TECHNOLOGY | MEDICAL MOULDING
that that they will work as intended to produce a precision component with high repeatability and accuracy.” The medical technology market continues to
Above: A hybrid Arburg Allrounder 470 H with a hot runner mould produces 48 tips per
6-second cycle
mouldings and mating components, for medical device assemblies. The IntElect machine met Avenue’s brief for a small footprint machine for carrying out test runs during the development phase of projects. “All medical programmes are lengthy as it can take two to three years to obtain approvals from the authori- ties, so there are many months of testing before a component or mould is ready to be scaled up to mass production,” says Gerard Henn, Avenue’s General Manager. “Test runs might be anything from 10,000 to 100,000 units. In order to satisfy this range of volume requirements, the mould size and cavitation suits this press perfectly.” Sumitomo (SHI) Demag adds that the machine’s small footprint is down to the use of its own motors and drives. The model also has particularly wide tie bar spacing and high clamp force for its size, allowing the use of larger moulds than would normally be accommodated by a 75-tonne machine. The IntElect also comes with a choice of five screw diameters for maximum flexibility, meaning Avenue can run a variety of tools with different shot weights. Several add-on options were also selected – activeFlowBalance, activeRemote activeLock and a VNC connection – to enhance control over the moulding process and guarantee the dimensional precision that is demanded by the healthcare industry. The activeFlowBalance uses machine-control technology to balance filling fluctuations, ensuring shot-to-shot consistency, and activeRemote in conjunction with the VNC (Virtual Network Cable) allows remote diagnosis from Sumitomo personnel for both technical and process issues on-line. “The medical industry demands that compo-
nents are produced within extremely tight toler- ances and the allowable tolerances are getting tighter all the time,” says Henn. “We find that these process control features are invaluable in ensuring customer acceptance of tools, instilling confidence
28 INJECTION WORLD | September 2021
grow dynamically and offers opportunities for development in multiple directions, according to Arburg. “On the one hand, this is because new materials continually enter the market and expand the areas of application,” says Martin Manka, Senior Sales Manager Medical. “While, on the other, we are also constantly seeing technical advances in mould technology and in processes that can be applied to medical technology, for example in micromechanics and microfluidics. The operative terms in this context are silicone processing, micro injection moulding or multi-component process- ing. The areas of healthcare, personal care and diagnostics are all showing significant growth. This includes smartwatches and other measuring devices that can be used to check and evaluate information such as pulse, calorie consumption, movement and sleeping patterns at any time. Other popular products are insulin pens for diabetics and filters for dialysis.” Manka adds that lab-on-a-chip technology, which
has revolutionised diagnostics, is also a dynamic development trend, which Arburg will show at Fakuma 2021 in October in Germany. It is increas- ingly replacing conventional laboratory diagnostics and also making it possible to realise more individu- al therapies. Furthermore, products are becoming increasingly complex, which requires new mould solutions, such as cube-mould technology. Another trend is the use of single type instead of
mixed materials. This also allows for an increased recycling rate. Considering the amount of plastic waste generated in hospitals, for example, and a current recycling rate of only around 10%, there is much more to be done to increase this percentage. In future, the increased use of bio-based, recycla- ble and biodegradable materials will be of help in this respect. In terms of new technical developments, traceabil-
ity and process reliability are particularly important in the field of medical technology. To meet the needs of this sector, Arburg offers a wide range of injection moulding technologies, from standard solutions and high-speed, high-performance machines to All- rounders in stainless steel and tailor-made turnkey systems and cleanroom solutions. Machines docked to the cleanroom provide significant energy efficien- cy advantages; because of the reduced cleanroom volume, considerably less energy is required for cyclic air exchange. The trend towards more individual therapies
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IMAGE: ARBURG
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