In-line marking via micro-heaters in the mold insert
With a cycle time of around eleven seconds, an electric ALLROUNDER 570 A in clean-room version produces four auto-injector housings per cycle. The high-performance machine from the ALLDRIVE series is predestined for the fast and precise series production of medical technology products and meets the requirements for manufacturing in ISO 7 cleanrooms. The 4-cavity mold is based on the proven Kebo “Lift & Strip” concept and is actuated completely mechanically and synchronously via the machine ejector. The highlight of the application is a dynamic mold insert integrated into the cavities, through which each component receives an individual Data Matrix code. The insert features 144 individually controllable micro-heaters that reach temperature within milliseconds and create individual geometric structures. Each micro-heater measures only 0.28 x 0.28 millimeters and weighs approximately 0.0000015 grams (1.5 micrograms), making it 20,000 times lighter than a grain of rice. Subsequent production steps are eliminated. This reduces cycle time, installation area, and the costs of an additional marking device and robot system for parts handling.