Porvair Sciences are global leaders in the manufacturing and development of cutting-edge porous plastic materials and microplate technologies for the biotechnology and life science industries. On their site in Wrexham, an old pneumatic plastic sheet feeding system was slow, loud, and caused inconsistency in the quality of manufactured parts. Porvair had two key objectives with this project. Firstly, to achieve a higher consistency of manufactured parts through better control of the feeding system, and secondly, the ability to gather production statistics to improve overall effectiveness.
Porvair Sciences turned to Ai Automation because we worked extensively with Porvair in the past on other projects. Ai Automation fully refurbished Porvair’s drilling machine, converting it from a pneumatic system to an electrical one, and added a monitoring system which detailed the equipment’s overall effectiveness. ● A new bespoke 21-inch HMI was included to replace older push button controls. This allowed for simpler operation, monitoring of OEE and alarms to be displayed. ● A new servo motor feeding system allows the product to be pulled forward to 0.1mm resolution, this means less waste as each cut can be set precisely with confidence. The nip roller system also reduces slip meaning more precise cuts and reduces noise and cost compared to the old pneumatic system. ● The inclusion of a recipe system allows for more simple operation as they can now select a job rather than having to individually set each system and setting. ● The old pneumatic control system was upgraded to an electrical system featuring a Schneider PLC, resulting in greater customisation and data gathering, ensuring the machine is ready for Industry 4.0.
As a result, the new system has an increased cutting efficiency and consistency with a large reduction in the number of issues caused by operator error. This system is faster, quieter and more cost efficient resulting in reduced costs, increased production, higher staff satisfaction and reduced HSE concerns relating to noise.
Published with the express consent of both parties. The buyer chose to remain unnamed, so they are described by sector only. All quotes are unedited extracts from verified reviews.
