RNA Automation

Infobox_Company
company_name = RNA Automation Ltd.
foundation = 1986
location = Birmingham, United Kingdom
industry = Robotics, Industrial Automation
homepage = www.rna-uk.com [http://www.rna-uk.com]

RNA Automation, a member of Rhein-Nadel Automation, was established in Birmingham UK in 1986, and has progressed into becoming the major supplier of parts handling equipment in the UK. The company operates in the area of specialised automation engineering, providing automatic parts handling equipment for high volumn production in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, electronics, food and metal working industries, with seven manufacturing facilities across Europe and North America and a network of sales and service outlets across the globe.

Company History

Founded in 1972, Rhein-Nadel Automation is the market leader throughout Europe and operates worldwide in parts handling technology. Rhein-Nadel Automation is a member of the Rheinnadel Group, which has been based since 1898 in the town of Aachen, Germany. Rhein-Nadel Automation have four manufacturing sites in Germany and individual manufacturing plants in the UK, Spain and Switzerland, together with a world-wide, decentralised distribution and service network with 28 subsidiaries.

History of the Company

1968 The department of the needle factory, so far only responsible for the internal construction of operating material and machines, trades under the name Rheinnadel Maschinenbau and begins working for external customers.

1972 Rheinnadel Maschinenbau now also uses the firm name Rhein-Nadel Automation GmbH and concentrates exclusively on the area of Feeding Technology.

1980-1989 Rhein-Nadel Automation expands. The permanent establishment in Ergolding and the subsidiaries in Switzerland and Great Britain are founded.

1990-1999 Rhein-Nadel Automation continues to grow. The Spanish company Vibrant S.A. is purchased.

2000 With RNA Automated Systems Inc., the first subsidiary outside of Europe takes up its commercial activities in Canada.

2004 The Rheinnadel Group concentrates its activities on the area of Automation. RNA broadens its range with the components and continues to extend its development capacities.

RNA automation specialise in automated feeder and specialist handling systems offering vibratory bowl feeders, Linear Feeders, Centrifugal Feeders and Step Feeder systems. RNA also supply a range of specialist handling equipment including Vision Guided Robots, Tablet Inspection, Vision Inspection, Tray Loading and Bottle Handling.

Technology

RNA supplies a range of vibratory bowl feeders, centrifugal feeders, linear] and conveyor feed systems, and hopper elevator systems in different formates. RNA bowl tops and drive unitsis designed to work in harmony alongside each other and handle components from all areas of industry, providing the widest possible range of shapes and sizes made of any kinds of materials can be catered for.

In association with Hoppmann Corporation, RNA offers a full range of tooled centrifugal feeders. With RNA's feeder expertise the centrifugal feeder systems can be interfaced and supplied as a complete packaging line with further production transportation via downstream conveyor systems to subsequent packaging operations such as capping, labeling, flow wrapping and cartoning applications.

The RNA Step Feeder is a compact low noise alternative to a bowl feeding system and in many circumstances components can be tooled without the aid or air. The RNA step feeder is manufactured in such a way that the static hopper, which has a very low filling height, can be loaded manually. The components are collected from the hopper by elevating plates, pre-sorted and fed to the top without any further feeding technique until they reach the desired transfer height.

Directional Carpet Linear feeders are developed to orientate components where a step feeder or bowl feeder is not suitable They enable gentle handling of orientated components from bulk to escapement devices creating product accumulation prior to a machine or handling unit. Large Heavy & bulky components contaminated in oil or swarf can be orientated and conveyed to a machine using a carpet feeder .

pecialist Handling

RNA are the sole agents in the UK & Ireland for the SVIA range of Vision Guided Robotic Systems. All systems have a Robotic arm for handling and manipulating the product a camera system and share the same pc based control system and in most cases integrated with a standard ABB robot controller.

RNA alongside camera specialists Machine Vision Technology has developed a tablet inspection system to inspect and sort tablets up to and over 1000 parts per minute. The specification of a tablet inspection system is as follows:

A 600mm diameter vibratory bowl feeder in Stainless Steel and a variable speed controller. A speed of 800 - 1000 tablets per minute Outputs onto a conveyor with a reject sort facility. With up to four double speed progressive scan cameras and lighting mounted along the conveyor. A high speed PC with a 17 inch LCD display mounted in a SS enclosure. The system is designed to Pharmaceutical standards The software complies with FDA requirements, all documentation is to CFR 21 pt 11, with the fully validated version option.

References

* " [http://www.svia.se SVIA Industrial Automation] "
* " [http://www.rna-uk.com www.rna-uk.com] " Company Website
* " [http://www.rna.de Rhein-Nadel Automation] " Company Website
* " [http://www.learnaboutrobots.com/industrial.htm Learn about Robots-Industrial Robots] "