UK built machine solves supply chain challenge

A leading manufacturer of smoke detection equipment, faced with challenges around the ongoing supply of LED’s with pre-formed legs, opted to have its own manufacturing machine for them designed and installed instead. The machine can test and grade 30 LEDs per minute into 1 of 5 pass grades and a fail. The nett result is that the customer has obtained the freedoms and security of supply desired, and has also said that “Design and Automation Solutions have been very easy and a pleasure to work with, from original design specification and concept to delivering and commissioning the equipment on site. I recommend them”.

Based in Oxfordshire, DAS specialises in the design and manufacture of bespoke machines. The company’s Managing Director, Mick Stallwood explains more about this particular project: 

"A vibratory bowl feeder sorts the LED’s into single file and discharges them with the legs hanging down into a length of track mounted on a linear drive unit. An escapement mounted at the end of the track will allow a single LED to transfer into the linear transfer mechanism and be moved to the next position. The first electrical test station will be used to determine the light output of the LED’s and register this in the control system. If no light is detected, the LED’s will be transferred to the next position and rotated in the orientation station. Correctly orientated and tested LED’s will not be rotated. The LED’s are transferred to the second electrical test station and only the rotated ones are tested to determine the light output which is registered in the control system. If no light is detected, the LED’s will be recorded as failed. The correctly orientated and tested LED’s are then transferred to the former mechanism, which will support and clamp the upper part of the legs of the LED while the lower part of the leg is bent at 90 degrees. LED’s which have failed will not be formed, allowing easy identification.

Finally the transfer mechanism will move and eject the LED’s into a stainless steel chute. Mounted below the chute is a motorised carousel unit with 6 storage bins, which will rotate the bins to collect the 5 grades of passed LED plus the failures. Each of the stations operate simultaneously ensuring a short cycle time and the transfer mechanism moves all the LED’s in the system to their next position at once". 

In conclusion, it appears that nett result of the project is that the dependency which DAS's customer previously had on an overseas supplier has disappeared and their customer now retains complete control over quality at this part of its manufacturing process.