CHEMICALS & PHARMACEUTICALS


COOPERATING TO MEET TEST DEMAND


Smart robotics are enabling the flexible production of rapid coronavirus antibody tests, thanks to cooperation between Senova, OMRON and Kraus Maschinenbau


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. For instance, the retail, manufacturing and


T


public sectors are increasingly turning to innovative robotics, sensors and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies to ease the pressure on employees, accelerate processes and improve compliance with hygiene requirements. Companies wanting to benefit 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. 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 production of coronavirus antibody rapid tests. This met a vital need, as the increased testing 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. 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.


40 JUNE 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL


he coronavirus crisis has caused unimaginable damage to the personal health and finances of people


The test has been available since spring


2020, and uses a blood sample to show whether someone is currently infected with the virus or is already immune. 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.


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.


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, complemented by robotics and technology from OMRON. Handling the blanks with a size of 3.5 to


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, and needed to be implemented quickly to meet the demand - and to help contain the spread of the virus. Joachim Kraus, managing director of Kraus


Maschinenbau said: “Senova asked how the feeding of the packaging pouches could be


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 10pm. The tests 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. The reliable and flexible 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


Senova needed a more flexible, faster and more reliable way of manufacturing and packaging the test kits – all within a very tight timescale


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