Keywords
Citation
(2006), "Modular automation helps Birmingham curtain manufacturer make curtains ten times faster", Assembly Automation, Vol. 26 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2006.03326daf.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Modular automation helps Birmingham curtain manufacturer make curtains ten times faster
Modular automation helps Birmingham curtain manufacturer make curtains ten times faster
Keywords: Automation, Parts
Birmingham curtain manufacturer Marshall Contracts Ltd has installed new high-speed production equipment from Modular Automation to streamline the manufacture of its revolutionary Marlux disposable privacy curtain. Production is now around ten times faster than before (Plate 3).
Plate 3
The revolutionary Marlux curtain plays a valuable role in the fight against hospital infections, including MRSA, by making the task of changing and processing them much quicker and easier. Usually, privacy curtains are the only item not routinely changed when a new patient is admitted to a hospital ward.
Not surprisingly, demand for the new curtain is high and the ability to maximise the speed of production is vital to ensure that orders are fulfilled on time.
Previous attempts by other equipment manufacturers to automate the production process had been fraught with difficulty, and the results disappointing. The team at Modular approached the challenge with a “clean sheet of paper” and set about devising a system that would be both fast and reliable. One of the problems facing the engineers was how to locate and ultrasonically weld the attachment hooks at the top of the pleated curtain. The solution was to temporarily flatten the material as it left the pleating machine and then refold it after welding the hooks in place. A buffer zone of material was also created between the two machines to allow for differences in operating speeds.
Great care was taken during installation to minimise disruption to the production process and to ensure that the Modular system was smoothly integrated with the existing pleating machinery.
“With the new machine we just feed the roll of fabric in one end and get curtain out of the other”, says Chris Marshall. “ It's around ten times faster than before, and the fabric doesn't have to be handled by the operator.”
The remarkably success of the Marlux curtain means that production will soon need to be increased to meet demand. Modular is working closely with Marshal Contracts to build on what has already been achieved and to ensure that production objectives continue to be met in the future.
Web: www.modular.co.uk