Sumitomo packaging collection to cater to UK sector growth
16 March 2023
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Comprising the new concept PAC-E, an El-Exis SP Servo range, plus a new IntElect S, the new collection gives manufacturers of caps, closures, thin-walled and high performance moulded containers a fusion of technology, productivity and energy-enhancing features. Rolling out to UK packaging converters and moulding firms during 2023, the expanded range reinforces the Group’s wider commitment to the circular packaging agenda and its delivery of sustainable value aligned to the key packaging market trends. Worth an estimated £4.6bn this year, and anticipated to grow by 4.2% in 2023, the UK Plastics Packaging Goods Manufacturing industry is anticipated to return to growth, underpinned by ongoing product innovation in flexible packaging. Indicative of the importance of the packaging market, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag revealed one of the most exciting developments in the last decade – the blend of its high-speed El-Exis packaging platform with the company’s IntElect all-electric series. PAC-E features a new injection unit specifically developed for high speed packaging applications. 72 caps every 1.98 seconds
Two features differentiate PAC-E from the company’s El-Exis hybrid packaging series. The electric-driven axes deliver up to 50 percent in energy savings when measured against a high-speed hybrid packaging machine. Additionally, the lubrication of the toggle lever no longer causes cleanliness issues; being a completely closed circuit design it is leak free. Oil is instead extracted, filtered and recycled. This eliminates the need to clean the toggle lever. With injection speed capabilities of up to 550 mm/s, the PAC-E packaging machine will initially be available in mid-tonnage clamping forces of 250 tons, 300 tons, 350 tons and 420 tons. Designed for thin-walled packaging applications. Ultra-speed Servo
In another advancement of the El-Exis SP, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag also presents its new ‘servo pump’ variant. UK Packaging Expert, Ashlee Gough, said: “With hybrid machines, the pump that charges the accumulator consumes approximately 50 percent of the overall energy used to power every injection cycle. By replacing the conventional pump with a servo pump, we can now maintain the same performance but consume significantly less power." Initially, the El-Exis SP Servo series will be expanded in the medium clamping force range, comprising  250 to 420 tons. Larger clamp force machines will subsequently follow. Fast-cycling for high-volume
The release of an IntElect S all-electric mid clamp force range now means moulders requiring cycle time speeds of between three to 12 seconds don’t need to compromise on any aspect of productivity, energy efficiency and processing speed and stability. By expanding the IntElect S series, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has now opened up the associated benefits of the all-electric moulding machine market to even more product applications. Positioned squarely between the conventional IntElect all-electric series and the new high-speed packaging injection moulding machine PAC-E, the IntElect S is geared specifically towards plastic processors mass-manufacturing narrow tolerance and thin-walled components. “Cycle times of between three and twelve seconds and injection speeds of up to 350 mm/s are the typical range of this machine," reports Gough. He draws special attention to the resilient, high performance drives, shorter clamp spindles and longer service life. Culminating in faster acceleration of the injection speed to achieve on average a one second cycle time saving when compared to a standard IntElect model. Benchmarking dry cycle times on thin wall packaging products with equivalent electric systems on the market, the IntElect S remains at the forefront of innovation and energy efficiency, assures Gough. All three ranges within the Group’s expansive ‘precision and speed’ packaging portfolio are designed to incorporate future digital product passport technology. Ensuring detailed transparency on machinery performance and the measurement of carbon footprints.

Sumitomo packaging collection to cater to UK sector growth

The Cleanroom Conundrum: Guidance to support regulatory compliance
2 March 2023
Creating a cleanroom environment that meets GMP regulations can often be a cumbersome task for organisations within the medical moulding space. As well as being costly and timely to implement, regulatory compliance often results in the process becoming more convoluted than strictly necessary. The guidance from the global medical team at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is to keep the process simple, and to utilise technical expertise and knowledge. ×
Kaletsch Medien GmbH © Kaletsch Medien GmbH
With production space at a premium, medical injection moulding experts at the firm - Andrew Sargisson, regional sales director, and Sam Carr, UK medical business development - share their cleanroom production industry insights, tips and the top trends shaping the MedTech cleanroom space. In the latest 2022 report curated by Data Bridge Market Research, the global cleanroom technology market is anticipated to grow to $4.25bn by 2029. Driven by a surge in demand for high quality medical applications compliant with regulatory standards, control variables, including air flow, humidity and equipment temperatures, are all essential considerations. More than a white space
There are three critical features that medical manufacturing cleanrooms must effectively observe and implement. The first of these requirements is that internal surfaces and equipment needs to be designed in a way that mitigates contamination and can be sanitised with ease. Furthermore, a source of filtered air flow is needed to effectively regulate temperature, humidity and air quality, while simultaneously extracting particulate contaminations. Introducing robust operational and maintenance procedures and ensuring staff are fully trained is equally critical. Rising energy costs combined with the upfront costs of building a cleanroom means that investment decisions are rarely taken on a whim. Most medical moulders will only embark on cleanroom projects to fulfil regulatory FDA, GMP Annex 1 and CFR Part 211 requirements. In order to comply with these requirements, the equipment used in the manufacture, processing, packing or holding of a drug product needs to be of an appropriate design, adequate size and suitably located. The choice of moulding machinery selected for cleanrooms is generally customer-specific. Where medical components need to be manufactured and packed in a self-contained cleanroom environment to meet ISO Class 7 or 8 standards and comply with any GMP Annex 1 and FDA regulations, a fully configured all-electric injection moulding machine can be a straightforward way to eliminate the biggest contamination risks … people. That’s because the exposed points where a plastic component may come into contact with the environment are all enclosed. For that very reason, virtually every global cleanroom project undertaken by the medical team at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag now features an IntElect machine. Keeping it simple
Andrew Sargisson stresses the need for organisations to keep things simple when it comes to commissioning moulding machinery for a cleanroom environment and cautions against over specifying superfluous equipment. This, he claims, is likely to create needless issues down the line. For example, focussing solely upon the cleanroom classification itself could leave medical manufacturers exposed to unwarranted compliance requirements that, once approved, they must continue to adhere to. Sometimes effective ventilation is all that’s required. Yet, for sterile medicinal products, the requirements - defined by Annex 1 of the EU and PIC/S GMPs – are now even more stringent. This is where global expertise is a true benefit. Out of regulatory fear, people may submit a user requirement specification (URS) request for a cleanroom solution that is excessive for the medical component being made. As a global medical team that works collaboratively across borders and are all GMP-trained, the group is able to pull in technical experts and provide high quality consultancy at the start of any medical cleanroom project. This makes it much easier to manage defined steps for design, installation, operational and production Qualifications and Validations of cleanroom machinery. Turning Cleanrooms into ‘Greenrooms’
As filtered air controlled production environments, moulding cleanrooms are extremely energy intensive. Experts estimate that in some cleanroom facilities, the air units that circulate fresh air and extract particulates can consume around 60% of all production power. Given today’s energy crisis, there’s a real push to conserve natural resources and reduce the ecological impact. Yet, stringent workflows to prevent pollutants spreading and contaminating products make this inherently challenging in cleanrooms. To counter any adverse impacts of the ensuing energy crisis, medical moulders may want to consider fully utilising any ‘white space’ inside their cleanrooms, occupying any extra space with additional machinery or equipment. The benefits of this are multiple, in that organisations can increase their operational capacity without the need to power or fuel additional space. Lower ceiling heights is another tactic to reduce the overall atmosphere that requires HEPA filter control. Even if the physical space remains unchanged, the reduced footprint of today’s compact all-electric machines now enables MedTech manufacturers to optimise their cleanroom envelope, boosting cost and productivity metrics considerably. Clamping down on heat generation
Over-cluttering is not in-line with the GMP standards. Removing free-standing periphery equipment from the floor and integrating into the moulding machine cell, including hot runner controllers, cables, and even automation, eliminates another surface area and consequently additional sources of heat generation. Integrated electric direct drives is another consideration. Providing the force transmission, one of the key processing advantages of electric drives is the ability to control the linear axis with velocities in excess of 500mm/s. With no belts spinning, the drives don’t have to work as hard. This increased efficiency gained from direct drives means that they use considerably less energy – in the case of the IntElect between 40% and 85% less than conventional solutions. Having this level of drive control also makes a subtle difference to clamp force. Use too much force and the machine’s energy consumption rises. Rather than diverting straight to the maximum clamp force, a medical IntElect machine, with its smaller than average injection unit, can override and select the appropriate clamp force for a particular combination of component geometry and polymer material. For high cavitation medical components, where precision is fundamental, this is a gamechanger, as the machine isn’t overworking itself. When this happens not only is excess heat being generated, it can also cause premature tooling wear and tear. Heat transference is another consideration. A portion of electrical power is used to directly heat the barrel to melt resin. Another to run the machine drive, inverters and motors, which in turn also generates heat. All of the heat generated must be dispersed either via thermal convection or – in most cases – an active cooling system. Thermal imaging of the direct drive provides a good indicator of any inefficiencies and heat emissions. On the IntElect machines, the active air cooling (fan) is not activated until the motor reaches 55°C. If no heat emission on the drive, no additional energy is consumed. Big moulds … small contained space
In order to achieve the highest production output in the smallest space, the medical IntElect’s larger than average platen area offers greater production flexibility and accommodates various high cavity tool configurations. Comprising tie bar distances between 360mm and 1100mm, this enables cleanroom medical manufacturers to get the most output in the minimum footprint. Among the latest developments by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is the feasibility to combine LSR and thermoplastic moulding in one cleanroom moulding cell, allowing moulders to switch between the two. Other innovations from the company include integrating laminar air flow systems to flood the mould surface and part handling areas with HEPA filtered air. GMP compliant technical features, such as raising the machine 100mm off the floor, helps to maintain cleaning standards. Additionally, total stainless steel fixed platen coverage on the top, sides and underside without any cut outs ensures air flow is not disturbed. Inside the cell, yet outside the mould space, cooling, temperature and pneumatics can be attached. Eliminating cables and hoses in the mould space. Once parts are moulded, integrated robotics can quickly and accurately transfer components to the conveyor system, chute or packaging system as required. Cleaner communications
A huge leap forward in cleanroom production is the introduction of smarter communication platforms. Specifically OPC-UA architecture. Designed to enhance traceability and optimise processing stability, medical manufacturers can now extract all performance data from the machine and all the contained periphery equipment, without stepping foot into the cleanroom environment. Supporting interoperability and securely recording time series data and analysing process parameters, the OPC-UA interface records, channels and collates every processing aspect from all the peripheral devices attached to the cell. This contextualised data is then submitted from the core of the production cell, straight to production and QC managers. Information such as CO2 consumption and recycling rates can be captured during the production of medical components. Circling back to help manufacturers collate more robust documentation of its ecological production footprint. Rather than trying to second guess cleanroom compliance implications, the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag medical team works collaboratively with customers to examine the cleanroom processing pains and provide suggestions and solutions.

The Cleanroom Conundrum: Guidance to support regulatory compliance

Marking a milestone for the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag all-electric IntElect machine series, CEO Gerd Liebig is handing over the 80,000th model at K 2022 to TE Connectivity, based in Schaffhausen.

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag hands over 80,000th IntElect to customer at K 2022

Medical device manufacturer, Europlaz Technologies, installed a small footprint 130-tonne (130T) IntElect injection moulding machine from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag with unique tie bar design to accommodate the low ceiling height in a cleanroom.

IntElect tie bar configuration solves cleanroom constrictions at Europlaz

GIE Media’s Manufacturing Group
IMTS 2022 Conference: The Machines are Not Out to Get You – Making AI Work for Your Manufacturing Operation
Incorporate AI into your machining operation. July 28, 2022
About the presentation
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are hot topics for the future of manufacturing, and for good reason. As an enabler that creates exponential value from all other technologies, AI for any manufacturing process that generates data is no longer optional, but a requirement. Companies are now looking to accelerate their investments toward an AI-enabled future even faster after lessons learned during the pandemic. As such, sorting out hype versus practicality is key. In this session, we’ll provide an overview of AI from its humble beginnings to disruptive force with focus on how it’ll transform manufacturing. We’ll discuss key factors manufacturers must consider when deciding to bring AI into their operation, including examples of how AI can be applied to level up any smart manufacturing operation. Registration
Powered by AMT and managed by GIE Media,  The IMTS 2022 Conference  features 69 different sessions you won’t want to miss so  register today . Focused on a range of topics that include process innovation, plant operations, quality/inspection, and automation,  The IMTS 2022 Conference  addresses improving productivity; improving part quality; and developing a stable, competent workforce to lower the cost of manufacturing in the United States and create new levels of market demand. Meet your presenter
Jerry Foster is the CTO and one of the founders of Plex Systems, which helps more than 700 manufacturers worldwide run their businesses. He earned his degree in computer science at Liberty University and used his education first as a programmer at a Michigan metal former, where he built a custom innovative enterprise resource planning (ERP) system before taking the solution to other businesses. Soon after, Foster co-founded Plex, a software as a service (SaaS) manufacturing company employing more than 600 employees globally. It was recently acquired by Rockwell Automation. About the company
Plex Systems Inc., a Rockwell Automation company, works with cloud-delivered smart manufacturing solutions to empower the world’s manufacturers. Our platform gives manufacturers the ability to connect, automate, track, and analyze every aspect of their business to drive transformation. The Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform includes solutions for manufacturing execution (MES), ERP, quality, supply chain planning and management, industrial IoT, and analytics to connect people, systems, machines, and supply chains. Miniaturization plays an important role in medical applications, diagnostics, and wearables and the automotive and industrial fields. With a direct recording of inflammatory parameters on the patient, irregular conditions can be detected early in post-operative care. Film sensors open a wide range of applications by recording parameters such as pH value, conductivity, humidity, pressure, and temperature. Precise temperature measurement is important as a measurand and reference value for other sensors. As part of a strategic cooperation, temperature sensor expert Heraeus Nexensos and film sensor expert accensors will jointly develop solutions to support the trend of miniaturization and integrate precise temperature sensor elements into integrable film sensor elements and application-specific film sensors. Miniaturized temperature sensors of the microRTD series enable new applications with a footprint of only 0.6mm × 0.3mm and a height of less than 40μm. The low height of the temperature sensors allows direct integration into film sensors in order to achieve precise and direct temperature detection. In combination with ultra-thin films with material thicknesses of 12μm, flat film sensor systems with a total profile of less than 100μm can be realized. “By combining different sensor technologies, we achieve a classic win-win situation: We see this point when using our microRTD temperature sensors in film sensor systems. Thanks to our miniaturized, ultra-thin and bendable elements, the film sensor systems remain flexible and can be integrated into a variety of applications," says Christoph Hartnig, vice president of business development at Heraeus Nexensos. "We see the use of microRTD temperature sensors as a complementary technology to our film sensors manufactured in printing technology. It is a synergy of our technological possibilities with the clear goal of providing our customers with even more measurement accuracy and higher precision," adds Eike Wilhelm Kottkamp, CEO of innoME/accensors. The geometric design freedom and flexibility of accensors film sensors, combined with the high-precision temperature sensor elements from Heraeus Nexensos allow printed electronics and innovative SMD technology to merge. About the presentation
Digital quadrature encoders have become a standard for precision automation systems used in laser materials processing, additive manufacturing (AM), and test/inspection. In these tools, stage-level integrated encoder technologies provide feedback to external devices for process synchronization from inkjet print boards to line scan cameras. These encoder requirements applied to the core automation systems, have traditionally imposed technical constraints limiting flexibility, performance, and throughput in these tools. We’ll discuss how encoder technologies affect process performance while presenting recent work that’ll allow the next generation of tools to use absolute encoders, analog encoders, or no encoders while still enabling tool process synchronization with devices that require digital quadrature encoder signals. Registration
Powered by AMT and managed by GIE Media,  The IMTS 2022 Conference  features 69 different sessions you won’t want to miss so  register today . Focused on a range of topics that include process innovation, plant operations, quality/inspection, and automation,  The IMTS 2022 Conference  addresses improving productivity; improving part quality; and developing a stable, competent workforce to lower the cost of manufacturing in the United States and create new levels of market demand. Meet your presenter
Matt Price is a technical manager for PI, working in precision automation technologies for microfabrication and metrology. A physicist with a background in laser materials processing and characterization, he has contributed to the development of motion technologies to advance capability in these fields. About the company
Physik Instrumente (PI) is a precision positioning technology company. PI has been developing and manufacturing standard and OEM products with piezo or motor drives for more than 40 years, resulting in 200 technology patents. PI is a privately owned company with healthy growth. In addition to four locations in Germany, the PI Group is represented internationally by fifteen sales and service subsidiaries. By acquiring the majority shares in ACS Motion Control, a worldwide developer and manufacturer of modular motion controllers for multi-axis and high-precision drive systems in 2016, PI has made a major step forward in providing complete systems for industrial applications with the highest demand on precision and dynamics. By 2026 the global micro injection molded plastic market is projected to reach US $1.7M, at a CAGR of 11.2% from 2021. This boost is largely attributed to activities and developments in the medical, health care, and wellbeing sectors. Aside from the pandemic, growth is being driven by advances in the home healthcare sector and an aging population. UK medical specialist at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag , Sam Carr, explores how the company’s smaller tonnage IntElect machine is responding to evolving production requirements. Manufacturing small, high-precision thermoplastic components with micron tolerances is difficult because components can be as small as a single grain of granulate. The limit of what can be molded can be as light as 0.0003g, with walls as thin as 0.0004" and dimensional tolerances to ±0.0005". Typical items being micro molded using this technique can comprise a wide range of surgical, endoscopic, point of care testing, diabetes management, drug delivery, and DNA research and sequencing devices. The expanding market includes catheter components, hearing aids, dental prosthetics, microfluidics, vials, caps, specimen cups, vacuum blood and serum collection tubes, syringes, and IV parts. These applications all have diminutive size and the need for total accuracy and zero defects during the molding process. The process of micro injection molding isn’t dissimilar to creating larger parts. Shot-to-shot precision is where the main difference lies. If more material is allowed under the check valve on a 10g part, it isn’t a huge issue. However, if the part weight is 0.1g, it becomes a problem. © Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK
Manner pipette tip cell
Historically, micro injection molders would have invested in specialist plunger systems or hydraulic machines. The latter meant dealing with variations in oil temperature and compressibility. These drawbacks are removed with the new generation of all-electric machines. Offering control not previously attainable, the IntElect delivers maximum precision whilst offering full mold safety, ensuring the sensitive cores and mold details aren’t damaged. The Männer pipette exhibit which the SHI medical team collaborated on last year is testament to the level of control that can be accomplished with the latest generation of all-electric molding machines. Equipped with dynamic drive motors, the ready-to-go cleanroom IntElect S 130T molding cell is one of the few compact all-electric machines on the market with the mold space to accommodate a 64-cavity cluster tool and demolding robotics. As well as the mid-size range, the IntElect thrives in the smaller tonnage, with the ability to supply screw sizes as small as 14mm on the 50T and 75T machines. This combination enables users to accomplish small shot weights with fine control required with micro molded components. For increased production capacity, some molders opt for a larger screw and barrel to allow them to mold larger parts, demonstrating the flexibility the IntElect offers without compromising the precision to the application. About the presentation
Hybrid manufacturing describes the combined use of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes to produce end use components. This emerging technology has the potential to displace conventional manufacturing approaches and enable advances in product sustainability, performance, and lead time. However, uptake of the technology has been relatively limited due to its high barriers of entry; the inaccessibility of machines and software and the knowledge required to be successful with the technology, to name a few. As industry rapidly develops, novel solutions to these challenges are prevailing. This talk showcases a recent collaboration between Autodesk and Phillips Corp. to develop a combination of accessible hardware and software solutions for hybrid manufacturing. Using the Haas machine platform, directed energy deposition technology from Meltio and integrated CAD-CAM with Autodesk Fusion 360, this collaboration demonstrates how hybrid technology is ready for the machine shop. Registration
Powered by AMT and managed by GIE Media,  The IMTS 2022 Conference  features 69 different sessions you won’t want to miss so  register today . Focused on a range of topics that include process innovation, plant operations, quality/inspection, and automation,  The IMTS 2022 Conference  addresses improving productivity; improving part quality; and developing a stable, competent workforce to lower the cost of manufacturing in the United States and create new levels of market demand. Meet your presenter
Brian Kristaponis joined the Phillips team in 2016 as an applications engineer for the federal division and, shortly after became applications manager. Kristaponis and his team supported the U.S. Government with all things Haas and additive. His latest venture combined CNC machining and metal 3D printing into one system, bringing the best value additive hybrid machines to market! Hybrid gives customers the benefits of both technologies. Robert Bowerman is a technical consultant at Autodesk, based in the Fusion360 product team, working in the field of AM. His work includes collaborative work with industrial partners and internal R&D to create the future workflows for AM processes, with a focus on directed energy deposition and powder bed fusion. Bowerman’s motivation is to drive innovation within AM to achieve scale and adoption throughout the supply chain. About the company
For more than 50 years, federal government, industry, and education leaders have trusted the people at Phillips Corporation to solve their greatest manufacturing challenges. With a worldwide presence and partnerships with technology leaders like Haas Automation and EOS, our goal is to create value for the manufacturing community by unlocking solutions to propel manufacturing capabilities, profitability, and productivity. Phillips is a global manufacturing solutions company that started as a machine tool distributor. We’ve most recently established a Public-Private Partnership agreement to work with the U.S. Department of Defense to educate, inspire, and redefine the capabilities of additive manufacturing.

IMTS 2022 Conference: The Machines are Not Out to Get You – Making AI Work for Your Manufacturing Operation

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