Special machinery, robotic cells and micro-torque metrology for the watch industry, medical laboratories and microtechnology
CLA Clinical Laboratory Automation SA
Delémont (CH)New on Amplifa
About CLA
CLA Clinical Laboratory Automation SA was founded in 1997 and develops automation solutions for medical laboratories, microtechnology and the watch industry (horlogerie). The product portfolio includes the intelligent Sample Management System SMS® transport system with RFID item identification, robotic cells based on Mitsubishi robots, metrology for micro-torques and micro-forces (1 µNm to 1 Nm), industrial image processing with OCR reading, and software solutions for control and supervision (OMS®). In special machinery, the company produces, among other things, chronometry cells, automatic screwdriving stations with torque control (CLAastm, developed together with Atlas Copco), winding and demagnetization stations, and XY positioning tables for microplates. The value chain ranges from mechanical design and hardware and software development to manufacturing, assembly, conformity testing, documentation and in-house maintenance. At its headquarters in Delémont, CLA has a design office with 900 m² for mechanical engineering and hardware/software development as well as a 1,300 m² assembly hall with its own manufacturing cell. CLA is the Competence Center for Mitsubishi robots in Switzerland.
- Site
- Delémont
- Processes
- Assembly of complex parts / watch movement assembly (Assemblage de mouvements), Micromechanical assembly / assembly lines for microtechnology, Automatic screwdriving with torque control (CLAastm, CLAvissage), Micro-torque and micro-force measurement (1 µNm to 1 Nm), Chronometry testing of watch movements (Cellules chronométrie multicalibres), Industrial vision / OCR reading, Metrology, Demagnetization (CLAdemag)
- Materials
- Robotic cells (Mitsubishi), SMS® transport system, Micro-torque and force metrology, Industrial image processing / OCR, Chronometry cells, Automatic screwdriving stations, OMS® software
- Founded
- 1997
- Industries
- Watch industry/Horlogerie, Medical technology/Medical laboratories, Microtechnology, Medical technology/Medical analysis laboratories
- 01
Engineering: mechanical design, hardware and software development
- 02
In-house manufacturing cell
- 03
Robotics integration (Mitsubishi)
- 04
Assembly and conformity testing
- 05
Documentation
- 06
Maintenance and after-sales service
Processes and Technologies
Robotic cells (Mitsubishi)
Articulated or SCARA robots with proprietary grippers, camera recognition and loading/unloading for assembly and testing.
SMS® transport system
Flexible assembly lines (60 mm, 100 mm, laboratory) with RFID item identification and one-piece flow.
Micro-torque and force metrology
Sensors and measuring instruments (VARIOcouple, NEOvario, BARImètre) for the range 1 µNm to 1 Nm.
Industrial image processing / OCR
Vision systems for part recognition and reading, including for screening tests.
Chronometry cells
Multi-calibrated testing of the rate accuracy of watch movements, also as a 0/24h station.
Automatic screwdriving stations
CLAastm and CLAvissage with integrated torque sensor and screw feeder.
OMS® software
Control and supervision software for interconnection and tracking of production data.
Locations
Delémont
CHHeadquarters: design, hardware/software development, in-house manufacturing cell and assembly hall
- Robotic cells (articulated/SCARA, Mitsubishi)
- SMS® transport system lines (60 mm / 100 mm / laboratory)
- Chronometry cell CLAchronométrie
- 0/24h station
- Winding station CLAremontage
- Casing-up station CLAarmage
- Demagnetization station CLAdemag
- Screwdriving stations CLAvissage / CLAastm
- Measuring instruments BARImètre, VARIOcouple, NEOvario, EBATmètre
- XY positioning table (Screening Table)
- Force sensors SC-002, LC-01 to LC-10
- Torque sensors TSF-000 to TSF-100
- Gripper Grip PE 410 / SPIDER
- Rotation module TWIST TR136 / TR636
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly of complex parts / watch movement assembly (Assemblage de mouvements)Assembly | – | – | 300 g | – | – |
| Micromechanical assembly / assembly lines for microtechnologyAssembly | – | – | 300 g | – | – |
| Automatic screwdriving with torque control (CLAastm, CLAvissage)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Micro-torque and micro-force measurement (1 µNm to 1 Nm)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chronometry testing of watch movements (Cellules chronométrie multicalibres)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Industrial vision / OCR readingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| MetrologyTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Demagnetization (CLAdemag)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Winding of mechanical watches/watch movements (CLAremontage)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Special machinery development (conception mécanique et software)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Robotics integration (Mitsubishi Competence Center)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Machining of blanks (Usinage d'ébauches)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Emboîtage (casing-up)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Handling of precision parts / insertion of pallet stonesAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of force and torque sensors (OEM)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
25 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robotic cell (articulated robot or SCARA) | Mitsubishi | – | – | – | Delémont |
| SMS transport system line 60mm | CLA SMS 60 | – | – | – | Delémont |
| SMS transport system line 100mm | CLA SMS 100 | – | – | – | Delémont |
| SMS laboratory line | CLA | – | – | – | Delémont |
| XY positioning table (Screening Table) | CLA | – | Microplates 130x90 mm | – | Delémont |
| Chronometry cell | CLA CLAchronométrie | – | – | – | Delémont |
| 0/24h station | CLA CLA 0/24H | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Winding station | CLA CLAremontage | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Casing-up station | CLA CLAarmage | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Demagnetization station | CLA CLAdemag | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Automatic screwdriving station | CLA CLAvissage | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Compact screwdriving station with torque sensor | CLA / Atlas Copco CLAastm | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Torque measuring instrument | CLA VARIOcouple | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Torque measuring instrument | CLA NEOvario | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Torque measuring instrument | CLA BARImètre | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Torque measuring instrument (automatic) | CLA Automate BARImètre | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Measuring instrument | CLA EBATmètre | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Force sensors | CLA SC-002, LC-01 to LC-10 | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Torque sensors | CLA TSF-000 to TSF-100 | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Gripper | CLA Grip PE 410 / PE 410A | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Rotation module | CLA TWIST TR136 / TR636 | – | – | – | Delémont |
| SPIDER gripper | CLA SPIDER | – | – | – | Delémont |
| Assembly hall | – | – | 1300 m2 | – | Delémont |
| Design office | – | – | 900 m2 | – | Delémont |
| In-house manufacturing cell | – | – | – | – | Delémont |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1996
Founding at the end of 1996 according to the company brochure by Dr. André von Froreich and Patrick Fleury; industrialization of the SMS® transport system
- 1997
Founding year according to the website; focus on automation for medical laboratories, microtechnology and horlogerie
- 2018
CLA Chronometry Cell mentioned in the New York Times (robotic cell at Officine Panerai, Neuchâtel)
- 2019
Partnership with Atlas Copco for the development of the automatic screwdriving system CLAastm with torque measurement