Enhancing Production Efficiency: Achieving 1,300 Parts Per Hour in Fluid Container Assembly

The Challenge

The client requested Extol’s early involvement in the design process to develop a viable welding solution for a fluid container used in patient therapy within the life science industry. They needed support to develop and prove out a design concept for initial testing and validation prior to initial production. After validation, the customer would scale the solution into high-volume production for manufacturing in a cleanroom environment.

Engineers from Extol’s Process Development Center (PDC) collaborated with the client and offered design suggestions. Further, the PDC recommended a welding process that met the client’s end-product specifications, processing, environment, and manufacturing parameters.

The Solution

In partnership with the customer, Extol leveraged core technologies to offer the most effective welding solution for the application and scale that solution into a fully-automated assembly line for cleanroom manufacturing. The Extol Rapid Conductor hot-plate welding solution was ideal for the part size, geometry, and material. To prove out the recommendation, Extol utilized production molded product from the customer. We welded parts in our lab and performed initial testing. We then sent these parts to the customer for evaluation. Upon acceptance, Extol built and operator-tended Rapid Conductor machine that serviced project launch and initial ramp rates.

To meet the requirements of full-rate production, a scaled–up solution was needed. The automated machine would process 6 parts at a time. This was necessary because both the hot-plate welding and leak test process took more time than the rate allowed for. The result was a fully automated rotary dial machine capable of producing and staging 1,300 finished parts per hour. The system design called for an operator to ensure the line was stocked with components to maintain production operation.

The Takeaway

This customer partnered with Extol because of our plastic welding expertise, which is anchored by decades of custom automation experience. This project represents the collaborative approach Extol uses to evaluate every customer application. We gain a deep understanding of your needs and help you optimize your part design around the right technology. Then, we prototype the solution and perform testing to validate and produce functional samples for you to evaluate. Our technical experts in the manufacturing solutions center then develop a machine concept incorporating the technologies and data from prototyping. Next, with the guidance of a dedicated project manager, our operations team builds the production equipment. And finally, we provide world-class service and support after installation of the machine at the customer’s facility.