Emergency medical production: Stäubli makes the commitment

In March 2020, France was unprepared for the COVID 19-pandemic, with an inadequate supply of gloves, masks, and vital equipment for people in respiratory distress. Industrial companies in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region began working to urgently build up a State reserve of filters needed for the operation of medical ventilators. Their solution was an automated cell combining Stäubli’s SCARA TS2-60 and 6-axis TX2-90 robots, which was designed and manufactured within a few weeks.

At the beginning of 2020, Hervé de Malliard, CEO of MGA Technologies (Civrieux d'Azergues, Rhône) observed the first signs of the COVID-19 crisis. As Chairman of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Committee of French Foreign Trade Advisors, he anticipated that there would be a shortage of medical equipment and contacted the health authorities.

"French hospitals only had 5,000 ventilators available. With global production capacities saturated, and all available stocks having already been snapped up, we didn’t have a moment to waste in order to save lives,“ de Malliard explained.  "MGA Technologies compiled a list of 62 respirator manufacturers located throughout the world, established what their capacities and stocks were, informed them of the upcoming shortage of consumable items, then proposed that the government build up a State reserve of filters for respirators to cover the country’s needs for several months or even several years. The State accepted this offer, provided that we would be responsible for manufacturing these medical devices and maintain a 100 % French-owned subsidiary.“

A race against time

Hervé de Malliard, known as an ambassador of the "French Fab“, helped manufacturers and start-ups assemble the 400 parts required for the construction of a respirator, thus organizing the creation of a French supply chain for certain critical components. When borders close, proximity becomes crucial.

"Fortunately,“ de Malliard noted, "Southeast France possessed the requisite industrial resources for the project. Adrien Mithalal, Director of PhysioAssist (Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône), was introduced to us through the Institut Mérieux. He contributed his knowledge of the design and manufacture of these medical devices and opened up his network to us to source the required materials.“

Infiplast, a plastics company for medical devices, was asked to design, prototype, test and manufacture a critical component for ventilators: the housing containing the heat and moisture exchanger (HME) filter.

"The company began working with whatever materials it had to produce tools and approve products, with the collaboration of various hospitals.“ Alain Michaud, Industrial Manufacturing Manager, Infiplast (Oyonnax, Ain).

Stäubli takes up the challenge

To respond quickly to State demand, Infiplast had to set up a dedicated production line.

"We approached Stäubli, a world leader in cleanroom robotics. The location of Faverges (Haute-Savoie) was ideal for this partnership. The company’s proactive response helped us to assemble an automated and insulated workstation, covering design to automation, in less than 10 weeks – a feat, since this type of project ordinarily takes at least 24 weeks to set up! This was a true example of a succesful team effort that is inspiring to all our technicians.“  Stéphane Buttin, Sales Director, MGA Technologies.

Stäubli’s response was immediate: "We responded to MGA Technologies and Infiplast’s request within 48 hours, and made the robots available in record time. Our new SCARA range is tailored for the desired application, with an enclosed structure designed for aseptic and confined cleanroom environments.“ Jacques Dupenloup, Sales Manager France and Benelux, Stäubli Robotics.

Key dates for the MGA project executed by Infiplast together with Stäubli

March 18: To assist hospitals, the three companies began reorganizing the production of the most critical medical component needed for ventilation: the HME filter. Infiplast made a 3D prototype in three days and ordered pre-series injection molds.

May 4: Design of the automated assembly and test cell begins.

May 11: The HME filter receives market approval (Article 59 of European regulation 2017/745/EC).

Early June: Start of production of the robotic cell.

Mid-July: Delivery and start of filter production in Oyonnax (France).

Two robots for an ultra-efficient cell

Production advantages

Compactness: The machine, adapted to the limitations of the biomedical world, needs only 8 m² of space.

Complementary task sharing: The TX2-90 6-axis robot collects the various plastic parts for the filter from the press outlet. It places the base of the case and its cover on a turntable. After inserting the foam and the membrane, the 6-axis robot assembles the box and places it on the ultrasonic welding station.

The TS2 SCARA robot then positions the boxes for final operations: testing and labeling. It directs the compliant filters toward packaging, and channels non-compliant filters to the rejects.

Quality: A 100 % quality assurance system is integrated into automated production.

Speed: The short cycle time allows a filter to be assembled every few seconds.

Cleanliness: Compatibility with specific aseptic requirements for cleanrooms (ISO 7 certification)

Advantage for humans: The handling of repetitive and hazardous tasks by the robot avoids hearing problems caused by the noise emitted during ultrasonic welding.

Robotics opens up prospects for the biomedical sector

The robotic cell, integrated into the Infiplast production line in mid-July, made it possible to build-up the State reserve of HME filters for ventilators in French hospitals as quickly as possible. The manufacture of filters is now sustainable and will soon be available to other hospitals internationally.

"It was important for us to be part of the national production effort to secure healthcare. In this way, we were able to help strengthen our country’s industrial production capacities. We are proud that we have contributed to the national response to COVID-19.“  Alain Michaud, Industrial Manufacturing Manager, Infiplast.