Background
The client required a way to seal their bottles with a foil. To do this in production, Fikst had previously designed and produced 2 custom heat sealers that the client had been using in production.
The Problem
As the client's production needs increased, they required a third custom heat sealer of this design. I was tasked with producing this heat sealer.
Skills
- Ownership of a project
- Ordering custom parts from a vendor
- Organizing a BOM of >150 parts, ordering and organizing parts as received
- Modifying purchased parts in machine shop
- Wiring: crimping & soldering
- Hands-on building
- Documentation for successful project hand-off
Progress pictures throughout the build
The Process
The build can be broken up into the following main steps:
1. Parts Ordering & Organizing
2. The Build
a) Frame & cylinder column assembly
b) Electronic & pneumatic wiring
3. IQ, OQ, PQ Validation Testing
Inside of the heat sealer with nearly fully completed wiring
Main Challenges
- Learning and understanding the design of a complex, unfamiliar device
-Supply chain issues: having to find alternate vendors or solutions for out of stock components
- Wiring: a new skill for me, which came with a learning curve
The Result
My co-op ended just before I could fully complete this project, but this meant I also learned the valuable skill of fully handing off a project to someone else. This made me ensure that I had all of my progress and future plans meticulously documented.
I completed nearly all of the assembly and wiring, handing off one or two final build tasks. I also handed over the validation execution and some formal safety documentation tasks.
About 2 weeks after the end of my co-op, I heard from the team that the heat sealer was prepared to be shipped out to the client.
Fully assembled heat sealer, barring insulation installation
Overall, I gained countless skills from this project. It was my first time personally creating such a large order of custom parts from a vendor (over 20 machined parts). Many of the components and subsystems in this device were new me, and I'm grateful that I was given the opportunity to fully learn about and understand these parts. This was my first time fully wiring a device. Learning about different crimp tools and connections, and following large wiring diagrams was very exciting to me. I improved on time-management skills, as I balanced this project with tasks for my other team. I often spent mornings working on one team, and afternoons on the heat sealer. I was also responsible for keeping the client informed of the timeline.
This is one of my all-time favorite projects I've done because of the independence I was given, all the skills and knowledge I gained, and all the time spent with hands-on building.
Organization of the parts I ordered for the build
Up-close wiring of heat sealer
