Our customer ELM challenged us to engineer and build an assembly and printing system for not just one but actually four different products. Without compromising on the final output speed of 220 units per minute, this machine can print and assemble four sizes of syringe ranging from 1.5ml to 15ml. Parts are fed into the machine via a worm wheel. Employing this technology ensures that each product enters the machine in the correct orientation, avoiding product cluttering upon leaving the feeder. Printing can be applied 360 degrees around the product in multiple colours. After printing, the barrel, plunger and adapter are assembled to complete the product. 

Our longstanding relationship of over 20 years with ELM has seen us build several machines for them. This specific machine has been designed and built with several clear key objectives in mind, limiting the footprint, improving operator accessibility and with maximum product flexibility. Even the feed systems have been optimised to limit the footprint in the factory. A true benefit of such a long-standing customer relationship is that we really understand ELM’s approach and that allows us to fine-tune the possible solution for them year on year. The experience and feedback we have amassed for various printing and assembly solutions have culminated in the creation of a masterpiece in automation technology. Printing and assembly doesn’t get much better than this.

Essange develops and produces reagents for blood grouping and specific plasma proteins. One item they use for testing blood is the so-called cellBIND card. AAE developed a machine that performs a series of tasks in succession. The machine feeds and orientates, affixes and verifies stickers, then fills, checks filling, volume and any possible polution in each cellBIND card. They are then boxed for the next step in packaging and processing. The cards are sealed in aluminium foil to protect them during transport.

Using a “supertrak” system that facilitates the independent movement of karts or handlers. Processing times can be optimised to improve system performance. A kart can stop for longer at a station that requires more time or one with a more delicate operation (filling) and can move on more quickly from a station with a less critical operation (stickering). This helps minimize failures and improves the system’s overall performance. 

Market demand for extremely effective solutions like cellBIND cards is growing. Building a highly efficient automated solution for our customer is a challenge, but the results are more than worth it. Supplying a system that allows our customer to achieve better quality output, keeping them well ahead of the competition, is only possible through the close-knit cooperation with them. Essange oversees the process and AAE leads the engineering and building of the machine that integrates all these processes in a single system.

We developed a printing and assembly machine for one of our clients in the medical sector, to print a 1ml injection syringe as well as assemble its 3 separate components. The barrel, plunger and piston are pretreated, printed, cured with silicone and checked visually for defaults at a staggering 600 syringes per minute. This amounts to an incredible output of over 36000 syringes an hour. It is more typical to find production lines for this kind of product divided across two lines or platforms. We take great pride in designing and building printing and assembly solutions run on a single CMS (Continuous Motion System). This particular system has been equipped with two centrifugal feeders and is part of a production line that manufactures syringes from granulate to a shippable product in under 4 hours. This helps to reduce factory floorspace requirements, contribute to enormous manufacturing efficiency gains and, in turn, lower the environmental impact.