Sample Projects
SCARA Cobotic Inspection system
ProVision designed, developed, and installed an advanced inspection system with a collaborative SCARA cobot to perform 100%-part inspection and then unload and sort coated surgical blades from an existing manufacturing line. This system eliminated the need for two operators to perform both the tedious, inaccurate, and subjective manual inspection and the repetitive injury prone task of unloading the surgical blades. The client was able to redeploy the employees to less injurious and less tedious jobs and increased operator job-satisfaction.
6-Axis Cobotic Arm Inspection system
ProVision installed a collaborative 6-axis cobotic arm to pick up individual parts and present them to an automated inspection system. The inspection system was trained to identify defects based on TAPPI standards and informed the cobot to correctly accept or reject a part based on the inspection results. After inspecting the parts, the cobot places the part in either the “accepted bin” or the “rejected bin.” The cobot then picks up and places a protective slip-sheet between each accepted part to maintain the inspection status. The cobotic arm will continue inspecting as long as the part bin is full. This project eliminated the need for a highly trained and experienced operator to this repetitive, tedious, time-consuming, and optically strenuous inspection task. Once developed and installed, ProVision led, performed, and documented all IQOQPQ validation tasks.
Continuous Manufacturing Closed-Loop Control
Continuous manufacturing technologies (methods of manufacturing products on a single, uninterrupted production line) present unique process-control challenges. Delays between observing defects and reacting to them can cause significant amounts of scrap material to be produced prior to corrective process adjustments. ProVision developed and installed a programmable logic controller with a control algorithm to apply adjustments to a servo motor to respond quicker than humanly possible. The closed-loop system uses inspection system data and determines if the process is about to produce material that is out-of-specification and then makes necessary adjustment in real time. This closed-loop control-system eliminated the need for operator intervention and ensures zero defective material which was not possible with traditional operator control. Once developed and installed, ProVision led, performed, and documented all IQOQPQ validation tasks.