How to Boost Your Production Throughput (Without Adding Duplicate Stations)

Most manufacturers have dealt with needing to improve production throughput somewhere on their line. Before you add more leak test stations or make other costly changes, consider how your test setup (process methods, instruments, etc.) could be improved to improve cycle time and efficiency.

How Different Test Process Methods Impact Throughput

Boosting throughput and decreasing cycle time can be heavily impacted by the abilities of the leak test method and instrument you choose. Whether the instrument features multiple sequential ports, multiple concurrent channels, and whether it can perform asynchronous testing will greatly impact your maximum throughout potential.

The chart below provides a detailed, illustrated example* of how different process methods, sequential vs. concurrent, can deliver drastically different cycle times and throughput.
*This example is based on the cycle time required to test small medical fluid/solution bags (50ml-500ml).

Real results: Manufacturer boosts part throughput and efficiency by 300% with simple switch to a different instrument and test method

CTS has proven this concept and secured real results for our customers. In this example, a top medical manufacturer needed to boost the production volume of their small fluid/solution bags but their current leak tester couldn’t go any faster without affecting test reliability and repeatability. They thought they would need to add a duplicate station and an operator to meet their goals, which would be costly—until they came to CTS and discovered their other options. By considering different process methods and instrument capabilities (detailed below), they could drastically improve their throughput without adding another station.

Prefer to read the app note? See how CTS helped one manufacturer boost part throughput by 300% with a simple instrument switch.

Sequential Process Methods

Single port sequential testing (one port, one channel)
225 PPH (4 parts/64 secs)

This manufacturer’s current test setup was a sequential one channel test. The operator would load a bag, commence the test and await its completion, unload the bag, and then repeat the process. As they didn’t have any other tasks for the operator during this test time, they were simply standing in wait during the test cycle—a prime opportunity to boost efficiency.

Multi-port sequential testing (two, three, or four port, one channel)
225 PPH (4 parts/64 secs) - potential for overall efficiency improvements

A two, three or four port single-channel instrument can offer a marginal throughput and efficiency improvement over one channel, single port instruments. In this case, the manufacturer could have used four sequential test ports to maximize efficiency using one single-channel instrument. The operator would load all the bags, one after the other, commence the test, and then the system would test each bag one after the other. When the test sequences were over, the operator would unload all bags from the leak test station and repeat the process again.  

The operator could at least tend to other duties around the station, such as performing other process steps on previously tested parts, while these four separate test cycles occurred. Depending on the other operations present on the manufacturing line, this could be a way to boost overall efficiency as compared to a single port testing method, making better use of the operator on the floor.

Concurrent Process Methods

Investing in a multi-channel instrument can substantially boost throughput – whether using synchronous or asynchronous processing (described below):

Synchronous Testing (Simultaneous Processing)
554 PPH (4 parts/26 secs) – INCREASE THROUGHPUT BY 146%

Using a synchronous process, the operator would load all 4 bags and commence the test. The bags are then tested simultaneously, then the operator unloads and repeats the process. This simultaneous testing saves a lot of time, minimizing the operator's idle time.

Asynchronous Testing (Independent Processing)
900 PPH (4 parts/16 secs) – INCREASE THROUGHPUT BY 300% over their single port instrument and by +62% over Synchronous testing with the same multi-channel instrument.

A leak tester that provides multi-channel asynchronous testing gives you the best throughput time possible, by allowing for independent processing through each channel. In this scenario, the operator loads one bag and commences the test immediately. While the first bag is being tested, the operator continues to load the other bags and commence each of those tests as soon as they are ready. When the operator is done loading the fourth bag, the first bag test cycle is complete and ready to be unloaded. The operator then starts loading the next round of bags and repeats the process. This method leaves virtually no downtime for the operator, so both the test and the operator are working at maximum efficiency, for maximum throughput.

Manufacturer chooses asynchronous testing method with the Sentinel Blackbelt Pro, improves throughput by 300%!

In order to meet their goals, this medical manufacturer chose to implement the test method with the highest return—asynchronous testing. The manufacturer was able to substantially boost efficiency (improved by 300% as compared to their previous single port sequential test process) without adding any further resources to the line—just a simple switch of leak tester! Using their new leak tester, the CTS Sentinel Blackbelt Pro, their leak test station was operating at its highest capacity, leaving virtually no downtime for the operator, boosting throughput and overall line efficiency.

Asynchronous testing—unique to CTS instruments

By offering asynchronous testing, the Sentinel Blackbelt Pro virtually acts as four instruments in one! This processing method is particularly beneficial for applications that require four different channels to be tested on one part, such as an internal combustion engine block where coolant, lubrication and air intake systems could be tested simultaneously with unique test type, test pressure, and reject  limit requirements.

How to Choose Which Test Method is Right for You

How you determine the right method for you starts with how many parts per hour you need to process to meet your production goals. Then  consider the duties of your operator, and analyze the ratio of load and unload time vs. cycle time and how much impact a different processing method would make on your throughput.

Contact the leak test experts at CTS to identify which test method will get you the best results for your application!