Case Study
How one automated potting cell doubled output and eliminated defects
The Challenge
- A leading PMT-sensor manufacturer was struggling to balance speed and quality. When they increased potting throughput, microscopic air bubbles began appearing in PU-potted sensors — visible under lens inspection and unacceptable to their automotive customers.
- Attempts to preserve quality slowed down output. To meet their volume targets, they considered installing multiple potting stations. That would have meant high capital expenditure, additional shop-floor space, more manpower, increased maintenance, and larger operational complexity.
- High-priced foreign alternatives existed, but none could guarantee bubble-free potting under high throughput — and most suppliers refused to commit to zero-defect output.
The Approach
- The customer engaged TWIN for a comprehensive evaluation. TWIN conducted a detailed process-map study of the existing potting setup, analyzing material behaviour (viscosity, curing, degassing), mix-ratio stability, temperature and ambient conditions, and critical-to-quality parameters defined by the customer’s end-client.
- TWIN held structured discussions with production, QA, and management teams to deeply understand their pain points, rejection history, inspection criteria, throughput goals, and resource constraints.
- Leveraging TWIN’s experience across automotive sensors, PCBs and high-precision potting jobs, the engineering team designed a single fully automated potting cell. The design included:
- Controlled degassing of PU material
- Precision meter-mix dosing
- Intelligent material conditioning (viscosity, temperature control)
- A dispensing strategy engineered to eliminate air entrapment completely
- Closed-loop process controls for consistency and repeatability
- The system replaced multiple semi-automatic or manual stations and achieved high throughput while maintaining absolute quality — without needing additional operators or floor space.
Why This Matters
For manufacturers – especially those supplying automotive or other high-reliability sectors – this case shows a clear alternative to the traditional trade off. Rather than choosing between speed or quality, or committing high resources to multiple lines, it is possible to achieve both with a well-engineered, end-to-end automated solution. TWIN’s approach demonstrates that intelligent automation and process design can deliver superior value, lower total cost, and consistent high quality – all from a single cell.
The Results
- Output throughput doubled compared with the previous constrained process — yet the potting quality remained flawless. There were zero bubbles of any size, including micro-bubbles visible under inspection lenses.
- The need for multiple stations — with their associated CAPEX, floor-space, manpower and maintenance — was eliminated.
- Operational complexity dropped: there was no requirement for manual supervision, rework, or quality interventions.
- With stable, repeatable potting and consistent quality, the customer gained process confidence, reduced rejections, and secured audit-ready production batches.
- The return on investment significantly improved over time: cost-per-part dropped, productivity increased, and total cost of ownership was far lower than what multiple cheaper stations would have demanded.