Micro Moulding - 'Sovrin Claims Micro First'
Slough based plastic injection moulder, Sovrin
Plastics is investing £100,000 in micro-moulding technology
, placing the first UK order for a Battenfeld Micro System moulder.
The Sovrin MicroSystem machine will be delivered in mid-October,will
incorporate automatic handling and vision inspection systems. It
is only the 10th sold by Battenfeld world-wide since its launch
at K'98.
Sovrin Plastics will be using the machine to produce
parts for use in devices for micro keyhole surgery. "These
medical parts are getting smaller because the smaller the incision
the faster the wound heals," said Sovrin Plastics managing
director Peter Joiner.
"Existing Technology will just not be good
enough in the future." Typical parts to be produced on the
micro moulder will weigh between 0.002g and 0.003g and will be moulded
on two and four cavity tooling in Vectra LCP and other high performance
engineering resins. He would not however reveal the identity of
the customer or the precise application of the products.
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UK First: Sovrin's Battenfeld MicroSystem
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Joiner acknowledged that £100'000 sounded
an "extraordinary figure" for a five-tonne moulding machine
with a one -gram shot, but is certain that the Battenfeld Micro
moulding approach is the correct route to follow.
"We have been investigating micro moulding
for some time. The MicroSystem is the only machine specifically
built for micro moulding from the ground up," he said. A particular
attraction of the Micro System is its screw and plunger mechanism,
which allows parts to be produced on much smaller shot weights than
traditional reciprocating screw systems, according to Joiner.
The £8M turnover moulder will be installing
the MicroSystem in one of its Class 10'000 cleanrooms although moulding
will be carried out within the unit's own Class 1000 Environment.
Sovrin Plastics is a full service injection moulder serving the
medical, pharmaceutical and general moulding industries. The company
employs 135 people and operates 47 moulding machines ranging up
to 250 tonnes and five cleanrooms.
Written
by Chris Smith - 07.08.2000
