TECHNOLOGY | MEDICAL
and instantly dealt with. Because the injection process runs more steadily, the plasticised material flows more consistently into the mould cavities. This in turn helps ensure even weight distribution in each cavity and minimise part rejects.” Having performed several on-site energy
Above: UK-based Hi-Technology’s dedicated precision moulding cell, with Sumitomo (SHI) Demag machines, provides additional flexibility to support customers in the critical respirator, PPE and medical pump sectors
machine investment gave it the flexibility to play its part in the global health crisis and support customers in the critical respirator, PPE and medical pump sectors. Recently re-certified to ISO9001: 2015 and ISO 14001 (Environmental Safety Standard), most of the Covid work, including industrial respirators, has been performed in the company’s precision mould- ing cell. Housing the five IntElect systems, the facility also comprises several other precision, assembly and finishing machines, including heat inserters, pad printers and ultrasonic welding systems. Given the volume and variety of technical components produced, reaching an output of 3.6 million mouldings in one week, precision and repeatability are critical. This is where the IntElect excels, according to Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s UK Managing Director, Nigel Flowers. “The combina- tion of direct drives plus the IntElect’s advanced toggle system ensures a more stable process,” he says. “Any changes to force patterns are monitored
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studies, reducing energy consumption and achieving ISO 14001 certification formed part of the strategic rationale for opting for an all-electric system. With a dynamic motor design, the IntElect range offers a 60% reduction in energy consump- tion, while also significantly increasing production output, says Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. In addition to its UK production plant, Hi-Tech- nology Group has an extensive facility in Slovakia serving European clients and exporting compo- nents internationally. Comprising 20 machines, in summer 2019 the Košice plant added two Sumi- tomo (SHI) Demag Servo machines, including a large 280-tonne machine. At present, the medical moulding market is
Covid-driven, says Gerald Plöchl, Head of Medical and Micro Technologies at Wittmann-Battenfeld, and there is currently a high demand for plastics for diagnostic devices and ventilators. He adds that new technical developments in equipment and process- es are also being driven by data collection, which is now possible through Wittmann 4.0 and the company’s EMS solution TEMI+, as well as intelligent machine settings and artificial intelligence. Plöchl says Wittmann 4.0 provides specific advantages in medical moulding. “Wittmann 4.0 means that robot and auxiliaries are integrated in the control unit Unilog B8. Moreover, an electronic data sheet is used in the Unilog B8 control system. This serves to configure a production cell integrat- ed via the Wittmann 4.0 router in accordance with the selected mould dataset, including all necessary appliances such as robots, temperature controllers, metering devices, dryers and electronic flow controllers. Through the plug and produce mode,
IMAGE: SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG
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