Molding Services

Silicone molding

An FDA-registered facility uses liquid injection molding, transfer molding, and compression molding to produce components for medical devices. Medical- and implant-grade silicones are used exclusively. The company's quality system is certified to ISO 9001 and EN 46001. Recently it has also expanded its molding and mold-making capabilities by acquiring additional equipment. Helix Medical Inc., 1110 Mark Ave., Carpenteria, CA 93013

Medical component molding

Using closed-loop microprocessor-controlled equipment, a company molds a variety of engineering resins such as ABS, PPS, PSU, LCP, PBT, and thermoplastic rubber 24 hours a day in a clean environment. Medical components are produced in its ISO 9000–compliant plant using in-house CAD/CAM mold making, electronic data transfer to support customer orders, and SPC to monitor molded part quality. Tolerances are typically held to ±0.001 in. from multicavity production molds. Plastic Molding Technology Inc., Silvermine Industrial Park, 92 Cogwheel Ln., Seymour, CT 06483.

Book mold tooling

A company offers custom book mold tooling that is used to insert mold medical devices requiring critical tolerances. This design allows secure placement of delicate inserts such as cannulae, tubing, wires, or filter membranes into the mold on a horizontal surface. Once inserts are in place the top mold half is gently closed around them, preventing damage and ensuring proper alignment in the mold during the clamping and injection cycle. Multiple book molds used in conjunction with a rotary table insert molding machine provide maximum production capacity and flexibility by allowing parts to cure in the mold while indexing. The company also provides mold sampling and first-article approval, initial start-up production, and long-term or backup contract insert molding. Aberdeen Technologies Inc., P.O. Box 163, Wheaton, IL 60189-0163.

Specialty medical components

Close-tolerance components are produced by a company using thermoplastic or thermoset injection processes. Material capabilities range from general commodity-grade resins to high-performance plastics. On-site precision molding and tool making, extensive press capabilities, secondary services, quality control, and engineering assistance are all provided. Sanlar Inc., 1655 W. 20th St., Erie, PA 16502.

Liquid-resin casting

When injection molding quality is needed but low production volumes make it difficult to justify the tooling costs, liquid-resin casting may be a suitable alternative for producing complex parts. A provider of this process states that the tooling for liquid-resin casting is typically 10 to 25% of the cost of injection molding tooling. Manufacturers can quickly move from design to market with lead times ranging from 2 to 6 weeks—and even less if a model is available. Nontraditional mold media, such as flexible silicone, allow parts to be made with molded in O-ring grooves or other undercuts, as well as textures and threads, thus eliminating the need for expensive secondary processes. Polymer Design Corp., 180 Pleasant St., Rockland, MA 02370.

Injection molding and manufacturing services

A manufacturing-driven custom injection molder offers customers an on-site engineering design center in which design, engineering, mold development, and manufacturing are brought together as integrated services, rather than independent steps. Its engineering and technical team can significantly influence projects in the earliest development stages, assisting customers in design and concept before and during the blueprint phase. S&W Plastics Inc., 10206 Crosstown Cir., Eden Prairie, MN 55344.

Liquid-silicone injection molding

An FDA-registered and ISO 9001–certified manufacturer of disposable medical devices offers liquid-silicone injection molding. This molding process is suitable for molding complex design configurations that require close tolerances, square inside corners, sealing, and O-ring grooves. Implantable-grade silicones are also available. According to the company, silicone elastomers produce high-quality results economically, efficiently, and flash free. Burron OEM Div., B. Braun Medical Inc., P.O. Box 4027, Bethlehem, PA 18018-0027.

Full-service molder

A company provides all the processing disciplines of a full-service ISO 9002–compliant injection molder, a fully outfitted CNC mold manufacturer for building prototype or production injection molds, and a complete full-service industrial design group to engineer and test new products. All of these offerings are available in one facility and are available as a package or separately so that customers can choose only what they need. Tech Inc., P.O. Box 476, Merrimack, NH 03054.

Molding and assembly

An injection molder offers broad material-processing capabilities ranging from engineering polymers and LIM silicones to commodity resins. The company's press capacity ranges from 50 to 300 tn. Additional services available include Class 100,000 assembly, ultrasonic welding, packaging for sterilization, product distribution, regulatory assistance, prototyping, product engineering, and mold procurement. New part designs are subjected to mold-flow simulations to identify process limitations and to reduce lead times. Atrion Medical Inc., 1426 Curt Francis Rd., Arab, AL 35016.

Prototypes and short-run parts

A company provides prototype and short-run injection-molded plastic parts. Molds are constructed from aluminum or steel per exact specifications of design drawings. Cores are hand operated to ensure that the molds will be low cost. Parts can be produced from such materials as Delrin, nylons, and polycarbonates, as well as acrylics and ABS. The molder does not charge for any mold setups because the mold is in the machine and ready for any quantity in less than 15 minutes. Plastic Metal Design & Manufacturing, 23162 La Cadena Dr., Laguna Hills, CA 92653.

Molding and manufacturing services

A company offers molding and contract manufacturing of medical, dental, and surgical instruments, devices, and implants. Services include design engineering, prototyping, and production. Plastic mold design and injection molding, as well as ultraprecise CNC and Swiss machining, contract assembly, packaging, and sterilization, are all available. Specialized Medical Devices, P.O. Box 1704, Lancaster, PA 17608-1704.

Return to the MPMN home page.

Copyright ©1999 Medical Product Manufacturing News