European Industry News
New Tooling Process Speeds Building of Ceramic and Metal Parts
3D Systems Corp. (Darmstadt, Germany) and AlliedSignal's Powder Injection Molding Group (Morristown, NJ, USA) have signed an agreement to explore a new tooling application that could significantly reduce the time and expense involved in building complex ceramic and metal parts. The project combines 3D Systems' proprietary mould-making process using stereolithography patterns and AlliedSignal's newly developed metal and ceramic powders. Merging the two technologies will enable injection moulding of high-quality metal and ceramic parts with complex shapes within days of concept development. The process would also eliminate the need to create steel tooling.
A pilot program has been launched to develop a core group of end-users from a cross section of industries, including the medical, instrumentation, aerospace, and automotive sectors.
AlliedSignal's low-pressure, low-temperature water-based powder injection moulding formulations are easily moulded in 3D Systems' Direct AIM tooling and reportedly can be ready for firing in a matter of hours. The formulations can be easily ejected from the mould, dried, and sintered without requiring a separate binder burnout step. The new process, according to AlliedSignal Powder Injection Moulding director Cliff Ballard, will reduce costs by approximately 20% to 40% compared with traditional methods.
For additional information, contact 3D Systems, Rontgenstr. 41, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany; phone: +49 6151 35040; fax: +49 6151 350444.
Northern Ireland Med-Tech Companies Form Association
Manufacturing companies operating in Northern Ireland's health-technologies sector have formed an industry association, which has temporarily been named the Northern Ireland Health Technologies Business Alliance. The initiative was sparked by the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge (NIGC) under the auspices of its Health Technologies Task Force.
The association comprises more than 25 regional companies, including Meridian Medical Ltd., Plastofilm Industries, and Boxmore Healthcare Packaging. Commenting on the number of smaller firms represented by the association, NIGC chief executive Frank Hewitt notes, "The bedrock for economic growth is a vibrant small business sector linked in tangible ways to other, larger companies within their sector. The formation of an association for health-technologies manufacturers will provide an excellent base for companies to network amongst themselves." An equally important objective of the group is to present a united front when interfacing with government and other agencies, he adds.
More than 40 health-technology companies are located in Northern Ireland, producing an estimated turnover of approximately US$350 million per year.
For more information about the industry association, contact Stan Mallon, NIGC, Interpoint 20-24 York St., Belfast BT15 1AQ, UK; phone: +44 1232 468362; fax: +44 1232 468361.
Rapid Prototyping Comes to World Wide Web
Contracting the services of a rapid prototyping bureau to build a model can now be done entirely through the Internet, thanks to a system called Cyberbuild. Developed by Global RP (Andover, Hants, UK), this communication system enables clients to match their model requirements with a linked stereolithography (SLA) machine anywhere in the world that has spare model-building space. According to the company, SLA machine efficiency is increased as a result, thereby reducing operators' overhead. Those savings, in theory, will trickle down to the customer.
The protocol is fairly simple. Stereolithography files are E-mailed to Global RP, which verifies the file quality and faxes the customer a price quote. The component's basic geometry is transferred to the Cyberbuild system, which searches for a suitable machine with some downtime. Having achieved that, Cyberbuild transfers the full stereolithography file (STL) to the operator. The finished prototype is delivered to the customer by a reliable international carrier.
"To date, the only low-cost alternatives to suppliers of rapid prototyping services have been research institutions and universities with SLA machines," says Global RP project manager Nick Gladwin. The results, he adds, can be disappointing both in quality and delivery time.
Global RP does not intend to compete with value-added rapid prototyping suppliers that offer personal contact and technical support along with such ancillary services as vacuum casting, Gladwin notes. Rather, the aim of the company is to provide a reliable no-frills alternative to companies that have a fairly clear idea of what they want.
To ensure high-quality prototypes, all parts are built on 3D Systems' SLA equipment at settings of 0.15 mm or finer. Finishing work is performed by qualified model makers, and the part's SLA features and selected critical dimensions are thoroughly inspected before shipping.
For more information, contact project manager Nick Gladwin at Global RP, Crown Chambers, South St., Andover, Hants SP10 2BN, UK; phone: +44 990 168223; fax: +44 990 168224.
ESPA Appoints Secretary General
Volkmar Hierner has been appointed secretary general of the European Sterilization Packaging Association (ESPA). Hierner was born in Austria but has resided in Belgium for many years. He is president and founder of the Executive's Counsel, a Brussels-based consultancy that specializes in management, productivity, and competitiveness issues. For more information, contact the organization at 61 avenue de la Vieille Source, B-1410 Brussels, Belgium; phone: +32 2 3874548; fax: +32 2 3870303.
Pipette Packaging System Garners Award
Perfecseal (Londonderry, UK) won silver star honours in the medical device category at the Ameristage Package Awards for developing and designing an innovative film structure for a line of pipettes. The award, which was presented to Perfecseal during a ceremony at Westpack '97 (Anaheim, CA, USA) entitles the company to enter the World Packaging Organization's international competition.
PerfecPerf, the award-winning entry, is a plastic top web for packaging pipettes manufactured by Becton Dickinson (Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA). The design offers the user three options for opening the package: by peeling, spearing, or popping the contents through the top. Controlled perforations along the exterior polyester layer produce a clean tear path when the film is fractured. The perforations function as fault lines in the film but do not penetrate the entire substrate, thereby ensuring product sterility. This is a crucial factor, because the pipettes are used to transfer fluids in a sterile environment; a single instance of contamination could ruin months of clinical research.
For more information, contact Perfecseal, Springtown Ind. Est., Londonderry BT48 0LY, UK; phone: +44 1504 260744; fax: +44 1504 262829.
Pharmaceutical-Grade Polymers Introduced
Warner Jenkinson Europe (Norfolk, UK) has reached an agreement with Courtaulds Chemicals (Coventry, UK) to act as the sole European distributor of the company's new range of pharmaceutical-grade cellulose polymers. Hydroxypropyl-methyl cellulose (HPMC) is widely used in film coating, thickening, and other applications in the pharmaceutical industry; Courtaulds Chemicals developed the new range of HPMC to extend its existing Celacol line.
A supplier of film coating systems, Warner Jenkinson Europe is a leading manufacturer of high-purity colours for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic applications. For further information, contact Warner Jenkinson Europe, Oldmeadow Rd., King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4LA, UK; phone: +44 1553 669444; fax: +44 1553 770707.
CD-ROM Helps Manufacturers Self-Certify Devices
The Institute of Biomedical Technology (INBIT; Rio-Patras, Greece) has produced a CD-ROM that contains a classification guide for determining a medical device's risk level. Manufacturers are able to classify their devices in one of four classes simply by responding to a series of questions. All operations are stored in a database that is incorporated in the program. The CD-ROM also contains a directory that includes the full text of the Medical Devices Directive, working documents, vigilance guidelines, and classification rules. The Medical Devices Directive and Medical Device Classification Guide CD-ROM is available from ECRI, Weltech Centre, Ridgeway, Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 2AA, UK; phone: +44 1707 871511; fax: +44 1707 393138.
Griffith Acquires Caric-Mediris
Griffith Micro Science N.V. (Herentals, Belgium), a supplier of gamma sterilization services, has acquired control of Carix-Mediris, a gamma irradiation facility in Fleurus, Belgium. According to the acquired company, which has been renamed Griffith Mediris, capacity will be increased in order to service markets in northern France, Germany, and Benelux. Griffith Micro Science operates in eight countries worldwide and has six facilities in Europe. For additional information, contact Griffith Micro Science N.V., Atelaan 4C B-2200, Herentals, Belgium; phone: +32 14 258590; fax: +32 14 224496.
Chiron Invests in Britain
Chiron Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Chiron Corp. (Emeryville, CA, USA), has announced plans to consolidate its three existing UK operations on a single 32-acre site in Sudbury, Suffolk. The first part of the three-phase operation is scheduled for completion by late 1999, with the remaining phases spread over the following three to five years. The relocation will include the establishment of Chiron's first production facility of its kind outside the US. Chiron develops, manufactures, and markets a range of in vitro diagnostic products. For further information, contact Chiron Diagnostics, Northern Rd., Chilton Ind. Est., Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6XD, UK; phone: +44 1787 880022; fax: +44 1787 880033.
