Evana Builds Robotic Handling System for Medical Device Manufacturer
The system will transport wire shaping fixtures to heat treating furnaces, a cooling quench, then to the final assembly line.
Posted: November 19, 2014
Evana Automation (Evansville, IN), a leading systems integrator and builder of custom, automated assembly and test systems, recently received a contract to provide a robotic material handling system for a leading medical device manufacturer that will transport wire shaping fixtures to heat treating furnaces, a cooling quench, and then to the final assembly line.
The process involves wire tying operators loading the wire shaping fixtures into part nests, which hold multiple fixtures. A robot will pick up the nest and load it into one of several furnaces. The robot will then take the next heat treated part nest from the furnace and place it into a cooling quench. Part sensors are used to ensure that all fixtures are present before entering the furnace, as well as when the fixtures are removed from the furnace.
The previously quenched nest will be transported, via robot, to a conveyor that will feed the fixtures to an operator. From there, the nest and fixtures are returned to the wrapping operators on a flat belt conveyor for final assembly. The robotic material handling system is scheduled for a January 2015 delivery.
“Evana’s robotic material handling system will reduce labor and increase safety in a potentially hazardous environment,” said Randy Wire, the general manager of Evana Automation Specialists. “This is one of multiple projects that Evana has underway for this leading medical device manufacturer.”
Evana, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), utilizes diverse technologies to specialize in motion control, robotics integration, welding integration and system architecture by linking production equipment, material handling systems, data collection, networking, as well as computer software and hardware into flexible, unified technology.
Test equipment can be integrated into assembly systems, stand-alone systems for automatic testing, or manual test benches. Overall, Evana’s custom assembly and test solutions improve efficiency for manufacturers all over the world in industries like automotive, aerospace, defense, healthcare and alternative energy, as well as manufacturers of commercial and consumer products.
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