In complete control

Located in Boudry, a small town on the shore of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland’s French-speaking region, Mikron Switzerland AG, Boudry, is the headquarters of the Mikron Automation division. With more than 700 employees globally, Mikron supplies high-performance, scalable, and customized assembly solutions to the pharma, medtech, automotive, electrical, industrial, and consumer goods sectors. Every day, the company’s assembly solutions are used to manufacture around 150 million products – from pen and auto-injectors, inhalers, safety syringes, and point of care testing to airbag parts, relays, and connectors.

To ensure maximum flexibility and efficiency, Mikron Automation opts for a modular platform approach, following the example of the automotive industry: standardized base machines are designed and specified to suit each customer’s requirements and every application.

High-precision assembly, process documentation

In a current project for a pharmaceutical company, Mikron is using electromechanical joining systems from Kistler integrated into two manufacturing cells. Jörg Besold has been a project manager at Mikron Switzerland AG, Boudry, for almost five years. Together with a core team, he’s responsible for the design and development process – from project kick-off to final acceptance at the customer’s site.

“For an autoinjector, several plastic parts and a syringe have to be assembled in an accurate and controlled process. We’re using 12 servo presses from Kistler for one cell, and six for the other cell, allowing us to triple the steps needed so we can achieve more than 100 parts per minute,” Besold explains.

The NCFT joining module from Kistler (see sidebar) is an electromechanical servo press specifically designed for small forces in a measuring range from 0.05kN to 1.5kN. It can be combined with the maXYmos NC process monitoring system to achieve complete control of all movements and forces, including detailed process documentation based on piezoelectric force measurement.

“We already had some previous experience using force-displacement sensor technology from Kistler combined with the maXYmos system,” Besold recalls. “But in view of the demanding requirements for this project, we opted for the high-end solution. It provides control of forces and positions at every point in time, and comprehensive process data for every product. Because the modules are integrated directly into the automation environment via OPC UA, we’re able to manufacture two product variants simultaneously. The machine control sends the different parameter sets to the maXYmos NC units that control the joining modules.”

All the production data and quality parameters are stored in a database, and a matrix code engraved into every product guarantees 100% traceability for the end customer. Mikron integrated quality testing for each step into both assembly cells – an additional feature ensuring a high standard of quality, for the benefit of patients.

Customized design, challenging requirements

The first time Mikron used the NC joining systems, a joint workshop was staged at Kistler’s headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland.

“Even though the maXYmos systems are simple to integrate, it was especially useful for our software engineers to learn how the entire joining process is synchronized with the machine and optimized,” Besold says. “We’re highly satisfied not only with the solutions from Kistler, but also with the valuable support they give us. With project lead times of 9 to 12 months or more, we need a reliable, professional partner who can support us throughout the various phases.”

According to André Signer, sales engineer at Kistler, since the solution will be used in medical environments, additional adaptations were implemented to meet the relevant requirements. “First, we integrated a functionality to track and back up all user changes to the system – an audit trail that’s absolutely essential for medtech applications. Then we prepared our NCFT system for production in Class 7 cleanrooms. And finally, we had to replace the lubricants in all the modules to ensure compliance.”

Following a successful assembly test and release by the end customer, the automation solutions from Mikron are being handed over and mass production can start.

Kistler Group: https://www.kistler.com; Mikron Switzerland AG, Boudry: https://www.mikron.com/automation-solutions/production-sites/mikron-boudry/