Plastics parts surpass japanese quality standards

To satisfy the very demanding, Japanese market for medical and pharmaceutical products a UK plastics moulder has installed static control devices to ensure particle free products.

To satisfy the very demanding, Japanese market for medical and pharmaceutical products, Sovrin Plastics has installed Meech static control devices into its cleanroom production and assembly facilities, to ensure particle free products.

The Slough-based company, a family business established for more than 30 years, has extensive experience of technical tool-making, moulding, production and assembly work.

However, its clients' marketing drive into the Japanese market, required even higher quality standards than the company had previously achieved.

Peter Wigmore, Sovrin Sales Manager, explains, "We have always been proud of our commitment to provide the highest possible levels of quality.

The challenges posed by opening up this new market demanded that we looked afresh at our total production and assembly processes to create products that would pass the most rigorous inspection under magnification." Sovrin's products are manufactured and assembled in Class 10,000 cleanrooms, but even in these conditions particles, for example skin cells and facial hair, can be deposited.

The plastics injection process that moulds the products creates a static charge on the items and this attracts any particles that are present which then cling to the plastic surface.

In order to reduce particulate contamination to the lowest possible level Sovrin elected to implement a complete static control policy to the production process.

One of Meech's team of technical advisors visited the plant to fully understand the issues and recommend the most appropriate solution.

The phased implementation included the provision of Meech static elimination bars positioned over each conveyor belt to remove static from the moulded parts as they are ejected from the moulds.

The conveyor then deposits the parts into stainless steel containers that are lined with anti-static polythene bags.

Each bag is sealed in another bag for transportation to the assembly facility.

Assembly work is carried out in class 10,000 cleanroom conditions but the possible threat of particulate contamination is significantly reduced by the use of Meech bench mounted ionising air blowers.

These are positioned to blow ionised air across the products to neutralise any static electric charge.

Any displaced particles are trapped on tacky mats placed both on the benches themselves and on the floor.

These mats are changed every two hours.

Paul Basten, Production Manager, Cleanrooms, takes up the story, "As soon as we had identified static as a potential cause of contamination we called on Meech to discuss possible options.

We have found their technical advice to be excellent and the phased implementation program meant that we could be certain of the effectiveness of each part of the solution as it was introduced.

We now consider the integration of Meech static control solutions as an essential part of our production process." .

(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 15 July 2002).

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