TECHNOLOGY | MEDICAL MOULDING
Right: Producing pipettes on Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s complete turnkey medical IntElect machine
Execution System (MES) is needed. “For example, when parts are being produced on multi-cavity tools, like pipettes, robots are programmed to remove and place the components into cavity- assigned racks. This means that if an issue with cavity 1 arises, the rack containing all corresponding cavity 1 parts can be isolated and the rack recalled, with all the production information stored in the MES.” He says: “In today’s globalised multi-site
Below: Avenue, a Nolato Company, has taken delivery of a 75 tonne IntElect all-electric injection moulding machine at its site in Ireland for medical start-up projects
production facilities, the ability to monitor and reconcile data from numerous machine sources is becoming imperative. Having access to this data via a single gateway can assist production manag- ers to better manage inefficiencies, reduce costs, improve Total Cost of Ownership, troubleshoot and resolve equipment issues and minimise machine downtime. During the last 18 months, machine features such as remote diagnostics have been extremely valuable to customers as they strive to maintain operational efficiency and save money, while adhering to health and safety guidance and ensuring machine assets are safeguarded.” The company is also getting ready to launch some new features at Fakuma 2021, including machine condition monitoring tools and a new automation solution. Herron says: “Machine learning is also starting to show promise and is something our R&D department is focused on. Understanding the data independencies and interoperability will be critical to predicting and reacting to different production scenarios.” The company adds that its strategic decision to
push ahead with new and further developments in the all-electric IntElect machine series a few years ago has been beneficial as moulders reacted to different demands during the current pandemic, including heightened demand for oxygen sensors, blood monitoring equipment and facemasks, as well as test kits. Expertise in the all-electric range, combined with an optional package developed
specifically for a typical medical production environment, has enabled moulders to implement a clean production cell rapidly and capture the opportunities in hygiene-sensitive markets. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag says that an installation
at the Injection Moulding & Extrusion Pilot Plant of BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany is a good example of how advanced robotics can assist hygiene-sensi- tive markets. Here, for operative safety and efficien- cy, a linear SDR 5-35S robot serves two purposes, selecting and placing one of 12 interchangeable mould inserts from a magazine located within the cell. After the part is moulded on a new Sumitomo (SHI) Demag IntElect 100 injection moulding machine, the same robot, fitted with a multifunc- tional gripper, gently extracts the test specimen from the mould. This is then passed to the small six-axis articulated-arm Yaskawa GP8 robot for precise cut of the specimens from the gate using a servo spindle drive punching machine. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has also recently supplied a 75-tonne IntElect all-electric injection moulding machine to Avenue (part of Nolato), in Sligo, Ireland. The investment will support growth in the company’s healthcare division, providing dedicated capacity to mould precision parts during the product development phase. With demand for its medical device injection moulding and tool- building services on the rise, in summer 2019, Avenue installed a new 100 m² ISO Class 8 cleanroom area. This expansion necessitated an increase in capacity for moulding tools for produc- ing components such as vials, test trays, luer lock fitments and connectors, as well as shell housing
26 INJECTION WORLD | September 2021
www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG
IMAGE: SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG
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