Technical Requirements
● Hygienic Design: All tooling was required to be fully welded (avoiding spot/tack welding) to eliminate collection areas for debris and to permit steam cleaning for sterilisation.
● Integration & Control: Equipment had to be controlled directly by the main machine’s PLC, with no delays or timers within the feeders’ standalone controllers.
● Environmental Standards: Noise levels were strictly mandated to remain below 75dB(A).
● Operational Efficiency: Each feeder was required to provide a consistent overfeed of at least 20% to guarantee a continuous supply of components to the assembly process at the required machine rate.
Technical Highlights
● Materials: All component contact parts were manufactured from 316-grade stainless steel, with non-contact parts in 304-grade or anodised aluminium.
● Multi-Lane Efficiency: Most systems were engineered for triple-stream feeding, achieving a combined machine rate of 100 to 120 parts per minute.
● Safety and environmental perspective:The noise levels were remained below 75dB(A) – achieved through the use of high-quality drive unit covers and specialised acoustic measures.
● Purge Capability: Each bowl was fitted with a purge gate, allowing for rapid batch emptying on demand.
Key benefits:
● Pharmaceutical-Grade Hygienic Design
● High-Performance Material Construction
● Guaranteed Production Efficiency
● Advanced Vision Orientation
● High-Volume Multi-Lane Output
● Low-Noise Operation
● Seamless System Integration
Overview
RNA was commissioned by an automation specialist to design and manufacture a series of high-performance feeding systems for a complex hygiene monitoring system assembly line. The project required the development of six distinct vibratory bowl feeding systems — Cuvette, Pot, Collar, Tube, Swab and Handle — engineered to meet stringent pharmaceutical standards and high-speed production requirements.
Solution
RNA provided complete, integrated systems for each component, generally consisting of a bulk storage hopper, a vibratory bowl feeder, and a multi-lane linear out-feed.
1. Cuvette & Pot Bowl Feed Systems
These systems utilised 316 stainless steel conical and cylindrical bowls. The Cuvettes were oriented hanging with the major diameter opening uppermost, while the Pots were discharged in three lanes running on their bases.
2. Collar Bowl Feed System
Featuring a conical stainless steel bowl, this system was designed to discharge components open-face up into a triple-stream linear track.
3. Tube Bowl Feed System
To handle the high volume of tubes, RNA implemented a larger KSB-BA 630 bowl and a 2000mm linear out-feed to manage a three-lane discharge.
4. Swab Bowl Feed System
The line integrates a swab bowl feeder with dual reject bins and vision-guided handle orientation to maintain a reliable production rate.
5. Handle Bowl Feed System
Given the complex orientation requirements (axis horizontal, swab hole leading), this system integrated vision sensors to ensure 100% correct orientation before components entered the final three-lane tracks.
Bowl feeder handles pots
Bowl feeder handles cuvettes
Bowl feeder handles collars
Bowl feeder handles swabs
Bowl feeder handles handles
Contact
Send your message to a member of our team
Read our Privacy Policy to learn how we manage and protect your submitted information.
