A Close Look at Moxie’s Production Line

From: Mario Munich, Chief Engineering Officer, Embodied, Inc.

We are here at the Moxie’s production line in the Far-East. Everything is ready to go for mass production: line organized, operators trained, test fixtures tuned, materials arrived. As we walk through the workshop, the excitement is very tangible: people are ready to go after the long preparations, prototypes and a pilot production. This is a unique, almost exhilarating, moment to be enjoyed. 

The production line for Moxie involves several dozens of operators to assemble, test, and package the robot. Quality control is evaluated during the construction process (called in-process-quality-control) to ensure performance and cosmetic appearance. A number of test fixtures validate the components and subassemblies of the robot as the assembly process goes from single parts to the full device to packaging.

The mass production of Moxie involves a number of steps that start from the engineering design of the mechanical parts and the electronics. The mechanical drawings are transferred to the factory for making the molds used to create the plastic parts by injection molding. The first sets of parts are evaluated by measuring their critical dimensions in a process called first article inspection (FAI). These measurements enable the fine tuning of the injection molding presses to reach the specifications of the parts and ensure proper assembly of the robot.

On the electronics side, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are fabricated, assembled with surface-mount technology (SMT) and tested to eliminate failed assemblies. Mechanical and electrical parts are later on brought to the production line to begin the assembly. The line is organized as a series of stations in which one or more operators build or test subassemblies to proceed towards the completion of the robot. Mass production is underway to service the demands when we begin shipping in the first quarter of 2021.

We are ready to go, eager to bring Moxie to the lives of children!