TECHNOLOGY | MEDICAL
Right: The Netstal Elion was commis- sioned and set to manufacture 48-well deep well plates in Weidmann’s cleanroom environment
production capacity to the limit. Basic tools and plastic consumable materials are used to carry out the diagnostic tests. Specifically, these products include 96-well analysis plates with frames that are stacked in racks, as well as pipettes with filters manufactured in Switzerland by two Netstal customers. The applications run in clean- rooms (ISO 8 GMP C) on medically equipped Netstal Elion machines. During the production of these materials, ensuring maximum precision, perfect material homogeneity, high speeds and ultimate reliability is essential. In another Covid-19 project, Netstal has suc- ceeded in converting a second-hand Netstal Elion 1750 standard model into an ISO 7 cleanroom machine. The fully electric injection moulding machine was delivered to Weidmann Medical Technology at short notice within one month in order to help cope with the sharp increase in demand for consumables for Covid-19 testing. Weidmann manufactures high-quality plastic consumables for in vitro diagnostics, as well as pharmaceutical primary packaging and medical components, at Bad Ragaz in Switzerland. The contract manufacturer has been manufacturing deep well plates featuring 48 wells on a Netstal Elion 1750-530 in an ISO-7-class cleanroom for years. In order to cope with the increase in de- mand, the production output had to be quickly doubled. For this purpose, an existing and rarely used backup tool was first tested and optimised in the technical centre of the nearby LIBS training company in Rapperswil to determine whether it was suitable for continuous operation in the short term. LIBS had a fully electric Netstal Elion 1750- 530 with an identical clamping unit, injection unit and control system, but being a standard model it was not suitable for a cleanroom environment. The system underwent a 12-hour continuous test in the Netstal plant and was then modified by an experienced overhaul team within ten working
days so as to ensure compliance with the required ISO 7 cleanroom class through a reduced particle discharge. It was then delivered to Weidmann at the end of April. Following its commissioning in the cleanroom, it was ready for production within just a few days. UK technical moulder Hi-Technology Group has invested in five new 50-tonne Sumitomo (SHI) Demag IntElect machines during the past year that have subsequently been used to manufacture more than 2 million medical-related components a week since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has been continuously producing parts for powered personal respirators and hoods, intravenous infusion pumps and docking stations, wireless call buttons, medical PPE, stairlifts, and soap/handwash dispensers. Recently, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has also installed a higher-specifica- tion 75-tonne IntElect2.
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large part of Hi-Technology’s medical, health and safety, marine, defence and aerospace product portfolio. From smoke detectors to breathing apparatus and respirators, the company’s latest
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IMAGE: KRAUSSMAFFEI
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