Together with its sales partner in China, Varzidehkar Co, and other suppliers, Engel Austria organized a medical conference in mid-February.
“We are very satisfied with the event,” emphasized Christian Reisinger, Sales Director Middle East/Central Asia at Engel. “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 I-r-a-n. 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, he added, “The market has a strong focus on quality, and therefore the interest in European technology is also quite high.”
Using sample components and videos from several concrete applications, Engel illustrated how its cleanroom solutions operate.
To achieve shorter cycle times, low investment costs and high level of safety, Engel suggested its tie-bar-less injection molding machines for the mass production of consumables.
For example, an Engel victory 300 tech injection molding machine is used for the production of petri dishes, each consisting of a top and bottom part. The 4+4-cavity mold is very large in relation to the required clamping force, yet can still be installed on a 3,000kN injection molding machine thanks to the barrier-free mold area.
In response to the trend towards larger molds and higher output, the company has developed its all-electric e-motion injection molding machines to provide higher clamping force.
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 molding machine with a 96-cavity mold.
Despite the very delicate mold cores with a diameter of only 0.3mm, short cycle times well below 4s are achieved. The electric injection unit is equipped with a direct drive. Highly dynamic injection movements and injection speeds of up to 500mm/s are thereby attained.
The production of drip chambers with an integrated filter for blood transfusions demonstrates the efficiency potential achievable through process integration. The chambers – each consisting of a hard and a soft component – are injection molded in a single work step on a tie-bar-less Engel e victory 160 combi injection molding machine with an integrated Engel easix six-axis robot; the filter is mounted and joined by means of overmolding with polypropylene (PP).
Four fit-for-purpose drip chambers leave the production cell every 12s. This represents a significant increase in efficiency, because conventionally, the top and bottom parts were individually injection molded and the inlay was then fitted and bonded in subsequent process steps, explained Engel.
The Austrian machinery supplier added that it will continue to hold specialist conferences every six months in I-r-a-n. The next topics will be packaging and automotive.
