Automated Blood Plasma Bottle Assembly, Testing & Traceability Line
Challenge
A medical device manufacturer required a fully automated production line capable of assembling, testing, labeling and sorting blood plasma storage bottles while maintaining complete product traceability.
The system needed to integrate multiple robotic stations, automated leak testing, machine vision inspection and redundant labeling, while ensuring high reliability and full tracking of every product throughout the manufacturing process.
Managing several industrial robots operating simultaneously.
Integrating automated leak testing.
Implementing end-to-end product traceability.
Ensuring reliable label printing and verification.
Providing a scalable software architecture for future product variants.
Solution
I developed the complete PLC software usingBeckhoff TwinCAT 3, following an object-oriented programming (OOP) architecture designed for maintainability and scalability.
The production line was built around aBosch Rexroth TS2 transport system, where each transport fixture carried six blood plasma bottles through multiple automated process stations.
The automation sequence included:
Multi-lane bottle buffering and separation.
Fanuc 6-axis robot loading bottles into transport fixtures.
Dual mirrored SCARA assembly stations installing connectors from bowl feeders.
Pneumatic pressing station with force-controlled insertion.
Vision inspection of connector placement.
Three automated leak-testing stations.
X-Z-R gantry installing final caps.
Dual redundant labeling stations.
Label quality verification.
QR code verification.
Final robotic unloading and OK/NOK sorting.
Every transport fixture contained its own QR identification, allowing complete traceability throughout production.
System Architecture
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Controller
Beckhoff IPC
TwinCAT 3 PLC
TwinSAFE Safety PLC
Beckhoff Web HMI
precision_manufacturing
Robotics
2 × Fanuc six axis robots
2 × Fanuc SCARA
conveyor_belt
Motion & Transport
Bosch Rexroth TS2 conveyor
Festo gantry positioning
Pneumatic actuators
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Vision
SensoPart vision systems
IFM Smart Cameras
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Leak Testing
18 × ATEQ leak testers
Modbus TCP communication
print
Labeling
CAB industrial printers
TCP/IP communication
Automatic print verification
Key Responsibilities
As the TwinCAT Software Engineer, I was responsible for:
PLC software architecture
Object-oriented TwinCAT software development
Machine sequence control
Robot coordination
Motion control
Transport system synchronization
Product traceability implementation
Machine vision integration
Leak tester integration
CAB printer communication
HMI development
Alarm handling
Diagnostics
Commissioning
Production optimization
Results
The completed system delivered:
Fully automated bottle assembly
Automated leak testing
Complete product traceability
Integrated robotic handling
Automatic labeling and verification
High production reliability
Scalable OOP software architecture
Reduced operator intervention
Improved production quality
Simplified maintenance through modular TwinCAT software
Technical Highlights
Each transport fixture carried a unique QR code.
IFM Smart Cameras automatically identified every fixture throughout the line, allowing complete product tracking without manual intervention.
The PLC synchronized:
Bottle loading robot
Dual SCARA assembly stations
Final unloading robot
Collision-free operation and optimized throughput were achieved through centralized TwinCAT coordination.
Three independent ATEQ leak testers verified product integrity.
Results were automatically associated with the corresponding product and stored throughout production.
Multiple SensoPart cameras verified:
Connector presence
Correct assembly
Label quality
QR readability
Any failed inspection automatically routed products to the reject flow.
The production line included two identical CAB labeling stations.
If one station became unavailable, production could continue using the second station without interrupting throughput.
Technologies
PLC & Software
Beckhoff TwinCAT 3
Object-Oriented Structured Text (OOP)
TwinSAFE
Beckhoff Web HMI
Motion
Fanuc Robot
SCARA Robots
Bosch Rexroth TS2
Festo Gantry
Communication
EtherCAT
Modbus TCP
TCP/IP
Vision
SensoPart Vision
IFM Smart Cameras
Testing
ATEQ Leak Testers
Printing
CAB Industrial Printers
Looking for TwinCAT expertise in testing and validation systems?
Whether you’re developing automated test equipment, force-control applications, data acquisition systems, or regulated manufacturing solutions, I can help design and implement robust Beckhoff TwinCAT-based platforms.