Thanks to their proven repeatability and reliability, FANUC’s ROBOSHOT injection moulding machines have become a cornerstone of Sovrin Medical Plastics’ business strategy.
FANUC
Over the last two decades, Sovrin has built up a fleet of 34 ROBOSHOTs for producing medical devices and components. In all that time, the Slough-based contract manufacturer cannot recall the last occasion an unplanned breakdown occurred – a testament to the machines’ durability. This is particularly impressive given that the moulding cells operate 24/7 for 50 weeks of the year, with some of the oldest units having completed over 40,000,000 cycles.
“We simply don’t experience downtime with the ROBOSHOT machines. Their reliability and repeatability have been so consistent that, after 20 years, we can’t even recall the last time we had a breakdown. At this point, we take their performance for granted – reliability is just a given,” said James Joiner, Managing Director of Sovrin Medical Plastics.
Proven engineering
The company’s Engineering Director, Adrian Hill, attributes this enviable track record to FANUC engineering, underpinned by a programme of planned maintenance.
“FANUC is unique in that it develops and manufactures its own OEM parts and has done so for many years – a vertically integrated approach that is a major contributor to the high uptime and long lifespan that are the hallmarks of its machines. When we buy a FANUC model, we know exactly what we are getting; from one machine to another, the only thing that changes is the tonnage of the machines. The motors and drives are the same and if you open the control cabinets, you’ll see FANUC components,” he said.
On the subject of maintenance, Adrian says Sovrin works closely with FANUC’s servicing department to schedule maintenance and ensure it gets optimum performance from its machines.
“Every machine is serviced annually and, during these visits, FANUC’s engineers highlight any maintenance that is needed. Much of their machines’ reliability comes down to this methodical approach,” he said.
Energy-efficient, all-electric technology
Sovrin bought its first five FANUC ROBOSHOT machines in 2005 to produce dry powder inhalers for a project that formed part of a global provisioning response to the bird flu pandemic. The company had previously relied on hydraulic machines, and this marked the start of its ten-year transition to clean, energy-efficient all-electric technology.
In 2016, Sovrin opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for the production of medical devices. With a host of ISO Class 7 cleanrooms and customer-dedicated manufacturing cells, the centre was populated exclusively with all-electric FANUC ROBOSHOT machines – 31 in total.
“When we moved into the new facility, we didn’t bring any of the old hydraulic machines with us. By then, we were completely converted to the repeatability, reliability and cleanliness of all-electric,” Adrian recalled.
Keeping pace with contact lens demand
Sovrin’s investment in FANUC’s all-electric technology continues into the present day; its latest acquisitions are two S250iA machines for the ophthalmic sector.
“We’ve been supplying blisters to one of the world’s leading contact lens manufacturers for over 15 years. In 2023, we invested in two new moulding cells in response to increased demand,” explained James.
The high volume, just-in-time manufacturing strategy that is needed for this product called for a very fast cycling injection moulding solution, and the S250iA ROBOSHOT machines haven’t disappointed.
“They are producing a 32-impression product on a 5.5-second cycle, delivering precisely the repeatability and reliability that we have come to expect from FANUC,” noted Adrian.
Sovrin also specified some optional extras on the machines, including a wide guard and a high-speed clamp. Explaining why these features are important, Adrian said: “In our industry, larger tools with smaller shot sizes are the norm and a lot of mould cooling water is needed. The wide guard accommodates this, and the high-speed clamp enables us to achieve the target cycle time for this product.”
Complex components, cleanroom conditions
Contact lens blisters and dry powder inhalers are just two of the safety-critical products that Sovrin injection moulds for its pharmaceutical and medical device customers. Others include surgical instruments, auto injectors for administering pre-filled syringes, infusion pump components and loss of resistance syringes. For all of these applications, fast cycling and tight tolerances are essential to meet rigorous quality standards and ensure continuity of supply. FANUC’s CNC servo drives are the key to the ROBOSHOT’s ability to maintain precise control at high speeds. These drives – developed in-house – ensure best-in-class accuracy, reliability, motion, position and pressure control.
All products are manufactured under ISO Class 7 or 8 cleanroom conditions – a sterile environment that is strictly controlled in terms of temperature, humidity and air circulation. Whilst injection moulding can be energy intensive in this environment due to the amount of cooling that is required, the ROBOSHOT’s Power Regeneration feature captures energy that is generated and feeds it back into the machine’s power supply for reuse. This process, known as regenerative control, significantly reduces overall energy consumption.
“Energy consumption is a big challenge in cleanroom environments. Air conditioning is expensive, so the less heat generated by the injection moulding machine, the better. FANUC has done some very clever stuff on the software side that minimises energy consumption behind the scenes. This is just one of the many reasons why we’re so loyal to the ROBOSHOT brand,” said Adrian.