As the worldwide Covid 19 emergency shows signs of easing so medical device manufacturer, Boddingtons, is already applying the lessons learned through the last three months.
‘Speed of response and manufacturing flexibility now need to remain at the top of the list for any supplier of manufacturing services today,’ says Boddingtons CEO Andy Tibbs.
Fresh on the heels of the company’s work for the Penlon ventilator – making and supplying over 600 component mouldings a day – comes another new project for the ophthalmic sector, one which required sourcing new machinery, equipment and raw materials.
‘The project – for a high street OEM business in the sector – required two machines, one of which we already had on site. We had to then locate and source a non-standard make of Injection Moulding Machine (IMM) to suit the high volume needs of the new business, as well as negotiate and handle all matters of tooling transfer – and all of this to very tight deadlines,’ says Tibbs.
In addition Boddingtons needed to source the grades of polypropylene as well as the new additive and colorant dosing systems and other ancillary equipment for the new production cell.
Boddingtons located, purchased and shipped in the 370t IMM from overseas – and altered its configuration to accept the transfer tooling. Following trialling and testing on the newly created production cell, the Boddingtons engineers were required to get complex process of process optimisation underway before heading into the validation stages, supported by, and with continued communication with the end-customer.
Caption The new IMM arriving at Boddingtons some weeks ago
Business Development Manager and Project Lead, Chris Philpott says that ‘this is but one of many recent examples of successful tool transfer at Boddingtons. Like many tool transfer jobs, this particular set had already completed many thousands of hours of work. The tooling expertise and engineering resources at Boddingtons are able to refresh and rework everything that comes to us – modifications, repairs, complete refurbishments and design improvements. Whatever the customer they will have a team in us that prides itself on working together and communicating until the job is done.
Recent investments at Boddingtons – in Class 7 cleanroom expansions; in the Mitutoyo Quick Vision Active CMM machine and in the universal MDSAP medical quality qualification – are set to further increase the company’s markets in medical manufacturing.
The award-winning design expertise from Boddingtons for medical devices has been recognised on a near annual basis over the past six years. Medical and healthcare clients include SME start-ups and Medical OEMs.
As part of the company’s growth within the international med-tech sector, Boddingtons will once again be exhibiting at Compamed, Düsseldorf, November 16-19th and again at Med-Tech Expo June 29-30, 2021 at the NEC Birmingham.
Contact Boddingtons direct for manufacturing needs in relation to the virus. Telephone 01622 833723
