Multi-component moulding experts

Safety is essential in the pharmaceutical industry, so products that retain their structure and original qualities should be a specific focus for all manufacturers.

Figure 1. Metal cannula directly moulded with two-component injection moulding technology first with a soft polymer and second with a hard polymer.

Figure 2. RAUMEDIC two-component sandwich container and cap with two different hard polymers.

With multicomponent injection moulding technology as well as the combination of extrusion and injection moulding technologies, hard and soft thermoplastic polymers can be combined in one product without post-assembly. Combinations of different thermoplastics are especially used for applications such as sealing and connecting. The soft component reacts chemically with the hard component and can only be separated through destructive force. This makes the product perfectly safe – an important factor in the pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, the reduction of individual parts contributes to reduced costs.

Innovative and complex ideas need a capable partner to succeed in realisation. Starting with a first idea through prototyping, design studies, risk analysis, research and development, engineering to mass serial production under clean room conditions, packaging and sterilisation, RAUMEDIC offers the whole value-added chain of a system supplier including all qualification and validation requirements. Through the application of a wide range of polymer technologies including innovative multicomponent technology, RAUMEDIC provides its customers with a whole host of possibilities to transform ideas into innovative products. Combined with a fully automated production process also available with 100% camera control systems, RAUMEDIC actively supports customers according to the highest quality standards.

The multi-component technologies can even be enriched by combining them with metal insert technology. Figure 1 shows a metal cannula directly moulded with two-component injection moulding technology, first with a soft polymer and subsequently with a hard polymer. In the two-component luer cannula, the soft component has an additional sealing function. In addition, the adhesion between the metal insert and the polymer is comparable with gluing processes. Applications can be found in all kinds of injection systems.

Sandwich technology for barrier functions
A further technology related to multi-component injection moulding is the so-called ‘sandwich technology’ for the improvement of barrier properties of polymer products for the pharmaceutical industry. Figure 2 shows a pharmaceutical drug container with cap, each made of two different hard polymers. With the systematic combination of two materials, RAUMEDIC accomplished a water vapour permeation improvement of more than 70% in comparison to existing drug containers in the market.

Multi-component technology is an example of the development and manufacturing expertise of RAUMEDIC and its customer-oriented conversion into high-quality medical and pharmaceutical products. RAUMEDIC meets all the requirements for generating tailormade solutions in the areas of rapid prototyping, material development, precision and multi-component injection moulding, injection of moulded parts onto tubes, extrusion, microextrusion, multi-layer extrusion, part assembly, end packaging, sterilisation and certification. The company creates complex concepts and developments for its customers and is consistently putting these into practice.

RAUMEDIC provides customer service worldwide through local subsidiaries and the development and processing competence centre in Münchberg. The company has established a comprehensive quality management system encompassing all processes throughout the organisation (marketing, research and development, production, quality and sales). The quality management system is process-oriented and certified in compliance with ISO 13485: 2003.

Company profile

RAUMEDIC is a spin-off of REHAU AG + Co providing customerspecific polymer products and complete assembled systems on fully automated manufacturing machines, all manufactured from biologically suitable and approved materials under clean room conditions according to DIN EN ISO 14644 ISO class 7.

For further information, visit: www.raumedic.com.