Ferromatik Milacron Demonstrates Disposable Syringe Production on All Electric Machine at Plastpol

At Poland's plastics trade fair, Plastpol, held in Kielce on May 7-10, 2013, German injection moulding machine maker Ferromatik Milacron demonstrated the production of disposable syringes made from cyclic olefin copolymer (COP). The demonstration included an overmoulding process, whereby COP was moulded around a metal needle inside the mould to give a finished plastic syringe barrel with needle attached. “Following the introduction of the redesigned Elektron series at Fakuma in October 2012, and our successful roadshow through Europe at the start of this year, we’re bringing the new Elektron to Poland for the first time. And we’ll be using it to demonstrate a new cutting-edge medical application at the show,” said Herwig Nowag, sales manager at Ferromatik Milacron.

The Elektron 110 has a clamping force of 1,100 kN and is equipped with an international size 120 injection unit featuring an 18 mm diameter three-zone screw. Mould maker Zahoransky, based in Freiburg, Germany, supplied the mould and an automated system allowing for the insertion of needles into the mould for the efficient production of the syringes. The needles, which are attached without the use of an adhesive, are placed in the mould, where they are encapsulated with COP plastic. “Adhesive-free production of disposable syringes is completely new. Today over 95% of all cannulas are still made using glue,” said Sven Engelmann, head of applications and systems at Ferromatik Milacron.

Parallel with the placement of the needles in one half of the mould, finished syringes are removed from the other half. Ferromatik says this allows for a significantly reduced cycle time—four syringes are produced every twenty seconds.