The Customer:

Ypsomed AG, Switzerland, with around 1000 employees makes products and components for medical technology applications. Already one of the biggest plastics processors in Switzerland, Ypsomed AG has recently invested in further expanding production capacity. The Solothurn plant produces components and subassemblies various types of insulin pen.

The Task:

Install and commission a new manufacturing cell for production and quality control of ampoules for the medication at the Solothurn plant.

The Problem:

The insulin pens are a high-spec product and the customer needed dependable production systems that would guarantee a maximum of technical certainty.

The Solution:

We planned and installed a complete manufacturing cell consisting of a KM 200-700 C2 (200 t clamp force) and a fully automated parts handling system. The ampoules are injection moulded in an 8-cavity mould. Cycle time is 15 seconds. An LR150 linear robot demoulds the parts, which are placed via a transfer system in a rack on a conveyor belt. They then move through the optical and mechanical inspections.

The Outcome:

Apart from the mould and the temperature control units, KraussMaffei supplied and commissioned the whole system. We succeeded in limiting the manufacturing cell's footprint to just 22 m². The injection machine software coordinates operation of all components in the whole system. The injection moulding machine produces eight parts per cycle. The workpiece rack can accommodate 12 parts per row, so that it also functions as a buffer. The parallel 100% quality checks mean that only OK parts leave the manufacturing cell. This reduces the need for downstream quality inspections to a routine minimum. With this advanced technology up and running, Ypsomed can continue to expand its market position.