Needle assembly is a challenging task. Needles often need to be orientated and bent. Our needle assembly machines can bend the needle more than once, ensuring the correct position of the tip of the needle or cannula. Subject to customer requirements we can bend, glue and assemble either on an intermittent motion assembly machine or on our continuous motion assembly machines. Assembly machines speeds vary from 50 per minute to 750 per minute.

Case Study

Cannula bending and assembly machine at 500 Units per minute

Aim

A pharmaceutical customer was looking for a cannula assembly machine to bend and assemble cannulas onto a plastic component (Hub) at 500 units per minute. 20 hubs were then placed into a cassette.

Process Steps

1) Feeding and sorting of the cannulas
2) Verification of the orientation of the tip of the cannula
3) 90 degree bending of the needle twice achieving a U shaped cannula
4) Gluing of the cannula to the hub
5) Silicon Coating of the glued cannula
6) Assembly of cannulas with a special shaped hub that would eventually be inserted into a cassette. Each cassette holds 20 hubs with the inserted cannulas. The throughput for the cassette is 25 units per minute and 500 units per minute for the needle/hub subassembly.
7) Foil Sealing onto the cassette
8) Functional leakage and vacuum tests

Special Requirements

1) Parts with direct in contact with cannula (not rejected) are made from released and allowed (by GR specification) materials or coated with FDA approved coatings.
2) Aluminum parts are disinfected frequently and therefore must be anodized.
3) Stainless Steel Guards

The Solution

Two Assembly Machines, One continuous motion needle assembly machine and one intermittent motion assembly machine

1.) Continuous motion cannula assembly machine

• Transfer turrets ensure smooth high speed assembly
• Cam driven Tool Movements for assembly
• Automatic Magazine Loading and feeding system
• Puck transfer system
• Vibratory feeder for cassettes
• Glue Dispensing unit
• Cannula Occlusion test unit to verify bent cannula condition

2.) Intermittent motion assembly machine with indexing ring

• Assembly of the bent needles into their cassettes.
  
• All stations are mounted on the inside of the ring allowing excellent access to the stations.
• Foil heat sealing unit
• Pressure differential Leakage test unit
• Pressure differential Vacuum testing unit
• Label dispensing and laser marking unit