How Do I Buy A Robot - Producing Specifications for Bespoke Systems
Specifications
Clear specifications, with all the details of what's required, make designing a bespoke machine much easier. Supplying the capacity, speed, and process flowcharts accompanied with error recovery, example data files and sample consumables is the proverbial chicken and egg scenario. However, if you start with a good guide of the process and what's probably needed we will help build a specification after a few question and answer sessions. Issues may also include validation, 21CFR11, power failures, explosion proofing etc... We know what can and can't be done and you know the processes and objectives.Designs
Our job is to build a system that does what you need it to do; that means you, your team and your management. First of all we'll get you an overview really quickly to see if the budget, timescale and size suits you. If that looks good we move onto a detailed Design Study which builds on the specification. We work with the consumables proving the principles, watch the process and talk to the users. Our engineers concentrate on gathering a sound understanding of the process and building a team approach. We describe the system designs (mechanical, electrical and software) and plan the job including specifying the testing both in our factory and on site. The documentation quality control has started and needs checking and signing off.
Build
When it comes to building the system all the original 'grey areas' should have been clarified. The process will still introduce a few new issues the team hasn't envisioned but that's our job to sort. For instance dirt builds up on nozzles, instruments turn themselves off and new batches of consumables vary in size. As soon as we're ready we run the system as much as we can to get it to settle in. We run full representative testing with the users and repeat them on-site.
Installation
The people who design it also build it, install it and fly out to maintain it or upgrade it. We train the users and any available company engineers. We guarantee it and supply lists of parts and where to get them from. The manual accompanies all the core electrical and mechanical CAD drawings and we supply the source code and software documentation as well. A loved machine is a working machine.
Handy Links
Good Automated Manufacturing Practice , GAMP5 - www.ispe.orgSpecifications - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specifications
ISO9001:2000 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9001
Data security - http://www.21cfrpart11.com
