Leading injection moulder and med-tech supplier Boddingtons has specified, purchased and commissioned a custom-made 160 tonne locking force Engel injection moulding machine that is set to add further capacity to its new Class 7 cleanroom in Marden, Kent.
Production Manager Wayne Allen says that that ‘our new injection moulding machine is an extra wide platen version with a 170-injection unit that utilises both 22mm and 30mm barrels giving us even greater flexibility to offer to our customers.’
Wayne adds that ‘we have also fitted the machine with a new Viper 12 robot, which gives us future options for adding fully automated turnkey cells, automated insert moulding or just simple part and sprue removal. The machine has also been specified to include the latest technology to digitally monitor all of the flow circuits within the mould tooling, recording data for both Flow and Temperature. The data output gives the ability to check efficiency of the mould cooling circuit(s) which is critical for a stable process and the manufacturing of high quality, dimensionally stable parts.
The new Engel 160 tonne injection moulding machine, designed and built bespoke for the Boddingtons business
The new machine’s first job will be to produce medical parts from a 16-impression tool, aided with direct hot runner technology. Wayne continues ‘we have set ourselves a challenging intended cycle time, with this type of investment from Boddingtons we should achieve our goal within the class 7 clean room environment.’
These new manufacturing competences will be added to the Boddingtons capability list when the business returns to this year’s Compamed exhibition, November 12-14, Düsseldorf, Germany.
The new £4.6m state-of-the-art injection moulding factory at Boddingtons has been home to a continuous number of significant med-tech projects over the past two years. Complex multi-part medical assemblies are a speciality at the company as are cutting-edge moulding developments in biosciences and genetics.
Increasingly, Boddingtons is also taking on the manufacture of medical diagnostic kits and complex assemblies that also incorporates needle technology.
The company’s ultimate aim is to provide a one-stop-shop for med-tech and industrial clients worldwide. All facets of advanced injection moulding are managed at the Marden HQ from design to packed products. Other manufacturing services include finishing and assembly processes, printing, welding, packing, labeling and finishing within the Class 7 cleanroom environment, supported with the management of sterilization for their clients.
The annual Compamed exhibition has been established in order to provide a global visitor footfall of leading OEMs, healthcare and medical manufacturers who are seeking manufacturing suppliers and contractors to the worldwide medical and healthcare industries.
