Over the past year we have completed the design of our module and focused on creating a production line that can manufacture the module with a high grade of automation. The line consists of an injection molding tool and a couple of other sub-steps to create the finished module. Two robots will handle the various steps where quality control also occurs.
“A lot of preparatory work has been put into creating an automated, rapid and robust process to ensure quality. We have tried to anticipate and solve as many problems as possible on the drawing board where changes are still cheap! ” says Alexander Fornsäter, production manager at Xzero.
Now the components for the different sub-steps have been acquired and we test them with the different suppliers. At the moment we are working intensely with signal communication and programming which will enable the sub-steps to communicate and interact with each other in the production line. Lack of components is a problem for us. Delivery times are longer than usual. Larger components such as the two robots, were identified and acquired early, but components for the control system are increasingly difficult to locate.
If no major issues arise, we will be able to go from unit tests to testing larger parts, and ultimately the whole line, this autumn.
“The line will be housed and run by a company in the Stockholm area that are experts, and accredited in just this. The line is owned by Xzero, but is not run by us. This is a common way of doing it and will allow each party to concentrate on its expertise. It also offers great flexibility and reduced risk in this situation ” says Alexander.