Automation for Medical Device Manufacturing
Minnesota's medical device industry runs on precise, documented processes. We build the controls, vision, and data systems for assembly, coating, dispensing, and test equipment, and document them to support your validation.
Challenges we see in medical device manufacturing
- Validation makes change expensive, so equipment needs to be right, and documented, the first time.
- Process parameters must be recorded by lot or unit, not just displayed.
- Manual inspection that is slow, subjective, and hard to scale.
- Legacy process equipment with obsolete controls and limited records of how it was set up.
Process equipment controls
We program controls for coating, dispensing, assembly, and test equipment: precise motion and timing, recipes that are locked down by user access level, and sequences that cannot be run out of order. Allen-Bradley and Beckhoff TwinCAT platforms cover both standard sequencing and high-precision motion.
Machine vision and inspection
We integrate vision systems into the machine control so inspection results drive pass or fail decisions, reject handling, and stored records, instead of being a separate island. Vision can be added to existing equipment or designed into new machines.
Process data and electronic records
Process parameters and results are captured against each lot or unit and stored in a database. HMIs can require user login, restrict who can change recipes, and log every parameter change, features that support your approach to electronic records.
Documentation that supports validation
We provide functional specifications, I/O checkout records, and FAT and SAT execution to your templates, giving your quality team the engineering evidence it needs. Your quality system owns validation; we make sure the engineering side is complete.
Related services
- PLC programming and controls engineering
- Robotic and cobot cell integration
- MES integration, OEE and data collection
- HMI and SCADA systems
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide documentation for equipment validation?
Yes. We provide functional specifications, I/O checkout records, and test execution to your protocols and templates. Your quality team owns the validation; we supply the engineering evidence.
Can you add vision inspection to an existing machine?
Usually yes. We integrate the camera and lighting with the existing PLC so inspection results drive rejects and are recorded with the lot.
Can the HMI require logins and record parameter changes?
Yes. FactoryTalk View and FactoryTalk Optix HMIs can require user login, restrict recipe edits by role, and log each change with the user and time.
Are you local to Minnesota's medical device companies?
Yes. We are based in Big Lake, Minnesota, and work across the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, and the Upper Midwest.
Talk to an engineer
Plantwide Integration is an independent systems integrator based in Big Lake, Minnesota, serving medical device manufacturers across the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Central Minnesota, and the Upper Midwest. Tell us about the machine or line and we will tell you honestly whether it is a good fit.