meditec® processor module: One for all
Medical technology products are getting smarter, increasingly linked, smaller and their production is more complex than ever before. Modern, flexible and I4.0-ready concepts are in demand. The new meditec® processor module was designed for the assembly of such products.
The meditec® platform encompasses components that were developed specifically to manufacture medical technology products and meet the applicable international regulations. Thanks to their modularity all cells can be extended or connected to form a line. Apart from various graduations the portfolio includes manual work stations, semi-automated and fully automated cells. Additionally, we designed a pick-and-place handling system which all but excludes direct movements on top of the component to protect the product from particles and contamination. The cells were designed in such a way that dirt-collecting edges and dead space are avoided and that everything is easy to clean. The meditec® platform products meet clean room class 7.
A B&R SuperTrak serves as the conveying system. Based on long-stator linear motor technology it can be operated with a random number of shuttles equipped with permanent magnets. The start and end positions of movements, conveying speeds and acceleration curves can be configured in the software. The machine is operated using the intuitive HMI/SCADA interface which is based on the Copa-Data Zenon programming environment. All parts are I4.0-ready and offer corresponding interfaces. Sensors and actuators communicating via IO link, together with controls and SuperTrak, deliver a wealth of data that can be evaluated with apps available in the PIA App Suite. Data exchange is taken care of by OPC UA that has established itself as the open standard for I4.0. This allows for the integration into a customer-specific data acquisition system (BDE, MES).
Christopher Weiss (PIA Amberg)
"The modules can also be used for ‘proof of principle’."
The meditec® module is suitable for the micro-assembly of extremely small parts as well as larger components up to ten kilograms in weight which is the shuttles’ maximum carrying capacity. This results in a broad possible product range that can be produced on this system: Inhalation and diagnostics systems, auto-injectors, insulin pens, infusion sets or patch pumps etc. “The modules can be converted to low-volume and high-volume systems and also be used for ‘proof of principle’ in the medical technology area. This way critical and demanding processes can be mapped in order to produce samples for verification. These secure processes can then be transferred one-to-one to the customer’s system”, says Christopher Weiss, Team Coordinator Sales, Medical Division.