Arburg bringing Freeformer cranial implants to Interplas

Plastics machinery group Arburg is bringing its now-famous ‘Freeformer’ additive manufacturing technology to Interplas to demonstrate the manufacture of implants made from medical-grade polylactide.

An Arburg Freeformer will demonstrate the additive manufacturing process for the production of customised implants for facial and cranial bones from the same qualified, commercially available plastic granulate as used in injection moulding. The raw material employed is medical polylactide (PLA), which is resorbed by the body after a defined length of time.

The Freeformer is equipped with two discharge units as standard. This enables it to process an additional component, for example to manufacture a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities or as a hard/soft combination.

Alternatively, structures can be built up from a water or alkaline-soluble support material, enabling complex part geometries to be achieved. The integration of functions by combining part production and assembly in a single process step is a further means of achieving cost efficiency. With this additive manufacturing process, complete modules can be produced in a fully assembled state.

"The Interplas trade fair affords an excellent platform for presenting our wide range of machines for the production-efficient manufacture of plastic parts to our customers in the UK and Ireland. This year, we will be presenting an electric Allrounder Golden Electric injection moulding machine, a vertical 275 V hydraulic Allrounder and the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing," said Colin Tirel, managing director of Arburg’s UK subsidiary in Warwick.

"At the Interplas 2017, we will demonstrate the capabilities of our robotic systems on our electric injection moulding machines. After all, automation is key for many of our customers, helping them to increase productivity and remain competitive. We have an expert in production cells at our subsidiary and are able to offer complete turnkey systems from a single source."