Reliable quality with low unit costs

Mit der Medical Konferenz setzte ENGEL gemeinsam mit seinen Partnern den Startpunkt für eine ganze Reihe von Fachtagungen im Iran. Das große Interesse der iranischen Spritzgießverarbeiter an europäischer Technologie spiegelte sich in der hohen Teilnehmerzahl, der Qualität der Diskussionsbeiträge und der zum Teil schon sehr konkreten Projektanfragen wider. (Bild: Varzidehkar) / The medical conference marks the beginning of a whole series of specialist events being held by ENGEL together with its partners in Iran. The great interest that Iranian injection moulding processors have for European technology was reflected in the high number of participants, the quality of their contributions to the discussions and some very concrete project inquiries. (Image: Varzidehkar)

ENGEL hat seine vollelektrischen ENGEL e-motion Spritzgießmaschinen auch im hohen Schließkraftbereich konsequent für Hochleistungsanwendungen im Reinraum weiterentwickelt. Auf ENGEL e motion Maschinen werden zum Beispiel Nadelhalter für Insulinpens gefertigt. (Bild: ENGEL) / ENGEL has consistently developed its all-electric ENGEL e-motion injection moulding machines for high-performance cleanroom applications even in the high clamping force range. For example, needle holders for insulin pens are produced on an ENGEL e-motion machine. (Picture: ENGEL)

More than 50 plastics processors gathered in Tehran in mid-February to learn about innovative manufacturing concepts, process technologies and strategies for reliable and at the same time economical cleanroom fabrication of medical technologies products. Together with its sales partner in Iran, Varzidehkar Co., and other suppliers, ENGEL AUSTRIA hosted the conference at the Azadi-Parsian Hotel.

"We are very satisfied with the event," emphasises Christian Reisinger, Sales Director Middle East/Central Asia at ENGEL AUSTRIA. "Many local processors took advantage of the opportunity to gather information and establish contacts, and they also brought some very concrete project ideas with them. The need to catch up is very tangible in Iran. The medical technologies manufacturers are expanding their capacities and new businesses are being founded." Beyond that, the rapid population growth and fundamentally good basic medical care system are also contributing to the dynamic development in this industry. "The market has a strong focus on quality, and therefore the interest in European technology is also quite high," says Reisinger.

Extensive industry expertise thanks to dedicated Business Unit

In Iran, ENGEL is seen as a technology leader and a preferred partner for long-term business relations. This good reputation results not only from the high quality of its products, but also from its strong local presence with numerous service technicians and the close cooperation between the local sales team and the Business Unit at the company headquarters in Austria. There a whole Business Unit is dedicated solely to the users in medical technology. "We deliver many injection moulding machines in a cleanroom design including automation and laminar flow technology. If desired, we also execute the entire GMP documentation for our customers," explains Gerhard Geierlehner, sales engineer at the ENGEL Medical Business Unit, while at the conference in Tehran. "That requires profound knowledge of the processes and industry, which is guaranteed due to our Business Unit structure." On the basis of its own cleanroom and a series of resulting machine concepts for cleanroom use, ENGEL has acquired many years of experience and extensive competence in the cleanroom sector. Besides injection moulding machines and robots, ENGEL also develops and produces its own GMP-conform peripheral equipment such as conveyor belts and distribution systems. "Good equipment is the foundation for stable processes, high-quality products and thus also outstanding competitiveness for our customers," says Geierlehner.

Cleanroom solutions for maximum performance

A demonstration of what this could look like in practice was presented by Christian Reisinger and Gerhard Geierlehner in Tehran using sample components and videos from several concrete applications.

- To achieve the shortest possible cycle times and low investment costs while ensuring the best possible safety levels, ENGEL relies on tie-bar-less injection moulding machines for the mass production of consumables. Thus an ENGEL victory 300 tech injection moulding machine is used for the production of petri dishes, each consisting of a top and bottom part. The 4+4-cavity mould is very large in relation to the required clamping force, yet can still be installed on a 3000 kN injection moulding machine thanks to the barrier-free mould area. Because there are no tie bars in the way, the mould mounting platens on ENGEL victory machines can be fully used up to their very edges. Thus in many applications, a smaller injection moulding machine can be used than the mould size would normally dictate. This substantially reduces investment expenses and operating costs, as well as the footprint of the production cell. There are also benefits in terms of automation. The handling equipment can access the cavities directly from the side without having to circumvent any obstacles, which helps to reduce cycle times.

- In response to the trend towards larger moulds and higher output, ENGEL has consistently developed its all-electric ENGEL e-motion injection moulding machines for high-performance cleanroom applications all the way up to the high clamping force range. Needle holders for insulin pens are for example produced with a highly automated manufacturing cell based on an ENGEL e-motion 440/160 T WP injection moulding machine with a 96-cavity mould. The application is hard to beat when it comes to process reliability. Despite the very delicate mould cores with a diameter of only 0.3 mm, extremely short cycle times well below 4 seconds are achieved. The electric injection unit is equipped with a direct drive. Highly dynamic injection movements and injection speeds of up to 500 mm/s are thereby attained. But if a problem with a manufactured part does arise, this is registered by the camera-based monitoring system. Thanks to cavity-specific handling, reject parts are automatically separated and the injection mould can carry on producing without deactivating the cavity.

- The production of drip chambers with an integrated filter for blood transfusions demonstrates the great efficiency potential achievable through process integration. The chambers – each consisting of a hard and a soft component – are injection moulded in a single work step on a tie-bar-less ENGEL e victory 160 combi injection moulding machine with an integrated ENGEL easix six-axis robot; the filter is mounted and joined by means of overmoulding with polypropylene. Four fit-for-purpose drip chambers leave the production cell every twelve seconds. This represents a significant increase in efficiency, because conventionally, the top and bottom parts were individually injection moulded and the inlay was then fitted and bonded in subsequent process steps. One key prerequisite in realising the one-shot process is servoelectric drive technology for all movements of the index plate mould; this facilitates the synchronous control of otherwise independent movements.

Further specialist conferences planned with a focus on packaging and automotive

The medical conference marks the beginning of series of events ENGEL AUSTRIA will be holding in Iran focussing on specialised applications. A specialist conference will take place every six months for one of the individual target industries. The next topics will be packaging and automotive.