Following molders into medical

Hot runner supplier Ewikon’s major focus over the past year has been to expand and optimize its range of hot runner products for medical applications. The result is a broad range of hot runner technology specifically targeted to meet the demands of the medical industry for both high-volume disposables or the production of precision components where safety is a major consideration.   

The HPS III-MH nozzle offers a versatile and cost-efficient multi-tip solution that allows direct side gating of parts as well as very compact valve gating. All versions enable a simple mold design with no need to split the mold inserts. An additional feature is the ease of maintenance with accessibility to the nozzles from the mold’s parting line, and quick changeover of the tip inserts on the machine without having to dismantle the mold. It’s suitable for a wide range of materials including PP, PE, TPE, PS, ABS, SAN, POM, PA, PET and PC, according to Ewikon.

The direct side-gating version of the HPS III-MH has been used successfully in applications of up to 128 drops, and comes with up to eight tips per nozzle in linear or radial configurations. Ewikon has introduced a new version of the HPS III-MH nozzle, designed for use in low-cavity applications and is available with one or two tips per nozzle. The main nozzle body is taken from a standard nozzle and modified with a MH-style mouthpiece that contains the tip inserts. For deep-immersion applications the main nozzle can be extended using a slim adapter nozzle to reach the required length.

Another new product that Ewikon has introduced is the HPS III-MH nozzle in an ultra-compact 24-drop valve gate version for multipoint valve gating of a medical device with very short distances between gating points.

Ewikon provides a wide range of sizes of electric drive valve gate systems that are cleanroom compatible and available with optional encoders that enable permanent monitoring of the valve pin position with an accuracy of 1/100 mm. The system has a touchscreen control unit for ease of operation with up to 32 drive units. Additional features include the automatic identification of the type of drive unit used, as well as the option to save data and settings conveniently on a compact flash card, which is included. —[email protected]