Plastics play an important role here thanks to their many advantageous properties. The challenge: the strict regulations do not always make it easy for manufacturers.

With such strict regulatory requirements on the manufacture, testing and approval of medical products, there are many nuts to crack in medical technology. Plastics play an important role here thanks to their many advantageous properties: they are readily sterilizable, moldable and durable. The wide range of applications goes beyond syringes, sterile packaging or catheters. They extend from nanoparticles of polymers such as polystyrene or polyethylene, which are used as excipients for pharmaceuticals and as contrast agents in medical imaging, to very large applications, such as housing parts for MRT systems.

In our Medical Special in this edition, we report, for example, on cleanroom production with injection molding machines and presses, printed bone implants, prefilled syringes, and the micro injection of precision components with ultrafine structures. The manufacturers are now promising repeatable manufacture of components with a weight of 0.0006 g.

It all sounds a little like magic to me. Though, quite honestly, I’m glad that the times are over when medics plied their trade with leeches, incense and dowsing rods. If you are interested in a glimpse of a less remote past, you can find 270 mostly exclusive articles on the subject of medical technology in our Kunststoffe international archive. With a digital test subscription, you can take a look behind the paywall.

16:9

Editorial Susanne

Schröder, Susanne

The future of mobility demands innovative and, preferably, lightweight materials. And for Dresden-based Herone, thermoplastic fiber composite profiles hold the key to success. The team initially developed the concept as part of a research project. Now, the start-up boasts its own production facility – here is more on this promising young company.

The future of mobility demands innovative and, preferably, lightweight materials. For Herone, thermoplastic fiber composite profiles hold the key to success.

Herone develops and manufactures resource-efficient variations of composite profiles with tailor-made properties to meet the highest demands in aerospace. What sets them apart is their exclusive focus on thermoplastic fiber composite materials, unlike conventional fiber composite profiles. Kunststoffe had the chance to talk with founder Christian Garthaus as part of our “New Plastic Heroes” series on start-ups.

Kunststoffe: How did the idea come to you?

Christian Garthaus: Key to this concept is the automated processing of thermoplastic tapes via braiding and subsequent consolidation in an internal pressure-based pressing process. The process originated from an aerospace research project at the Technical University of Dresden, when a team was tasked with developing lightweight hydraulic lines for aerospace. But since the lines in different aircraft are all uniquely curved, we developed a process for thermoplastic composite profiles that were individually reshapable down the line into specific forms.

Kunststoffe: What advantages does this offer?

Garthaus: Integrating additional features directly into the manufacturing process and utilizing efficient, automated, and scalable production is how we unlock cost and weight advantages for our customers. Ultimately, this improves the balance between performance and cost.

Kunststoffe: What have the greatest successes been so far?

Garthaus: For us, one crucial milestone was developing and commissioning our pilot production facility, coupled with the successful certification of our EN/AS 9100 quality management system in line with aviation standards.

Garthaus: Our primary industry focus is on aerospace. That said, being listed as a supplier in this sector meant completing numerous certifications that met the highest quality standards. Our technology is so unique that it precluded the use of standard machines and meant developing the costliest of custom options instead.

Kunststoffe: What is the most unique aspect of your technology?

Garthaus: We can automatically manufacture customized products where functionality is directly integrated into the component during the manufacturing process. To do this, we leverage the “thermoplastic advantage” to tailor the functionality of our composite profiles to what our customers specifically require.

Kunststoffe: Can you break that down in more detail?

Garthaus: Let’s take the example of a pipe: Here, we replace the metallic connection element with one made of the same thermoplastic material as the matrix material of the composite pipe. We then combine both components into a single part. Doing so, we can make the pipe lighter and more robust, while simultaneously reducing the number of required process steps and saving costs.

Kunststoffe: For which industries do you think products manufactured like this could appeal?

Garthaus: Our technology is a cross-industry platform, usable for functionalized profiles across various sectors. With our focus on high-performance plastics, like polyetheretherketone, our profiles are ideal for applications with the highest demands in terms of mechanical properties, temperature resistance, and chemical resistance, like automotive or medical technology.

Kunststoffe: Where does your technology meet its limits?

Garthaus: Our clear focus is on producing hollow and functional profiles made from high-performance thermoplastics. For simple carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) profiles which don‘t need such functionality, highly efficient methods like pultrusion can be used. The limits of our current pilot plant are profiles up to 2 meters long and 100 millimeters in diameter.

Kunststoffe: Which industries are driving today‘s developments in lightweight construction? Is it still aviation and carmaking?

Garthaus: Long-term, sustainability is becoming an increasingly relevant principle as regards resource deployment. The aviation industry faces enormous challenges in achieving climate-neutral flying. Lightweight construction is one of the key technologies to make this possible. Moreover, political regulations are demanding innovations concerning recyclability and the impact of products and their production processes to an ever-greater extent.

Kunststoffe: Where do you currently see the greatest challenges for lightweight construction?

Garthaus: Turning the more sustainable solution into the most economical solution.

Kunststoffe: And finally: where do you see Herone or your technology five years from now?

Garthaus: In the next few years, we want to get our components ”airborne and flying.“ Specifically, this means transitioning our development projects into ongoing serial production and producing aviation components in bulk. Alongside that, we aim to create the first series of components for industries outside aviation, like sports and leisure, looking to combine performance and sustainability.

The founding team, from left to right: Daniel Barfuss, Alexander Rohkamm, Dr. Christian Garthaus.

Hauptartikel - Start UP Heros

Herone: Lghtweight Start-Up Puts Sustainability Sirst

<ul><li>Name: Herone GmbH</li><li>Founded: 2018 in Dresden, Germany</li><li>Number of employees: 12</li><li>Total customers: 20</li><li>Homepage: <a href="http://www.herone.de/" target="_blank">www.herone.de</a></li></ul>

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/interview/leichter-abheben-aber-bitte-nachhaltig-3531060" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>

Leichtbau

Start up

Wirtschaft

Unternehmen und Unternehmer

Ehrhardt, Melanie

The Thermoforming Market:  a Digital Sandbox

Sibling rivalry is legendary: many can barely share the same room. Lisa-Marie and Moritz Bittner, on the other hand, even started a company together. With Formary, their aim is to reinvent the market for thermoformed plastic parts. We take a closer look at this family start-up.

Formary the start-up, as siblings Lisa-Marie and Moritz Bittner aim to turn the market for thermoformed plastic parts upside down. We take a closer look.

Five years ago, siblings Lisa-Marie and Moritz Bittner took over the family business (Bittner GmbH). And in the process, it soon became clear that the approach to procuring deep-drawn parts was outdated and holding the company back. This then spawned the idea to found Formary. In an interview with Kunststoffe, the founding team discusses the highs and lows of founding the business as brother and sister, as well as the early gains and hurdles along the way for the young start-up.

Kunststoffe: What does your elevator pitch sound like?

Lisa-Marie Bittner: Formary is a platform allowing digital procurement of plastic thermoformed parts. Customers can use our online configurator to configure and request individual thermoformed part within 60 seconds. Right now, we are able to send out quotes within 24 hours.

Kunststoffe: Which pain points are you solving with this?

Moritz Bittner: Nowadays, for example, ever-shorter development phases, product life cycles and trends mean hardware start-ups and buyers at SMEs expect short lead times. Conversely, the market is also opaque. Many questions arise. Where best to buy the product I want? What should I focus on during development? What are my options and how do they affect price and delivery time? All of which leads to time-consuming searches until the right supplier is sourced. And once this is found, a manual follow-up is often required, involving time-consuming responses and quotes.

Kunststoffe: How exactly can Formary help with that?

Moritz Bittner: What we do is auto-assign an appropriate manufacturer from the network in response to each inquiry. As well as saving customers’ time, it also keeps the quotes competitive and guarantees available production capacity.

Kunststoffe: What else does Formary bring to the table, other than ease of procurement?

Lisa-Marie Bittner: Our platform assists manufacturers in maximizing their machine efficiency, particularly when faced with fluctuating demand. We provide our network of suppliers with a supplementary, no-cost avenue for sales. For our partners, that eliminates the need to invest additional resources in online sales and marketing channels, but still lets them reach all-new customer groups who prefer to search for suppliers online. At the same time, we maintain close collaboration with each partner. We discuss their core competencies in terms of production volumes and products while also getting to know their machinery, expertise, and processing capabilities.

Kunststoffe: Why do you target thermoforming companies?

Moritz Bittner: The market is perfectly placed to leverage all the advantages of a platform model. Numerous specialized manufacturers cater to a diverse customer base. At the same time, the thermoforming market is smaller and more niche than, for instance, that for injection molding.

Kunststoffe: You’re siblings: did that have any pluses when setting up the company?

Lisa-Marie Bittner: Complete trust in the co-founder, which is crucial. We know each other very well, which gives us confidence that we have someone on board who won‘t easily throw in the towel when things get challenging. Right from the start, we were aware that our founder team could complement each other quite well.

Kunststoffe: Are there any disadvantages?

Moritz Bittner: Well the underlying reasons are quite similar: We know each other inside out having been together for such a long time. As we all know, siblings know how to push each other‘s buttons. It‘s crucial to develop strategies early on to address the emotional and familial aspects constructively. This also involves establishing clear boundaries in the business relationship.

Kunststoffe: Up to now, what has been the biggest Formary success?

Moritz Bittner: For instance, reaching the milestone of 50 inquiries per month for the first time at the end of last year. Also, the incredibly positive response we got at our first trade show, the KPA in Ulm, Germany, had the whole team on cloud nine. Before that, we had mostly interacted online with many participants in our industry.

Kunststoffe: Were there also setbacks too?

Lis-Marie Bittner: When developing a digital product, setbacks are part of the daily routine. Last year, recruiting for the sales department was particularly challenging. Finding suitable candidates was harder than we thought and took longer than expected.

Kunststoffe: You currently have a test product on the market: How has the response been so far?

Moritz Bittner: More positive than anticipated – from both customer and supplier perspectives. Within just a few weeks, some suppliers approached us, eager to become part of our production network, without us having to go out of our way to promote it.

Kunststoffe: What will the next steps be?

Lisa-Marie Bittner: Now that we have a tried and tested model, the next steps include implementing AI to calculate pricing. We also want to build a customer portal on our website. With this, users will be able to handle all inquiries and orders digitally and view the current status of projects.

Lisa-Marie and Moritz Bittner founded the “Family Start-up” in 2021. 

Start-up KU 2023-05 - me

Formary: the Thermoforming Market As a Digital Sandbox

<ul><li>Name: Formary GmbH</li><li>Founded: 2021 in Backnang, Germany</li><li>Number of employees: 25</li><li>Total customers: almost 20 at the time of the interview</li></ul>

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/interview/der-tiefziehmarkt-als-digitale-spielwies-3590696" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>

Tiefziehwerkzeug

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Tiefziehwerkzeuge

Maschinen für die spanlose Fertigung

Werkzeuge

Tiefziehen

Verfahren für die spanlose Fertigung

The knowledge platform PVC eSolution includes a PVC encyclopedia, digitally prepared specialized books, and a news section. Regular updates mean users keep up with the latest developments.

Interview with volume editor and author Dr. Michael Schiller: What makes the knowledge platform PVC eSolution so special.

Polyvinyl chloride, PVC for short, is the third most common plastic in terms of volume produced after polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Particularly well-known applications are window profiles and flooring. And it is one of the few plastics for which a closed recycling loop has already been established, namely for the aforementioned widow profiles.

Production, addition of additives, and processing of the polymer are complex. That is why <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/news/hanser-launches-english-language-pvc-eso-3511634">Carl Hanser Verlag (Hanser Publishers) has launched</a> an online platform on this widely used plastic. This bundles PVC expertise, links it together, and makes it easier to search for specific topics.

Kunststoffe international: Dr. Schiller, how did the idea for the PVC eSolution come about?

Dr. Michael Schiller: Out of laziness. I need information about PVC on a daily basis. You can find a lot on the Internet – but you have to search for hours. That’s why I started to write down keywords. At some point it was so extensive that I had the idea of making an encyclopedia out of it.

Kunststoffe international: Given the volume, that sounds like a Sisyphean task.

Schiller: I looked for a partner. Dr. Gerhard Zuschnig, who worked for a long time in various managerial positions at Chemson Polymer-Additive AG, supported me as an author. He concentrated on the area of substances, I around the keywords A–Z – including the links.

Kunststoffe international: Who will use your database?

Schiller: Everyone who works in the PVC industry will find the information they need on a daily basis. This includes PVC manufacturers and processors, and producers of additives as well as PVC products. Whether experienced in the industry or new to it, the platform covers terms, materials, processes, equipment, test methods, and suppliers, including a library of reference books and articles on PVC.

Kunststoffe international: Let’s assume I’m a newcomer to PVC pipes. What can I specifically find on the subject?

Schiller: Answers to the questions: What is PVC? What types of pipes are there? Which additives are needed? In addition, all terms such as chalk and lubricants are explained. You will find a lot of information about the individual additives. You will also need mixing equipment and an extruder. We explain what a screw is, a barrel, a die, a calibration or a haul-off. We also go into the properties of pipes: e.g. the color, the shrinkage, the gloss... The methods for testing are explained in principle.

Kunststoffe international: Are guidelines or standards also included?

Schiller: Yes, we follow the standards of ASTM International. Especially in this area with new regulations, it is important to always be up to date, which is why we provide semi-annual updates.

Kunststoffe international: How does the technology work?

Schiller: The PVC eSolution runs browser-based, no software installation is necessary. The navigation is self-explanatory. As a rule, everything runs via the search function, similar to Wikipedia or Google.

Kunststoffe international: Good keyword: What do you know that Google doesn’t?

Schiller: When I search the Internet, I usually get just too much information. The topic of PVC is very complex. Our content is curated by experts. In addition, with input from reference books, we also have a lot of exclusive content.

Kunststoffe international: How do you keep your search results from becoming “too much”?

Schiller: You get search suggestions after entering just a few letters. And the hit list is intelligently sorted based on relevance. In addition, the search works very quickly.

Kunststoffe international: You offer a notes function. What is behind it?

Schiller: Users can add notes or comments in different colors. These can be stored in the private area – but with multi-user licenses, collaborative work in a team is also possible by sharing the comments.

Dr. Michael Schiller has been working in the PVC industry since 1992.

Hauptartikel

E-Learning: Concentrated PVC Expertise

Under the Hanser eSolutions brand, Hanser Verlag develops digital solutions that combine high-quality content with intelligent software tools.

The PVC eSolution can be tested for four weeks free of charge: <a href="https://hanser-esolutions.de/pvc" target="_blank">PVC-eSolution.com</a>

Dr. Michael Schiller is the founder and owner of HMS Concept e.U., a consulting company for chemical, environmental, and plastics technology, and has been working in the PVC industry since 1992. He is also known as an author, volume editor, and lecturer in the field of PVC.

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/interview/geballtes-pvc-fachwissen-3590701" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>

Polyvinylchlorid

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Intensifies Innovations towards  a Green Future

Under the theme „A Brighter and Shared Future, Powered by Innovation“, Chinaplas 2023 was held from April 17–20, 2023. The event gathered over 3900 international exhibitors to showcase innovative solutions in plastics and rubber.

The Cinaplas 2023 gathered over 3900 international exhibitors to showcase innovative solutions in plastics and rubber.

Since 1983, accompanying the growth of China’s plastics and rubber industries for 40 years, Chinaplas has grown to become one of the world’s leading plastics and rubber fairs. This year, more than 1500 materials suppliers and 3000 machinery suppliers were exhibited in a total of 18 exhibition halls, supporting smart, efficient, cost-effective, and low-carbon manufacturing.

In 2022, the sales of new energy vehicles in China have increased 93.4 %. The demand of e-commerce logistics packaging, prefabricated vegetable packaging, and innovative medical devices is growing rapidly. To meet these market demands, the exhibition showcased a full range of innovative solutions, including over 200 world/Asian debut technologies.

Turnkey System for  Large Scale Production

“The Chinese market is the largest injection molding market in Asia. The demand for high-end solutions is growing very rapidly and we can offer excellent, market-driven solutions with our know-how,“ said Zhao Tong, Managing Director of Arburg China. “In particular, we are focusing on turnkey applications with post-injection assembly for the large-scale production needs of our customers in the medical, mobility, and electronics sectors.“ This is complemented by digital management and important individual services and training. Most of the automation components and tools are sourced from Asian suppliers and are assembled and tested at Arburg Technology Factory in Pinghu, China.

The highlights of the trade fair presentation were the ”100 years of the Hehl family company“ anniversary and the new Allrounder 470 H, which Arburg launched to mark the occasion. At Chinaplas, the anniversary machine Allrounder 470 H Comfort produced adapters for the medical market from PC (polycarbonate) in a three-platen mold with 2+2 cavities. The cycle time was 25 seconds. The entire turnkey system, which also features integrated camera inspection and a sample part drawer for quality assurance purposes, was designed, built, and commissioned at the Pinghu factory.

“We even celebrated two premieres with this exhibit: that of the milestone machine and that of the Flexlift robotic system, which was specially developed for the Asian market and is only available there. The Allrounder 470 H milestone machine is available in Comfort and Premium versions”, said Zhao Tong

As demands for productivity and energy efficiency continue to rise, integrated system solutions to support cost-effective injection molding are rapidly gaining in importance. Engel demonstrated how combining the ideal machine with intelligent digitalization can maximize overall efficiency. Also at Chinaplas, the new iQ hold control assistance system made its Asian debut.

The injection molding machine manufacturer showed an automated production cell. An Engel Viper robot removed parts from the mold and placed them on the conveyor belt. For this exhibit, Engel teamed up with a local mold-manufacturing partner: Skymold, located in Ningbo City, China. Working with local partners ensures a high degree of cost efficiency, even for sophisticated and innovative technologies, while shortening delivery times for the system as a whole. The Duo machines are also produced locally for the Asian markets. The factory for large machines is located in Shanghai.

In Shenzhen, Engel presented two applications on Engel e-mac all-electric injection molding machines to demonstrate how productivity gains can be achieved in a highly cost-effective manner. In both examples, the space and energy requirements of the production cell remain low as mold cavities are scaled up.

Profitable Blown Film Extrusion with Lowest-Priced Recyclates

Legislation and global brand owners are increasingly demanding the use of recycled material in packaging films. A major problem is sourcing recyclate of good quality, in sufficient quantity and at an economical price.

As a result, film producers‘ profit margins are being squeezed. Reifenhäuser Blown Film presented its EVO Fusion technology as the answer to one of the biggest challenges facing film producers. EVO Fusion enables blown film producers to become independent of expensive recyclates and instead use readily available, low-cost film waste and even printed laminates directly as raw material. The process is based on direct extrusion, eliminating the need for expensive thermal recycling processes. This means that fluff and all types of production waste and PCR material can be directly processed if desired. Direct extrusion is made possible by a twin-screw extruder, which homogenizes the melt and ensures a stable process. In addition, processors can easily and effectively degas the system to remove unwanted components from the recyclate.

Eugen Friedel, Director Sales at Reifenhäuser Blown Film, said, “The market for sustainable manufacturing technologies and recyclable plastic products is increasingly growing in China. Against the background of today‘s recyclate availability, EVO Fusion delivers an immediately applicable and, above all, economical solution.“

In addition to the Reifenhäuser business units, Kdesign – a supplier of controlled air rings – was represented at the Reifenhäuser joint booth for the first time this year. Kdesign has been part of the Reifenhäuser Group since the beginning of 2021 and will demonstrate how blown film lines with Kdesign components achieve higher output, better film quality, and less production waste.

“Participating at Chinaplas 2023 is a great opportunity for us to showcase our technology to blown film line manufacturers and film producers from China and throughout Asia. The ever-increasing demands for performance and quality in these markets will continue to drive demand for Kdesign‘s market-leading blown film technology,“ said Daniel Lamers, Head of Operations at Kdesign.

Domo Chemicals presented a number of key highlights, including two new sustainable solutions that further expand Domo‘s Technyl 4Earth portfolio. The first was the company‘s flagship hydrolysis-resistant grade for refrigerant applications called Technyl 4Earth A1E 218 V30 BK 34NG LP, which offers a sustainable and high-performance alternative to Technyl A 218 V30 BK 34NG. The second was the new generation of Technyl 4Earth HFFR (Halogen Free Flame Retardant), a unique range of recycled-based solutions for the E&E market, available in both gray and white. These flame retardant polyamides are made from recycled raw materials, resulting in lower CO2 emissions compared to virgin alternatives. These new solutions represent a breakthrough for automotive and E&E applications.

Another major focus were polyamide solutions for the photovoltaic industry. For example, Domo successfully introduced Technyl Protect A 21T4 V25 BK to the Chinese market, a red phosphorus-based HFFR product that offers a balance of flame retardant, electrical, and mechanical properties.

Fabrizio Cochi, General Manager Asia, expressed his excitement about the team’s achievements: “In the year of Technyl in China, our entire team is committed to positioning Technyl as a global brand with unparalleled performance attributes. We are strengthening our sustainable development capabilities in China with recent enhancements to the Technyl global network and our long-term investment plan to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to Chinese customers.”

Asia Pacific dominated the global rigid packaging market in 2022, with a 39 % share of market revenue, driven by population growth and increasing environmental awareness. Market demand has continued to grow robustly in NEA and SEA countries; in China, the rigid packaging market was valued at USD 16 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach more than USD 56 billion by 2030, representing a CAGR of 4.7 % from 2023 to 2030. This strong momentum is made possible by rising concerns about food safety and the booming e-commerce sector, which is driving rapidly growing orders for food and beverage delivery. All of these factors are translating into surging market demand for rigid packaging that excels in lightweighting, durability, reusability, and aesthetics, while packaging manufacturers seek to improve production profitability and meet evolving sustainability goals.

To respond to these trends, OQ presented its rigid packaging solutions at Chinaplas, focusing on Luban HP2151T. Designed for thin-wall packaging, the highlighted grade‘s higher flowability (60 MI), faster cooling, and lower warpage can help packaging manufacturers reduce cycle time by up to 5 % for improved productivity. It can also deliver up to 15 % energy savings and up to 8 % CO2 reduction potential during molding for improved sustainability. Together with optimized properties such as increased stiffness, they contribute to thinner-walled packaging for lighter weight and up to 25 % less haze for aesthetic appearance.

OQ‘s other preferred rigid packaging solutions showcased at the Shenzhen show included homopolymer Luban HP1151K, impact copolymer Luban EP 2348R, random copolymer Luban RP 7204G and LLDPE Luban DNDA-8320, with notable advantages such as easy processing, good impact resistance, and impact stiffness balance. All of them have been developed and tested for various application scenarios in food and beverage packaging, household goods, and personal and home care containers.

Opening ceremony of Chinaplas 2023: the technologies exhibited included swinging robotic arms, automated manufacturing lines, bioplastics, recycled products, and green “smar“technologies among others.

The new Allrounder 470 H saves energy, conserves resources, is production-efficient, user-friendly and reliable.

The new iQ hold control assistance system determines the optimum holding pressure time and thus ensures greater efficiency both during makeready and in ongoing production. 

Kdesign‘s controlled air rings for blown film lines set performance benchmarks in terms of output and film quality.

Rigid packaging excels in lightweighting, extended durability and reusability.

Chinaplas - Haupttext

Review: Highlights from Chinaplas 2023

Messe Chinaplas

kunststoffe-international.com

Many pharmaceutical and medical products have to be produced in a clean environment where very few particles are present. The greater the hygiene requirements, the more a human represents a potential contaminator. Remedial measures can be offered by any partial or full automation of manual tasks, right up to unmanned production. Automation also ensures greater process reliability while simplifying documentation requirements.

Presses in the cleanroom: 5 reasons for automation. Wickert manufactures customer-specific equipment for pharmaceutical and medical-technical products.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated increase in vaccine production capacities have led to a booming demand for automation solutions over the past few years. This has been part of a long-term trend, observes Steve Büchner, Sales and Project Manager at the press manufacturer Wickert. “Strong incentives are arising from the continually rising labor costs and the growing demand for greater process reliability.”

At Wickert, based in Landau in Germany’s Palatinate region, he is witnessing these changes firsthand. The medium-sized, family-owned business develops and manufactures complex, fully automated production systems centered around hydraulic presses and has a long history going back more than 120 years.

The presses are used to process elastomers, composites, and other plastics into parts for pharmaceutical and medical applications. These include, for instance, dental grinders for use in dental practices and plugs for implants used in joints. Other areas of application include hydrophobic PFTE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membranes for medical and chemical technology as well as – in the field of electromobility – membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for fuel cell production.

For many decades, producers from the pharmaceutical and medical industries have been among Wickert’s regular customers. In most cases, they order systems for production in custom-defined cleanrooms and for production in clean and ultra-clean rooms up to Class 6 in accordance with ISO 14644.

The cleanliness of the medication and materials from their production can be vital for the end user. Comprehensive automation ensures the cleanliness and quality of the products. It can also increase throughput and productivity on existing floor space. “Our experience in building and automating press-centered production lines in cleanrooms puts us at the forefront of technology worldwide among a very small group of machine builders serving this demanding segment,” says Büchner, describing the Landau-based company’s international market position.

Wickert invests a considerable amount of time and effort in defending this leading position. All causes of contamination must be factored in during plant construction, and their effect must be minimized. “Among the most important activities are the design of surfaces, the airflow to remove particles, and the use of special auxiliary materials,” Steve Büchner explains.

Five Reasons for Automation  in a Cleanroom

Because humans are among the most significant causes of contamination, efforts are being made to reduce this influencing factor by automating work processes. With success: About half of all orders Wickert receives involve at least partial automation. According to Büchner, in addition to removing humans as a “source of contamination”, there are four other reasons for automation: increasing labor costs, improved ergonomics for the remaining manual work, greater process reliability, and the complete documentation of process parameters.

The degree of automation that is appropriate in each individual case depends on various factors. Consideration is always given to custom requirements and previous experiences. “Where it makes sense, we can offer the full range of automation right up to unmanned production”, Büchner explains. This includes, for example, the integration of collaborative robotics and handling solutions. Among other things, this enables the application of release agents, the cutting and feeding of blanks, and the loading and unloading of presses.

Automation Simplifies Documentation of Production Data

In addition, with the appropriate equipment it is possible to monitor process steps. Cleanroom presses can be equipped with a wide range of monitoring modules for this purpose. To this end, the systems are fitted with sensors that acquire data such as temperature, pressure, time, speeds, and vacuum. This data is then continuously monitored by the machine control system. This also means that documentation requirements can be met that apply to customers in the pharmaceutical, medical technology, and aerospace industries.

Automated solutions are also in demand for medical applications outside the cleanroom. One example Büchner cites is the production of highly insulating vacuum insulation panels (VIP) made from compressed fumed silica on custom-configured powder presses. These are used as a compact insulating material, for example, to insulate shipping boxes for transporting temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, organs, tissue, vaccines, and blood supplies. In contrast to other insulating materials, significantly longer cooling in the desired temperature range is achieved as a result.

“For VIP production, we usually supply complete, fully automated production lines with peripherals as well as the appropriate special tooling”, says the sales and project manager.

Fully Automated Production with Interlinked Presses in the Cleanroom

In the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the Landau-based company has not yet installed any unmanned cleanroom production systems consisting of several interlinked press systems, but Büchner is keen to point out that these can be implemented without problem on request. At present, such Wickert systems are used for the series production of bipolar plates.

The core components are very precise and dynamically operating presses with heating plates that ensure extremely homogeneous temperature control. In addition, the key factors for success are the comprehensive cleanroom expertise from pharmaceutical and medical applications and the expertise from plant automation.

All Presses Are Customer-Specific Productions

“We design, manufacture, and automate all presses on a customer-specific basis using base modules. This way, we are able to offer individual machines with pressing forces between 20 and 100,000 kN, always in high quality, with long-lasting precision and at competitive prices and delivery times,” Büchner explains. Numerous parameters such as the hot platen sizes, installation heights, piston stroke, and degree of automation can be individually defined in accordance with the job-specific requirements.

In addition to single customized machines, Wickert offers all-round process and system solutions including turnkey projects. Here, the Landau-based company acts as a general contractor and supplies compact complete systems from a single source. With the offer of modernization and automation of existing plants, they also attend to customers who want to give their proven machines used at the existing site a boost in terms of modernization, automation, and productivity.

Everything clean:  According to information from the company, Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH is one of the leading suppliers of cleanroom and pharmaceutical presses.

Vacuum insulation panels made of compressed fumed silica are produced on fully automated Wickert custom powder presses.

Wickert offers customized automation solutions, here a complex press automation system outside the cleanroom for producing floor coverings.

Steve Büchner, Sales and Project Manager at Wickert: “Where it makes sense, we can offer the full range of automation right up to unmanned production.”

Hauptartikel Wickert

Wickert Presses: 5 Reasons for Automation

F. Stephan Auch is a freelance technical journalist.

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/fachartikel/fuenf-gruende-fuer-eine-automatisierung-4696371" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>

Reinraumtechnik

Betriebsausrüstung / Betriebsmittel

Medizintechnik (KU)

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Pressen, hydraulisch

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Pressen von Kunststoffen

Bone Implants Straight from  the Hospital’s Printer

As part of the CAMed project being conducted by the Medical University of Graz, researchers are working on manufacturing custom implants in the hospital itself. This will benefit patients, but also has implications for the hospital because it will thereby become a medical device manufacturer. A key role in the first pilot study is being played by the Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) process.

Researchers on the CAMed project being conducted by the Medical University of Graz are working on producing custom implants in the hospital using 3D printers.

Artificial implants for humans are generally deemed to be safe, given that they undergo thorough compliance testing under the strict regulations governing the approval of medical products. Nevertheless, problems can arise, whether it is because even the latest products still show deficiencies in service or whether it is because, say, degradation mechanisms only start manifesting themselves after decades, when an implant has to be replaced. Otherwise, the functional supports often remain in in the body until the patient dies.

The greatest shortcoming, however, is that implants are often not customized for to individual patients. One solution to this that has already been tested and has proved useful in numerous studies is the additive manufacturing of exogenous replacement parts. The digital process chain, in particular, affords a way of taking the quality of therapy here to a new level, because the diagnostic imaging procedures employed at the outset can be used to derive the data needed for the patient’s custom implant. If this approach is taken to its logical conclusion, the question arises: Would it not make sense to manufacture these implants in the hospital itself?

This is what the Medical University of Graz, Austria, has set out to achieve in a project it calls Clinical Additive Manufacturing for Medical Applications or CAMed, for short. Aimed at getting 3D printing of custom implants for patients up and running in hospitals, the project, which is a collaboration between five scientific institutions and 15 companies, is being funded to a total value of EUR 6 million by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the Austrian state of Styria and is set to end this year after a four-year term. Prof. Ute Schäfer (Fig. 1), the lead scientist on the project, puts it in a nutshell: “We want to take additive manufacturing techniques and materials, adapt them to human medicine and then print the implants ourselves, because so far the solutions provided by medical device suppliers have been less than optimal.”

Speaking to Kunststoffe, Schäfer cites rib implants as their most important strategic project. The reason is that up to now, if ribs have to be removed from a patient due to, say, a tumor growing into them, the affected bones have to be replaced by flexible metal bands. During the operation, these bands are molded to fit the patient’s rib cage and are attached to the remaining costal processes. However, because the parts are flexible, patients often return years later with their implants completely bent out of shape (Fig. 2). “Sometimes all it takes is for the patient to lay awkwardly, cough hard or be hit by a ball and the metal becomes deformed in the body,” Schäfer says. “So, we conducted a basic modelling project for the rib cage to define properties for printing ribs of the necessary stiffness and exact fit that could be used by the surgeon in the operating theater without the need for further adjustments and without any further risk of deformation.”

In order that a holistic R&D model of ribs and thorax could be developed, it was necessary to obtain some body donations, i.e. cadavers cleared for medical research. The cadavers were used, for example, for measuring the stiffness of the rib cage or the pressure exerted by the lungs during breathing and coughing. The resulting data were then transformed into a simulation, e.g. of a resuscitation, which mapped the stresses in the ribs and rib cartilage (Fig. 3). For the production of the first models, the researchers specified materials that were suitable both from anatomical and 3D printing aspects: thus, the plastic ribs (Title figure), like real bone, have hard and soft areas, which were printed together in a single process.