Medical Device Automation
At the end of a medical device packing line, boxes arrive faster than an operator can palletise them. LVP installed a custom roller conveyor system to accumulate up to 20 boxes and hold them until someone is ready.
Boxes come off the tape sealer via a twin chain transfer and run to the end of each lane, where a pneumatic stop singulates them so they can be collected one at a time rather than as a moving queue. Sensors, line brakes and pneumatic controls handle the stopping and releasing, which is what makes accumulation safe rather than simply a place where boxes pile up.
What the Accumulation Line Delivers
Flexible Okura Conveyors
LVP provided a flexible, space-saving conveyor solution for the conveyance of small HIV testing kits. Due to the fragile structure of these components, it was critical that the conveyance process minimised any potential damage during transfer. Using LVP’s modular Belcon Mini BMS knife edge conveyor and tight radius FCB belt curves, the system ensured smooth product handling while fitting perfectly into the customer’s limited workspace. The conveyors’ 2mm transfer gap allowed delicate products to be conveyed without breakage, proving to be a flawless solution for this application.
What the Okura System Delivers
Medical Device Conveyor System
LVP completed a complex automated conveyor installation for a leading medical device manufacturer in Northern Ireland. This system was designed to transport delicate plastic trays carrying medical components between two cleanrooms. The first cleanroom was dedicated to assembling the components, which were then delivered on a Just-In-Time (JIT) basis to the second cleanroom for fluid filling. The project was a continuation of a successful installation in 2010, with the new system incorporating stainless steel cleanroom-grade conveyors and advanced control functions to ensure seamless operation and product handling.
What the Cleanroom System Delivers
Knife Edge Conveyor
Small, fine packages are difficult to convey for one reason above all: the gap between one conveyor and the next. Anything light enough to tip will find it. LVP designed and installed a knife-edge conveyor cell built around that problem, using a 90-degree curve with a knife edge to keep the transfer gap to a minimum through the turn.
Variable speed control lets the cell be matched to the machine it feeds, and interlocking safety mechanisms tie it into the equipment already on site. The same approach is used on pharmaceutical lines — see pharmaceutical conveyor systems for that side of the work.
What the Knife-Edge Cell Delivers
Lift Gate Belcon Mini Conveyor Line
LVP built and installed a custom Lift Gate Belcon Mini Conveyor Line to transport packed medical devices. This project required the ability to lift the conveyor without damaging its cables, which was achieved through a specialised cable management system. The system was driven by energy-efficient Oriental Motor Brushless DC motors, providing precise speed control ranging from 0.5 to 50 metres per minute. These compact motors reduced the effort required to lift the conveyor, while also cutting energy consumption by 30%, making the system highly efficient and easy to operate.
What the Lift Gate Line Delivers
Common Questions
Can you convey between cleanrooms? Yes. The Northern Ireland system moves plastic trays of components from an assembly cleanroom to a fluid-filling cleanroom on a just-in-time basis, using stainless cleanroom-grade conveyors. The transition points are where that work is won or lost, so involve whoever owns the room validation early.
Our product is fragile. What stops it being damaged in transfer? Mostly the transfer gap. The HIV test kit line uses a Belcon Mini BMS knife-edge conveyor with a 2mm transfer gap and tight radius FCB belt curves, which is small enough that delicate items cross without tipping into it.
Can a conveyor be lifted out of the way for access? Yes. The lift gate line above does exactly that, and the difficulty is not the hinge but the cables — a specialised cable management system was built so the conveyor can be raised repeatedly without damaging them.
Can you accumulate product at the end of a packing line? Yes. The system above holds up to 20 boxes and singulates them with a pneumatic stop so an operator collects them one at a time rather than chasing a moving queue.
Can you provide design specifications and qualification records? Yes. Risk assessments, functional and system design specifications and qualification documentation are covered under documentation services, and they are considerably easier to produce alongside a build than retrospectively.
Do you work on lines you did not install? Yes, and often on lines we installed years earlier. The Northern Ireland cleanroom system is the second generation of a project that started in 2010.
Where do you cover? We are based in Finglas, Dublin 11 and work with customers across Ireland and in the UK.
