OMRON Smart robotics enables flexible production of rapid coronavirus antibody tests at Senova User Manual
Smart robotics enables flexible
production of rapid coronavirus
antibody tests at Senova
German medical technology expert Senova cooperated
with OMRON and Kraus Maschinenbau GmbH to pioneer
the factory of the future.
The coronavirus crisis has caused untold damage to
the personal health and nances of people throughout
the world, as well as damaging national economies.
However, industry has been able to play a key role in
developing solutions that can mitigate the crisis.
Senova brought the rst coronavirus antibody rapid test to the market in
record time.
For instance, the retail, manufacturing and public sectors are
increasingly turning to innovative robotics, sensors and AI
(artifi cial intelligence) technologies to ease the pressure on
employees, accelerate processes and improve compliance
with hygiene requirements. The Technical University of
Darmstadt reports that the acceptance of robots has
increased signifi cantly in recent months.
Companies wanting to benefi t from this trend need to
act quickly and to form partnerships with organisations
that have expertise in these areas. The power of such
co-operation has been illustrated recently by the work
carried out by German medical technology company,
Senova, in conjunction with robotics experts from OMRON
and mechanical engineering specialists from Kraus
Maschinenbau GmbH. Senova is a leading developer and
manufacturer of rapid test systems for marking biomarkers,
viruses and microorganisms.
Working closely together over the past six months, the three
companies have developed and built production machines
that include smart robotics. These have automated,
accelerated and improved the very time-consuming manual
Components of the exible COVID-19 test kit production include the Quattro 650 H four-axis parallel robots.
production of coronavirus antibody rapid tests. This met a
vital need, as the increased testing of more and more people
for the virus meant that the production of kits had to be
hugely ramped up. At the same time, there needed to be
more interlinked production and packaging.
The new, rapid antibody test
Senova specialises in lateral flow assay (LFA) technology.
Some 30 employees are involved in the research,
development, production, sales, logistics, quality
management and assurance. Senova’s most recent - and
most popular - product is a rapid COVID-19 antibody test.
This shows within ten minutes whether someone has already
been infected with the virus.
An international research team, including the Jena Leibniz
Institute for Photonic Technologies (Leibniz-IPHT), developed
the test. It has been available since spring 2020. A blood
sample shows whether someone is currently infected
with the virus or is already immune. There are two types
of antibodies. The IgM antibodies are found in the blood
a few days after infection, whilst IgG antibodies are only
formed during the course of the infection. They often remain
detectable for months and indicate an existing immunity.
This enables people including caregivers, nurses or doctors to
find out whether they are immune to the virus. The research
team completed the tests together with Chinese partners
and a medical device distributor, Servoprax, and confirmed
their effectiveness. As a result, Senova brought the first
coronavirus antibody rapid test to the market in record time.
The need to boost production
Due to the worldwide demand for the new tests, Senova
needs to produce them in ever-increasing quantities. The
previous manual production and packaging of the test kits
was unable to keep up with the thousands of order requests.
The company therefore needed a more flexible, faster and
more reliable way of manufacturing and packaging the test
kits – all within a very tight timescale. A machine would ease
the pressure on employees by streamlining and combining
the various work steps (such as cutting the test strips
and packaging) much more efficiently. The concept and
implementation needed to be carried out particularly quickly
to meet the demand - and to help contain the spread of the
virus.
Joachim Kraus, Managing Director of Kraus Maschinenbau
GmbH, comments on the start of the project: “Senova
asked how the feeding of the packaging pouches could
be automated in the best possible way. In the following
discussions, we worked with the customer to develop an
overall concept for feeding and packaging the test cassettes
for the rapid antibody test.”
This new concept was rapidly approved. But that’s not all:
following the design review, the co-operation between
the two companies was expanded further. The precise
cutting of the test strips and the subsequent transfer of the
section and the insertion of the cut into the test cassette
are now performed by machines from Kraus Maschinenbau.
These are complemented by robotics and technology from
OMRON, a partner of Kraus for 11 years.
Handling the blanks with a size of 3.5 to 5.0mm proved to
be a particular challenge, but this was solved after a few
adjustments. With the help of the new machine, 30 to 45
rapid coronavirus tests can now be cut and packaged per
minute. As the demand is so great, the capacity must be
continuously increased, so more machines are now planned.
Production currently runs for six days a week, from 7am to
10p m.
OMRON’s robots provide precise material handling
The tests (which look similar to a pregnancy test) are
produced using machines from Kraus, along with OMRON’s
eCobra600 robots, Quattro 650 H four-axis parallel robots,
OMRON TM5-700 cobots, PLC controls, drives and sensors.
Due to the increased production volume, OMRON has
already delivered additional eCobra600 Pros and integrated
them into the production line. These robots are particularly
reliable, flexible and powerful.
The cobot relieves employees of recurring tasks involving test cutting and
packaging and helps to increase productivity.
The SCARA robots are ideal for the precise processing,
assembly and material handling used in medical
technology. The four-axis robot has a range of up to 800mm
and can be easily adapted for different applications, such
as test production. The eCobra technology also offers high
repeatability and a payload of up to 5.5kg. The amplifiers
and controllers built into the robot reduce the number
of cables needed. The overhead mounting configuration
enables the efficient use of space, even in clean rooms,
which are so essential in the medical technology
environment.
The control and drive of the cutting and packaging
machines also comes from OMRON, and is built into
the production lines of Kraus Maschinenbau. Further
components of the flexible COVID-19 test kit production
include the Quattro 650 H four-axis parallel robots.
These can be controlled by Ethernet, using the familiar
programming language (IEC 61131-3) of the NX / NJ machine
controllers. The four-axis arm distributes the load evenly to
the robot, which supports fast and high-precision transport
The SCARA robots are ideal for the precise processing, assembly and
material handling used in medical technology.
and assembly. The Quattro robots are designed for high
payloads and multi-hand applications: several parts can
be picked up at the same time. This also accelerates the
production of the coronavirus test.
Cobot eases pressure on employees
But that‘s not all: another technology used in Senova‘s
production line is the OMRON TM5-700 cobot. This is
specially designed to work with people and machines. It
can be easily transported and has an integrated image
processing system, which enables quick start-ups and
product changes. Due to the intuitive software, the cobot
can be taught different tasks. For example, it relieves
employees of recurring tasks involving test cutting
and packaging and helps to increase productivity. The
integrated vision camera and lighting technology enables
objects to be detected precisely in a wide field of view. This
system helps Senova to increase reliability, consistency and
precision (e.g. in pick-and-place processes). Other functions
available include pattern and colour recognition and
barcode reading.
But how are the test strips cut and packaged? First, the
preliminary products are fed to the line. They are then
separated, positioned and placed in a servo linear unit.
The product can then be positioned under the cutting
knife and cut precisely. The robot inserts the blank into the
plastic test cassette and assembles the front and back. The
machine for packaging the rapid antibody tests then takes
over the test cassettes.
The pre-assembled packaging pouches are separated by
a JoKer friction feeder and dispensed onto the packaging
machine. A labeler applies the labels with the relevant
product data to the pouch. Another robot takes the test
cassette from the upstream machine, transfers it in a special
form and inserts it into the pouch. Finally, the bag is closed
by thermal sealing and transferred to the delivery belt.
Christoph Waldenmeier, Sales Project Consultant at OMRON
Industrial Automation Europe, comments: “During the past six
months of the coronavirus crisis, the co-operation with Senova
and Kraus has continued to develop. The latest generation
of COVID-19 tests are now produced in a new production
hall. The production lines are fully equipped with OMRON
technology.“
He adds: “We are pleased that we can use our technology to
support the global efforts in the fight against the coronavirus
to a small extent. In times like these and in a flexible
production of the future, co-operation is the be-all and
end-all.“ Joachim Kraus adds: “The fast and uncomplicated
implementation of this challenging project was only possible
thanks to the perfect interaction and good chemistry
between the customer, machine builder and system and
control supplier.“
About Senova Gesellschaft für Biowissenschaft und Technik mbH
Senova is an internationally active, medium-sized, owner-managed company based in Weimar, specialising in high-quality
immunological rapid tests for the detection of proteins, haptens, nucleic acids, microorganisms and viruses. With its powerful
research department, extensive quality assurance and quality management methods and large production capacities for test kits and
accessories, Senova provides customers with all the tools they need to develop, validate and produce successful rapid test products.
This product and service portfolio is completed by a well-developed sales structure in human and veterinary diagnostics with the
help of the partner Devidia - Deutsche Vitaldiagnostik. www.senova.de
About Kraus Maschinenbau GmbH
Kraus Maschinenbau GmbH is a provider of expert solutions for dispensing, counting, separating, feeding and positioning paper and
flat products up to 30mm thick. This includes sheets of paper, brochures, booklets, plastic products, samples, sachets, CDs, ISO cards,
greeting and greeting cards, cardboard and folding box blanks, labels and more for a wide variety of industries and applications. The
machine components and systems are used in mechanical engineering for the packaging and labeling industry, in print processing,
letter shops, and in personalisation and security concepts. In Germany, Kraus works with commercial agencies and exclusive dealers.
In Europe, there are sales and service partnerships for various user markets. www.krausmb.de
About OMRON Corporation
OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation based on its core technology of „Sensing & Control + Think.“
OMRON‘s business fields cover a broad spectrum, ranging from industrial automation and electronic components to social
infrastructure systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 30,000 employees worldwide,
working to provide products and services in around 120 countries and regions. In the field of industrial automation, OMRON supports
manufacturing innovation by providing advanced automation technologies and products, as well as through extensive customer
support, to help create a better society. For more information, visit OMRON‘s website at: industrial.omron.eu.
Loading...