Vision-Guided System Microwelds Pacemakers

Medtronic, a manufacturer of medi¬cal products and technology, uses microresistance welding worksta¬tions to assemble a line of pace¬makers that regulate heart rhythms inside the human body. Some of the welds are on hori¬zontal surfaces, others are on vertical surfac¬es. Until recently, Medtronic's weld techni¬cians took each pacemaker to three separate microweld workstations: first welding a connec¬tion on the left side, then another on the right side, then welding inside, where the weld head descends on the part. Using multiple stations reduced productivity and consumed valuable cleanroom space.

Medtronic wanted to speed up the operation by combining all the weld steps in a single sta¬tion and using automation to make the tech¬nician's job easier and safer. Also, by adding a PC to monitor the resistance welds' closed-loop feedback and collecting and storing high-reso¬lution images of the welds, researchers deter¬mined that the consistency of the welds and part tracking and productivity could be improved.