Medical parts producer uses automation to increase output

Modern Machine Shop, Sept, 2006 by Christina R. Bramlet, John M. Jordan

Staying abreast of technological advancements in manufacturing is a daunting task. Over the past years while machine tool capacity has become an issue, management's first response has likely been to reduce cycle times and/or purchase new machines. For years, the misconception that automation is only for production has persisted. However, for one Indianola, Pennsylvania shop, challenging this notion and taking a look "outside the box" has enabled the company to standardize its fixturing procedures while reducing errors.

Founded in 1964, Medrad Inc. operates according to the slogan "Performance for Life." The company says its mission is to become a worldwide leader of medical devices and services, to either enable or enhance diagnostic and therapeutic imaging procedures. Daniel Kazousky, Manager of the Rapid Prototyping Center for Medrad, recently faced a serious manufacturing problem--his department needed to increase throughput and improve the overall turnaround time for mold production.

Even though the company employs hundreds of individuals around the world, the Rapid Prototyping Department is no bigger than the average job shop, with a staff of approximately seven to ten individuals. During a typical year, the department produces about 50 injection molds. On the machining side every year, nearly 3,000 new parts are completed for product development. To support the steel inserts and mold plates necessary for manufacturing these parts, the company uses just two machining centers.

"Although we were producing quality molds in-house faster than could be done if outsourced, we felt internal pressure to operate more effectively by increasing our overall flow of output," explains Mr. Kazousky. "The urgency we faced involved a bottleneck at the primary point of burning (EDMing) the steel. This was partially the result of our not being able to produce electrodes quickly enough."

After discussing its options, the company contacted its current EDM supplier to discuss the problem. At first, Medrad contemplated adding another sinker EDM to improve the volume of mold throughput. To the company's surprise, however, the supplier proposed taking a different route. Suggesting that automation could resolve many of the issues, the supplier referred Medrad to a local representative for Erowa Technology (Arlington Heights, Illinois).

Mr. Kazousky says he was shocked to learn that purchasing an additional sinker EDM and/or milling center was, albeit an obvious solution, not the best option in terms of the overall production problem "My first thought was that automation would be far too costly for an organization our size," he says. "We were just a small job shop tackling one and two jobs at a time."

Putting his skepticism aside, Mr. Kazousky called Erowa Technology to investigate the process. By his own admission, Mr. Kazousky had previously been "in the dark" about what automation actually entailed. His rationale was that there was no harm in exploring the viability of the automation packages available. It wasn't until he spoke with Bob Meyers, Senior Applications Engineer for Erowa Technology that Mr. Kazousky says he realized that automation was attainable for his company and that the entire process could be implemented on the machining centers operating within the prototyping department.

"Some are afraid that automation will eliminate jobs in the plant," states Mr. Meyers. "By adding automation to your machining centers, however, you can use your machines, work space and employees more efficiently. In addition, companies can improve production output and quality.

"It should never be the reason employees lose their jobs," he adds.

In addition to working with Mr. Meyers, the company consulted Tom Watkins, Erowa's Vice President of Engineering. Together, the two examined the applications being performed by Medrad, and then they collaborated to pinpoint the appropriate package.

Mr. Meyers had to take into account the characteristics of the part being produced; more specifically, size, weight and average cycle time to make the part before selecting a package. The team also needed to understand exactly how much time the machine would run unattended. Thereafter, Erowa made some specific calculations regarding the storage capacity in various robots to decide which would be the best fit for Medrad.

"We didn't want to short-change the customer by suggesting only the purchase of electrode tooling to reduce setup time," says Mr. Watkins. "At the same time, we only wanted to present an automation solution that was absolutely essential for improved efficiency and output."

What followed was the purchase of Erowa's Robot Multi and the EasyChange Robot and ITS palletizing system. The ITS Zero Point palletizing system uses a chuck operating on a principle that allows the company to standardize its fixturing procedures. It holds both electrodes and workpieces with equal precision and with a high degree of repeatability, says the manufacturer. Appropriate for numerous applications, it is the basis for a modular tooling system. Able to be integrated on milling, grinding and drilling machines, on EDM sinking and WEDM centers or on measuring and presetting stations, ITS assists the company in achieving a more profitable use of production time.