Six EX Series full electric injection moulding machines are manufacturing medical infusion equipment, i.e. three-way stopcocks and large volume syringes.

Close to 1 billion injection-moulded parts leave the B.Braun production lines each year under very stringent quality specifications, as most of the parts are used directly on the human body.

The company manufacture around 100 million syringes and 150 million three-way stopcock bank products each year.

There are 200 product variations of the stopcocks which makes mass production difficult. However Krauss Maffei and B.Braun have overcome this obstacle by placing injection moulding machines in cleanrooms that are directly linked to the assembly and packaging units that operate with minimal manual intervention.

The EX Series Injection Moulding machines with 80 ton clamping force were chosen for their precision reliability and longevity, as the long term use of machinery is of key important to B.Braun. The machines are designed specifically for complex mouldings and offer maximum dynamics and precision. They have precise platen control and coupled with the metering accuracy of the all-electric plasticizing unit The mold cavities can be filled precisely eliminating flash, which is an issue in the mass production of medical goods, given the high cavitations and corresponding shot weights.

The EX CleanForm systems have the unique feature of excellent accessibility of all machine areas for obligatory cleaning cycles. A closed oil lubrication system supplies the pivot points of the Z toggles and prevents lubricants from leaking. The production cell is virtually without particle or thermal emissions and potential sources of impurity are eliminated as the platen pivot points are completely encapsulated and tie-bars are no longer required as guides for the moving platen.

B.Braun has just placed an order for an additional two EX machines as well as two larger hybrid machines with 320 ton clamping force.