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Henrik Andersen

About Henrik Andersen

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Elos MedTech Pinol

Improved validation with automated camera equipment for measuring dental components

Ask anyone in the medical device industry about validation, and they would stress the importance. This is not any less true for Elos Medtech. Over the years, automation and robotics have become an increasingly important part of our production. One of our investments is our automated camera equipment for measuring dental components. This piece of equipment snaps about eight pictures per second and helps us meet today’s high demands for detailed documentation and validation.

Moving from manual labour towards automation and robotics

Let us begin with some background information to our automated camera equipment investment: In 2010, we made a strategic decision to move part of our turnover to China, where we established a new production site. At the same time, we took the opportunity to invest in automation and robotics as part of our strategy to drive innovation forward and meet the demands of the market, creating value for our customers.

We also saw an increasing demand among our customers for producing a wider range of medical devices in smaller batches. In a short period of time, we moved from having high production volumes and a small number of large batches, to having low production volumes and a large number of small batches.

This led us to rethink our entire production approach. We thought: If we are about to automate our production processes, it is not realistic to invest in dedicated robot cells for each process. Ultimately, we should invest in a system that is standardised – yet highly flexible.

Automated production processes allow for automated inspections

Said and done! The solution was a modular system with standard workbenches where tools, robots and machines easily could be configured to carry out different tasks from day to day. The results spoke for themselves: We managed to double the number of efficient production hours!

But what we also found, was that automating our production and having robots carrying out the work instead of humans, meant that we could also validate our production processes by automating the inspections of the produced components. Unlike with manual inspections, it was possible to inspect all of the components, not only random samples.

This was a true advantage for our customers! Manual inspections are not only time consuming and costly, but there is also the risk of human error. With automated inspections, however, it is possible to improve the validation of the produced components and increase patient safety.

Automated camera equipment for measuring dental components

One of our investments in automation and robotics was our automated camera equipment. Before making the investment, we did careful research spending one year of scouting for the best solution on the market to fit our needs and another year of testing the camera. It was not until last spring that we started using the camera in production.

Today, we use the camera to inspect dental components as part of our validation process. The camera is used on a limited on limited number of components. The camera is mounted on top of a turning machine that has a built-in standardised robot as well as a cleaning system. The components are transported from the turning machine to the cleaning system, where they are cleaned from oil residues, and then presented to the camera.

The camera takes about eight pictures per second, and each picture is used to measure the outer dimensions of a component. The average value of all of the eight measurements is then calculated. If the dimensions are not approved, the component is automatically rejected. If there are several rejected components in a row, the machine stops. The measurement data is registered and stored in our quality system where we keep statistics over the validation process.

Meeting the market demands for detailed documentation and validation

With our automated camera equipment, we are able to meet the increasing market demands for detailed documentation and validation of medical components. By replacing manual inspections with automated inspections, we will be able to replace random samples with between 50 and 80 percent. Moreover, our customer can be sure that their components are 100 percent inspected. This means not only improved validation of the components but also reduced production costs, shorter lead times, faster time to market, and never the less, increased patient safety.

I think that in the future, the demands on validation will only increase. In a few years, it will probably be unthinkable that one person has ever stood beside a machine to do a manual inspection of the produced components! What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

Also, read:

 

Increasing the Number of Employees through Automation

Increasing the Number of Employees through Automation?

Is it really possible to increase the number of employees through automation? Actually, it has already been done! “Any process that can be automated, will be automated” is the watchword behind The Automated Factory, a concept that we have been working intensively on implementing in Denmark since 2010. What we didn’t expect, however, was the added need to hire more staff. Hear this out!

Investing in automation since 2010

In 2010, Elos Medtech decided to move 25 percent of the turnover from Denmark to China. It was time to step up the game. A strategic decision was made to start working with modular work cells. A couple of years later, we got our first Universal Robot.

In ten years of time, production processes have been optimised, standardised and automated based on the principles of LEAN. We have made ambitious investments in new, user-friendly and flexible production equipment. Almost the entire fleet of CNC machines has been replaced. The number of production hours per week and machine has more than doubled. At the same time, we produce 20% more items per hour. Thirteen robots have been added since 2013 – and the goal is to install many more in the years to come.

Increasing the number of employees through automation

However, the automation investment did not only increase the production of medical devices. Paradoxically, it also increased the number of employees. Initially, our plan was to grow without having to hire more staff. But with a turnover that increased significantly between 2010 and 2014, and expectations of a further increase in 2015, it was no longer possible to stick to the plan. We had to hire more staff in areas such as manual assembly, development and administration.

When the concept of The Automated Factory was first developed, our biggest fear was having to dismiss our loyal and highly skilled employees. Instead, it turned out the other way around. When some of the manual working processes were no longer needed, others had to be fulfilled. Today, the number of employees at Elos Medtech in Denmark has grown with 25 percent since 2010.

Automation driven by enthusiasts

Everyone involved in The Automated Factory has been very enthusiastic about the concept ever since the beginning. Both management and co-workers have closely followed the implementation over the years. The project is ongoing and our organisation truly has a wholehearted commitment to optimisation, automation and robotics. As The Automated Factory continues to grow, we continue to meet the high demands of tomorrow’s medtech market.

Do you have questions about Elos Medtech, automation or our further future plans? Please, contact us! Also, read our previous blog post: The Automated Factory – How to Improve Quality, Accuracy and Precision of Medical Devices.

The Automated Factory – How to Improve Quality, Accuracy and Precision of Medical Devices

The Automated Factory – How to Improve Quality, Accuracy and Precision of Medical Devices

In recent years the automation team at Elos Medtech in Denmark has been working on several automation projects under the headline The Automated Factory. One of the benefits of automation is reduced human labor costs and expenses, and saved energy and materials. But more importantly it improves quality, accuracy and precision of products; key factors when manufacturing medical devices.

Ambitious investments in the latest automation technology

It truly pays off to take a close look at all the processes in your production. It was clearly evident with Elos Medtech’s successful transformation after approximately ten years of targeted optimisation, standardisation and automation based on the principles of LEAN.

We are finding that more companies are interested in outsourcing parts of, or entire processes, to one single contract manufacturer, instead of using several manufacturers for different processes. The reason is higher demands on work processes, documentation, quality, accuracy, precision and repeatability. We see ourselves as a solution partner who can offer a complete performance to our customers, which includes an unbroken chain from design and manufacturing to packaging, distribution and logistics.

In recent years a wave of automation has swept over the medtech industry worldwide, also in countries with lower labor costs than Denmark. This is a challenge that we have taken on. To be top of the line, we have made ambitious investments in the latest automation technology and new user-friendly and flexible production equipment. Almost the entire machine park has been replaced.

The results of The Automated Factory

The outcome of The Automated Factory speaks for itself: The number of efficient production hours has more than doubled. At the same time we produce 20% more items. 

We have established a dedicated automation department consisting mainly of employees from production, and moreover created a culture where employees come up with new ideas for more optimisation. 

We have managed to cut our lead time and the number of days between the placement of an order and delivery. Our internal transport has been automated by a mobile robot (MiR100), which runs a daily route of seven kilometres around the 8,000 square meters of workspace. This small investment alone has released a full-time employee and improved the workflow.

We have also decided to create one unified system for receiving goods and delivering finished products. The goal is to create high flexibility and adaptability with a few standard workbenches where tools, robots and machines easily can be configured to carry out different tasks from day to day. Consequently, we have invested in user-friendly and versatile robots from Universal Robots. The result is improved production through more repetitive processes and equivalent products. 

The automation of robots enables us to meet the demands of the market for detailed documentation of production processes and product quality. Currently we are focusing on replacing manual random samples and measurements of components with a solution where robots and sensors automatically check each component after they have been processed. We expect that 50-80% of the manual random samples can be automated.

Optimisation, standardisation and automation based on the principles of LEAN

LEAN has been used systematically as the foundation throughout the optimisation of Elos Medtech. Automation is a strategic focus area and consequently the investment budget has been used for automation to a greater extent than just a number of machines. Every time we have invested in new equipment it has been a requirement that the investment provides a more automated solution than previously. 

A wholehearted commitment to optimisation, upgrading and robotics

Our goal was to reduce the amount of repetitive work and to strengthen the quality assurance of our medical devices. We want to meet the high demands of tomorrow’s market with a wholehearted commitment to optimisation, automation and robotics. This far, it has succeeded so well that we have significantly strengthened our competitiveness, increased sales and created additional exports, while several new jobs have been created in the company. But once again, and more importantly, our customers can feel confident that we produce high quality medical devices with processes that are accurate and precise.

As we see it, The Automated Factory is an ongoing project that will continue to evolve over time and run efficiently for years to come.

Would you like to know more about our project? Don’t hesitate to contact us, I’m happy to answer your questions. And if you are, like us, a fan of social media – join us!