3D PLASTIC PRINTING
3D PLASTIC PRINTING
WE CAN PRINT PLASTIC PARTS REINFORCED WITH:
Automated Equipment
AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT
ROBOTIC INTEGRATION
CUSTOM MACHINE DESIGN
TURN KEY SYSTEMS
VISION INSPECTIONS SYSTEM
MISSION STATEMENT: TO PROVIDE THE EXPERTISE PEOPLE DEPEND ON TO SOLVE COMPLEX ENGINEERING OR MACHINE DESIGN PROBLEMS. OUR ACCOMPANYING SLOGAN IS “SOLVING YOUR UNIQUE PROBLEMS WITH OUR UNIQUE SOLUTIONS”
OPERATING PRINCIPLES:
- Maintain a high level of skill in house and provide our team members opportunities for personal advancement and career development
- Jump at the chance to provide timely and cost effective solutions for our customers that offers outstanding value while treating everyone associated with our company with integrity and respect, the way we would like to be treated
- Execute projects to solve our customer’s problems using the latest technology (3D Printing, FEA, CAD, Robotics, Vision etc…)
SpikeEase
Overview
MJ Engineering collaborated with Focused Technologies to develop the award-winning (Best Maintenance of Way Product 2020) and patented SpikeEase railroad spike remover. The SpikeEase project originated as a college senior design project, which MJ Engineering completely redesigned to make stronger, lighter, more powerful, more ergonomic, and easier to use. This product utilizes a customized acme screw and acme nut that when turned by an off-the-shelf impact wrench uses leverage to pull the spike out of the tie. This product is an investment in safety and productivity that pays for itself by increasing production, reducing injuries, and eliminating the need for hydraulic equipment or claw bars. The SpikeEase is designed to be the lightest, easiest, and most eco-friendly spike remover in the world.
According to Focused Technology Solutions, the SpikeEase is the world’s most advanced battery-operated spike remover. Eliminating the need for hydraulic systems means un-tethering employees from service vehicles, heavy hoses, and expensive hydraulic power units.
Goals
- Design a battery-powered spike remover
- Improve maximum pull force
- Reduce the cost of and weight of the SpikeEase.
- Improve the ergonomics of using the SpikeEase in the field every day.
- Improve the strength and useful life of the SpikeEase
Specifications
- Weighs in at 30 pounds (not including drill or battery)
- 3-7 seconds per spike removal
- A rechargeable battery pack and a commercially available drill
- Easy to transport anywhere the rail takes you
- No hydraulic system to risk leaks and environmental hazards.
Vision Tracking System Helps Manufacturer & Clients
At MJ Engineering, we don’t settle for a quick fix; we work to solve the root problem. That is exactly what we did when one of the largest pan manufacturers in the US approached us looking for a solution to a problem their bakery customers faced.
Problem: Malfunction Due to Overuse
The problem was, after so many baking cycles, the non-stick coating used on the pans wore off. The quick fix was for the bakery to send those pans back to the manufacturer for recoating. The better fix was for the manufacturer to contact MJ Engineering. As MJ Engineering worked on a custom solution, it became clear that the coating was not the direct source of the problem.
The coating wore off naturally when it exceeded a certain number of thermal cycles. In other words, the pans were malfunctioning due to overuse. Many of the bakery owners were only using a portion of the baking pans they received from the manufacturer because there was no way to track them.
Solution: Vision Sensor Technology
MJ Engineering resolved that problem by designing a tracking system that could read a laser-etched code on the bottom of each pan as it passed over a vision sensor on its way through the oven. Then MJ Engineering sends the data to the manufacturer’s custom software that allows the bakeries to interpret the pan usage data from the vision inspection equipment to determine when to recoat or switch pans.
“The baking pan tracker effectively does two things,” said Richard Wand, owner of MJ Engineering. “It allows bakers to understand their pan management and rotation schedules through the compiled data from the scanner, and it also allows them to see that their pans are meeting the warranty life that the manufacturer stands by.”
Results: Entire System Working More Efficiently
MJ’s engineers developed a way to use common, easily accessible components to integrate with MJ Engineering’s proprietary tracking software.
Now, bakery personnel can install new pan trackers—about the size of a breadbox—in a pinch with simple tools.
As Keith Kneidel, project manager for MJ Engineering, said, “We’ve taken the technologies that are there and married everything to a complete system: the camera technology (made by SICK), the PLC, or user-interface computer, the screen, and the FTP to get the data back to the manufacturer.” All the individually sourced components work together to allow the bakers to focus on baking.
Not only are buns no longer sticking to pans, but the data being gathered via automated inspection is also providing the pan manufacturer with up-to-date information on their pan’s durability and coating competency. The bakery owners can log onto an online portal for real-time updates on their pans. Buns are going into customers’ mouths instead of trash cans.
The Solution to Your Problem May Be A Tracking System
The ultimate solution to the pan problem turned out to be much larger than just recoating.
In fact, MJ Engineering’s pan tracking system not only extended the life of each pan, but also the relationship with the pan manufacturer and the bakery owners. Reducing product waste and shipping time between the bakeries and the manufacturer also made MJ Engineering’s system a win for the pan manufacturer.
To learn more about this system, or to get started on your own solution, give MJ Engineering a call today at 614-891-6111.
The Key to Any Good Turnkey Project – MJ Engineering
What Is a Turnkey Project?
A turnkey project, such as robotic systems integration, is like a one-stop-shop, where MJ Engineering handles the entire scope of work from start to finish. “All the customer has to do is plug and play,” says MJ Engineering’s Director of Automation Equipment, Keith Kneidel. In other words, MJ Engineering does all the designing, building, and testing of a machine or automated system for you, while ensuring it meets your specifications. When MJ Engineering installs the automated equipment at your facility, it will be ready to run.
The Client’s Needs and Involvement
At MJ Engineering, we work directly with our customers to make sure our designs meet your needs. And since we are the ones doing the designing and building, there is no need to outsource to multiple companies. We will be your single point of contact at every stage of the project. In addition to saving you time and cost, this method makes it easier for you to stay in the know of how the project is progressing, and communicate any changes you need to make along the way. Having all the work done in-house at MJ Engineering ensures a continuous, smooth operation. “We have the same thought process throughout the whole process and machine,” says Kneidel. “It works a lot better that way.”
Leverage MJ Engineering’s Experience with Turnkey Robotic Systems Integration
MJ Engineering has completed multiple turnkey robotic systems integration projects, so we have years of experience identifying the best designs for our customers. Turnkey automation systems and equipment, as well as motion-control robotics, save our clients time and frustration.
Example of a Turnkey Automation Project
One example of turnkey robotic systems integration is custom-designed automated equipment we produced for a medical company. The equipment we designed packages vials of medicine. According to Keith Kneidel, MJ Engineering managed every step for the medical client, from initial concept development to testing onsite.
The customer wanted to increase its throughput and quality. To achieve that goal, MJ Engineering referenced the client’s specifications, agreed to a scope of work, and began the electrical, mechanical, and controls design process. A robot, bowl feeder, and pallet conveyor system were incorporated to create a machine that can process more than 100 plastic vials per minute. This proved to be faster, more precise, and met the client’s standards better than the previous method. Safety fencing protects the operator from the robot, which meets the client’s safety requirements and Robotic Industries Association (RIA) safety guidelines.
MJ Engineering also programmed quality checks into the programmable logic controller (PLC). For example, the machine checks label alignment using a vision inspection system. If the label barcode doesn’t pass the quality inspection because it is scratched or misplaced, the machine discards the vial.
To meet the customer’s requirements, MJ Engineering completed factory acceptance tests (FATs) with the client onsite at MJ Engineering and a final production test after installation at the client’s facility before turning over the keys.
Give Turnkey Engineering Projects a Try
With a turnkey machine from MJ Engineering, you can rest easy, knowing we use our years of experience to handle the designing, building, testing, and implementation of your machine, while making sure it fits your specific requirements. By the time we finish installing and testing a turnkey machine at your site, it will be ready for you to use immediately. So give us a call, and give turnkey a try.
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Keith Kneidel manages the Automation group at MJ Engineering. During his 15 years with the company, Kneidel has done design, product development, professional engineering certification, and engineering management. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University.