Redefining clean, energy-efficient injection moulding for the medical industry, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag presents its latest 420t PAC-E machine at K 2025 (Hall 15 Booth D22).
Fusing cleanliness and speed, this year’s medical exhibit showcases a 48-cavity ‘Med-Cup’ production cell featuring super-fast automated extraction. Collaborating with Zubler Handling AG and Otto-Hofstetter AG, this display represents the future of mass-production medical excellence, reports Andreas Montag, Director Business Development Medical.
Manufacturing and stacking 30 ml medication dispensing cups at a rate of 57,600 cups per hour, PAC-E is engineered specifically to deliver peak sustained performance in fast cycling applications. With its high injection speeds and exceptional precision, the PAC-E enables flawless multi-cavity production, even for extremely thin-walled products.
Full speed ahead
Setting a new three-second milestone for mass manufacturing healthcare applications ranging from medical cups to centrifuge blood collection tubes, the clean-toggle technology also meets the strict hygiene demands stipulated in medical manufacturing. Combined with the intelligent stacking system from Zubler Handling as well as the pick-and-place robot and the 48-cavity mould tool from Otto-Hofstetter, production rates on the 420t PAC-E can reliably reach around 432 million components per year, asserts Montag. The entire production cell, including all periphery equipment, is relatively compact in comparison to all-electric machines generating similar volumes, adds the sector specialist.
The cavity tool from Otto-Hofstetter enables the injection of the cup, with a shot weight of around 70 grams, to occur centrally via the point gate. Additionally, the highly efficient, thermally balanced cooling system comprises 29 water cooling circuits. This guarantees thermal stability in the mould, supporting safe and continuous production, explains Montag. Furthermore, the tool is designed to remove moulded parts from the front, making it more straightforward to access and service.
Giving medical processors total control
Product quality is maintained using intelligent high-definition vision cameras placed along the high-speed extraction axis. Installed by Zubler Handling, a 100 % inline control system with cameras processing 96 images for every extraction. Anomaly detection and dimension measurements are performed on each image with an accuracy of 0.05 millimetres.
After removal from the tool, the cups are stacked on a round table equipped with two sections. Each section has 48 compartments for each corresponding cavity. Once the rotary table is fully stacked, it moves to its next position where the cavity stacks are sorted by the pick & place robot. The robot can handle eight stacks simultaneously, separating them individually into good or bad cases.
“The speed of the extraction is seamless and is actually much faster than components free falling. But one of the main advantages is the quality control. Each cavity has its own compartment. So, if there are any quality issues in a particular stack, these can be segregated, fully investigated and resolved without wasting the entire production consignment,” explains Montag.
24-hours autonomous production
Another exhibit manufacturing medical valves and featuring the IntElect 130t LSR injection moulding machine appears on the Nexus stand (Hall 12, B53). Comprising intelligent robotics, precise slitting technology, optional camera inspection, and traceable packaging, this system represents the endless possibilities in 24-hour autonomous production.
In a complete cycle time of 23 seconds per shot, a 6 axis robot removes 16 moulded parts and transfers them to a slitting station. Holding them firmly in position for electric-driven slitting knives to make their cut, the next moulding cycle occurs concurrently, with the robot EOAT moving between the 16 cavity mould tool and slitting station.
To demonstrate the full scope of the company’s medical expertise, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is also supplying an IntElect S 130t machine to the Sepro booth to showcase the manufacturing of 15 ml centrifuge tube caps (Hall 12, A36), with Jestar Mold Tool supplying a 48 cavity tool. With ten second cycle time, the production provides a high output, notes Montag.