Manufacturing smoothly in the cleanroom

Model example of compactness and efficiency: the patented injection molding technology RotaricE²® by Braunform, here in the form of a 4+4 injection mold for demonstrating the manufacturing of Luer connectors. (Photo: Braunform)

Based on RotaricE²®, Braunform offers series tools with up to 64+64 cavities, here is an illustrative example with 48+48 cavities. (Photo: Braunform)

(V. left and right:) Reinhard Steger and Nico Kramer from Braunform, as well as customer advisor Ronald Baumhöfer from Oerlikon, examine a tool guide column with the new, shimmering Balzers coating BALINIT MAYURA. (Photo: Braunform)

The patented injection molding technology RotaricE²® promises maximum compactness and efficiency. Designer Braunform, innovation driver for precision mold making, combines several production steps in its cleanroom tool, demonstrated by the manufacturing example of pharmaceutical caps. The long-standing partner Oerlikon Balzers' coatings ensure lubrication-free mobility of the technology in the tightest spaces.

Braunform from Bahlingen am Kaiserstuhl has established a reputation as a globally leading partner in plastic mold manufacturing – especially with the goal of increasing production efficiency and reducing costs. This mission is impressively realized by the RotaricE²® tool concept, saving customers time, money, space, and production area. It consolidates two-component injection molding with servo technology and assembly of the component in the tightest space. As a result, the final tool replaces the function of two injection molding tools and machines, as well as a line for assembling the individual parts.

How this looks in practice is demonstrated by the production of Luer connectors, delicate two-component closures for the pharmaceutical industry. For this, Braunform built a 4+4-cavity tool as a demonstration basis for later series tools with up to 64+64 cavities. Its special feature: The multi-component injection molding tool combines the 2K core-back function, the Luer cap, and unscrewing with servo-electric drives in the smallest space.

Lubricated with three high-performance layers

In addition, the tool is cleanroom-compatible. This is ensured by the proven MED Mold® concept, which Braunform has been using and further developing in its own cleanroom production in nearby Endingen for pharmaceutical customers since 2010. An important component for low-fat and low-emission cleanroom manufacturing are low-friction coatings. They help ensure the largely lubricant-free operation of movable parts in the tool. “Articles for pharmaceuticals and medical devices must not be contaminated during production. Therefore, powerful coatings are indispensable,” says Reinhard Steger, Senior Business Development Manager at Braunform.

The Badener rely on three layers from their long-standing partner Oerlikon Balzers: on the DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating BALINIT DYLYN as corrosion protection with anti-adhesion properties, especially for the moving parts with sliding elements; on the very smooth, scratch-resistant S3p coating BALIQ CRONOS for better demolding, forming elements, and contours; and on the hardening of mold surfaces with the diffusion process BALITHERM PRIMEFORM.

“A partner who speaks our language”

“We use coatings from Oerlikon for almost every tool,” emphasizes Nico Kramer. The head of production planning at Braunform also explains why: “Oerlikon has an extremely broad, FDA-compliant coating portfolio for virtually all applications. The company is innovative, our Oerlikon support partners are knowledgeable and speak our language. Above all, our meticulously manufactured parts are handled conscientiously. Coating is the final step in the process chain, where all previously incurred costs are at stake. Oerlikon meets all our requirements.”

This also applies with regard to customers. In the pharmaceutical industry, an injection molding tool must reliably operate for ten to fifteen years, reaching production volumes in the tens of millions. Sometimes replacement or expansion tools are needed, which must be a 100% replica of the predecessor. Against this background, Braunform builds 100 to 130 tools per year and sets the bar very high. This is exactly what RotaricE²® stands for, and Oerlikon also aims to stand for its surface solutions.