and dithering (to spread the solvent) that can be adjusted via the HMI: In critical-to-quality areas of a process, dialling in precise increments from the HMI rather than making mechanical adjustments via trial and error further increases precision.
360 degree tube insertion depth optical verification: In-line quality checks verify proper insertion of tubes into transparent connectors to ensure the product is assembled to specification.
THE RESULTS
The system concept and design provided the required 180 ppm in essentially the same cleanroom footprint and at 40% less cost than running two of the same systems.
Recent innovations added to the solution resulted in:
Recent innovations added to the solution resulted in:
- higher quality tube sets,
- a reject rate that decreased by 10%, and
- reduced cutting knife maintenance to zero.
| Current System | Current System x2 | Innovation Driven System | |
| Throughput | 120 ppm | 240 ppm | 180 ppm |
| OEE | 90% | 90% | 94% |
| Cleanroom footprint | 42 sqm | 84 sqm | 42 sqm |
| Cost | 100% | 175% | 140% |
We have a variety of medical tube set capabilities available for straight tail and complex, coiled assemblies.
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Fact Sheet
Standard Autoinjector Manufacturing System
Pre-engineered for lower design costs and faster delivery; suitable for any common three-piece autoinjector