Some automated assembly projects are easy. If you have previously designed a system to assemble, say, a cannula or a dispenser cap for a bottle of laundry detergent, it’s not that difficult to design a system to put together a similar product.

Other projects require a certain amount of iteration. A case in point: A medical device manufacturer had been trying to automate a key element of assembly process for seven years without success. The company’s product, a Class II medical device, requires a process to insert a very thin component—the thickness of two hairs—into a hollow part that is not much wider.