Beck Automation finds an increased demand for in-mold-labeling shortly after entering the medical manufacturing field.
Beck Automation AG officially entered the international medical market with their focus on automation solutions for producers of medical consumables manufactured by injection molding. After three months, the first positive developments can be summarized.
"At the beginning, we assumed that our market entry would be positively evaluated by medical companies. However, we did not expect so much positive feedback and requests," says Ralf Ziemer, sales manager medical at Beck Automation.
It wasn’t only the reactions to the market entry in the social networks that were positive, but also the requests received in the following period. Beck Automation assumed there would be less demand for in-mold-labelling (IML) applications, and the company initially concentrated on applications in the area of high-speed take out and downstream. However, IML solutions have been in high demand until now, which is why Beck Automation adapted its strategy.
"We didn't necessarily want to push IML in the medical sector, but about 50% of all requests have to do with IML. Some of these are specific, high-precision applications. For example, we are currently working on a solution to insert an RFID label into components that will later be used with pre-filled syringes. We received the request for this future-oriented technology because we are the only automation company that can offer such precise solutions," Ziemer says.
Other promising projects were also generated.
"We convince our business partners with our engineering and our understanding of the structural design of a medical system. As soon as we address this topic and show examples of what we understand by Swiss engineering, we call the customers attention. As a result, we receive mostly relate to functional and high-precision IML. This is very important, especially in the medical sector," Ziemer continues.
The engineering team is currently working on a solution to apply the scale of a centrifuge tube using IML. In this case, IML is to replace the printing technology used so far. Ziemer is aware that the IML process must be very precise, reliable, and repeatable and to some extent, tolerances (print to cut) of the labels have to be compensated too.
"We are able to reproduce these very precise IML processes. In doing so, we combine our experience with the innovations we have developed. Moreover, we are already working on future technologies, such as high-precision positioning, which we will present this year during the K trade fair in Düsseldorf," Ziemer explains.
The steps you need to take before investing in AMRs.
You wouldn’t ask an architect to build anything without designing it in AutoCAD first, so why are you installing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) without simulating the deployment in software first? OTTO Motors’ CEO Matthew Rendall discusses how simulation is used to save cost, validate feasibility, mitigate risk, and evaluate ROI – all before robots are on site at a facility. Rendall will show real-world examples from both greenfield and brownfield deployments of how simulation is used to identify inefficiencies early, reduce deployment time, and model what success looks like. He’ll answer questions such as:
• How will AMRs behave in a facility? • What is the optimal number of AMRs? • What are the impacts of different design options? • Where are the potential workflow bottlenecks?
Meet your presenter Matt Rendall is CEO and co-Founder of OTTO Motors, where he is responsible for driving the company vision and strategic commercialization of the company’s autonomous mobile robots. OTTO provides self-driving vehicle technology for material transport to some of the world’s companies, including Ford Motor Co., General Electric, Toyota Motor Corp., and more. Rendall began his career by developing and commercializing complex electro-mechanical systems. He held various research and development positions in automation, automotive, and defense industries. He holds a bachelor of applied science from the inaugural mechatronics engineering class and a master’s in business, entrepreneurship, and technology, both from the University of Waterloo. Rendall was also recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and a Business Insider 40 Under 40 People to Watch.
About the company OTTO Motors is Clearpath Robotics’ industrial division, providing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for material handling inside manufacturing facilities and warehouses. OTTO is trusted for mission-critical deliveries spanning the most demanding of industrial environments. Customers include Fortune 100 brands such as GE and Toyota.
Join us on August 3, 2022, at 12PM ET for our look at how additive manufacturing is accelerating innovative design and manufacturing roundtable.
When you register for this free webinar, you will hear from industry experts about how:
Don’t delay, make sure to join us for this insightful webinar. Registration is free and once registered, you will receive a link post-event to watch on-demand.
Discover how collaborative palletizing can improve production.
Palletizing is labor intensive, repetitive, and unergonomic work which makes it suited to automation. With global manufacturing in the midst of a labor crisis, companies are keenly exploring automated solutions to their palletizing problems. The benefits of palletizing automation include increased productivity and throughput, higher quality, and improved ergonomics. However, the cost and complexity of traditional palletizing robotic systems has prevented small- to medium-sized (SME) businesses from introducing automation to their facilities. The latest collaborative palletizing hardware and software solutions change all that by breaking down barriers separating small manufacturers from their larger competitors. How? By providing SMEs with industry grade palletizing automation that is easy to use, flexible, and most importantly affordable. The key components of these productivity-boosting systems are collaborative grippers, actuators to provide that all-important 7th axis, and user-friendly software that provides fast deployment and features such as automatic gripper detection, path optimization, and pre-loaded stacking patterns. In this session, OnRobot’s Kristian Hulgard will explain how these systems work, show why they are a good fit for SMEs, and answer all your palletizing automation questions.
Meet your presenter Kristian Hulgard is the general manager of the Americas division at OnRobot – the one stop shop for collaborative and light industrial robot applications. He’s been part of the collaborative robot market since its emergence. Hulgard is a thought leader in robot applications and activation of robots in the collaborative space.
About the company OnRobot is a global company headquartered in the robotics cluster of Odense, Denmark. We provide small and mid-sized manufacturers with a full line of innovative plug and produce solutions for collaborative robot applications. Our electric grippers, force/torque sensors, tool changers, vacuum grippers, and award-winning gecko technology help manufacturers gain the full advantages of automation, including ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and safety alongside human workers.
Register today for the July Manufacturing Lunch + Learn webinar. Taking place Thursday, July 28, 2022, from 12PM -1PM ET.
Featuring presentations led by HEIDENHAIN and ISCAR USA, this month’s sessions will provide an in-depth look into implementing new CNCs manufactured in the US and Advancements in Modular Cutting Tools for Milling Applications.
SESSION HIGHLIGHTS New CNCs Manufactured in the U.S. John Parker, MT Business Development and Product Manager, HEIDENHAIN Corp. 12PM – 12:30PM ET MILLPWR a powerful yet easy to operate CNC retrofit systems for knee mills and bed mills. Faster set-ups, shorter run times and a major boost in productivity are just one "powerful easy" retrofit away. Our new MILLPWRG2 control and retrofit kits can turn just about any knee mill into a powerhouse money-maker.
TURNPWR is a workshop-oriented turning control enabling the user to program conventional machining operations right at the machine. It’s designed for turning machine tools with up to two axes. TURNPWR was developed to satisfy the wants and needs of lathe machinists where manual and automated operation are both useful and needed. TURNPWR promises to enable the user to maximize throughput by significantly reducing setup time, scrap, and other non-productive operations.
Advancements in Modular Cutting Tools for Milling Applications Bryan Stusak, National Product Manager – Milling, ISCAR 12:30PM – 1PM ET Advancements in Modular Cutting Tools for Milling Applications – Rigidity is one of the main variables of machining that effects machining productivity and is something that must be accounted for on a consistent basis when making cutting tool decisions. It would be nice and easy if every cutting tool assembly was 1 piece, nice and short (i.e., less bending) with huge tolerance bands in terms of stable machining zones (i.e., no chatter).
However, those of you still reading realize this is not our world and understand the many variables to consider when it comes to creating cutting tool assemblies that will be productive for a given application. Robust, modular, tooling systems can make dealing with variables much easier. This lunch and learn will highlight recent cutting tool innovations related to modular tooling from ISCAR and how these tooling systems can help companies keep spindles rotating while driving down overall costs.
Registration is free and if you can't attend the day of, you'll receive a link after the event to watch on demand.