A full dose of automation
Assembly system from PIA to produce dosing modules for insulin pens
The automated production of medical products is a challenge: high quality, safety, and hygiene standards are required - ultimately, all products impact people's health. In addition, manufacturers in the medical sector have to produce economically. They face international competition, and efficient production processes are a decisive success factor for a product. With a system of dosing modules for insulin pens, PIA Automation demonstrates how automation can be utilized even for demanding requirements.
Dosing modules are an important component of insulin pens. The displays on the modules provide patients with key information such as the amount of insulin or the time of the last injection. The automated production of these modules is complex because they consist of numerous and sometimes very small individual components. In addition to the display, this also includes the holder for the pen's battery or the circuit board with the necessary electronics. “We had already designed a similar system for a global customer and were now able to incorporate valuable knowledge from the first project into the new inquiry,” says Dr. Philipp Zopf, Project manager at PIA Automation.
Intensive coordination within the PIA team and close cooperation with the customer are crucial to the success of such complex projects, especially when it comes to the interaction between the system's mechanics and software. “Right from the development phase of the assembly line for dosing modules, we worked together excellently and continuously improved the system,” says Dr. Zopf. PIA builds on several decades of experience as a system supplier for the medical industry in such projects.
Stringent customer requirements fulfilled
The customer's requirements were stringent: including, a short cycle time, absolute precision, close quality monitoring during the ongoing process, and ESD-protected production (electrostatic discharge) - i.e. without damage caused by electrostatic discharge. The experts at PIA worked closely with the customer to develop a customized high-speed assembly line with a total of 13 stations.
The stations cover all assembly steps with 100% automation. This includes heat contact riveting, also known as heat staking. In this process, a heated tool forms a plastic mandrel on the workpiece so that it is positively connected to a second component - in one case, a circuit board. In the next stations the display, the electronics, or the battery are assembled. At various points in the process, PIA has integrated camera systems that continuously monitor the individual production steps. The path of each individual dosing module can be traced seamlessly via a code.
PIA Network as a guarantee for success
With a cycle time of just over 18 seconds per component, PIA has met the customer's cycle time expectations. The system can produce 700,000 dosing modules per year. Using the piaLineController software, the customer has an overview of every important system data at all times - and can react accordingly if necessary. Even after the system has been installed by PIA at the customer's site, the intensive cooperation does not end: Another PIA location takes over the service.
"The system shows what our international PIA network is capable of and how efficiently and economically processes in the medical industry can be automated," says Dr Zopf. "The demands of our customers in this industry are rightly particularly high. We are even more pleased when we can successfully implement such complex projects".
