Top-Level Design

The Top Level Design phase is the most critical and exciting portion of the design process. This is where our engineers get creative in solving your problems.

We work with your plant personnel to understand all of your needs and constraints. We will collect information on:
  • Part configurations
  • Production rates
  • Quality requirements
  • Plant floor space
  • Upstream and downstream processes

All of the information we collect from the customer is combined with the best-practice experience from hundreds of automation projects. An approach is chosen that balances the cost and performance of the system.

It is during this process that agility is baked into the design. Our team leaders will ask the customer about:

  • Lot sizes
  • Changeover time requirements
  • Product mix

These and other key parameters will allow the design to handle the fast changing world that we live in. Agile Automation is not just a slogan. It is a philosophy that drives our design process to deliver the machine flexibility our customers need.

Standard or Custom

The saying goes: "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Kinemetrix has many tools in its belt so that you always get the appropriate solution.

If a standard system or sub-system will meet your needs, our top-level design process will identify it and include it in the solution. When you need custom equipment - or a mixture of standard and custom - our team can handle that too.

Equipment Engineering

Kinemetrix designs in 3D CAD to allow thorough engineering, including verification of good ergonomics and elimination of interferences. This approach also allows for rapid movement from design to manufacturing, shortening machine delivery times to our customer. Machines are designed by a team of mechanical and controls engineers working in parallel. This collaboration yields shorter lead times and a more efficient design than the traditional approach.

Design Validation

Before the design is released to manufacturing, it must be validated. Validation is the step that will uncover serious design errors such as weak frames, insufficient robot reach or cycle time problems. These problems, if hidden until assembly, can cause costly delays in a project while a fix is implemented. Kinemetrix strives to find these issues while the design is still on paper.

Depending on the nature of the machine, this validation can include many different steps. Typical steps include:

  • Finite Element Analysis of structures
  • Robot reach verification
  • Robot simulation for cycle time evaluation

Manufacturing

Kinemetrix equipment is made in the USA. Our manufacturing operation is co-located with our engineering department so that the engineers who designed the equipment can oversee the build phase.

Kinemetrix keeps tight control on cost and schedule by performing nearly all manufacturing operations at its facility. This includes:

  • Fabrication
  • CNC Machining
  • Panel & Cable Build
  • Machine Assembly

Documentation

Kinemetrix makes sure that you have the documentation that you need for your operators and maintenance personnel. Our engineers create operations manuals with clear instructions and the information you need, including:
  • System startup
  • System operation
  • Part-type changeover
  • System shut down
  • Error recovery
  • Special maintenance functions
  • Electrical schematics
  • Spare parts list