Measuring injection molded parts from the top and from the side in one setup has been impossible for medical device manufacturer Balda Medical, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, until now. Multisensor machines from Werth Messtechnik GmbH, Giessen, Germany, solve this problem with optical, tactile, and laser technologies. A special optical sensor head, mounted on a rotary/tilting adapter joint, allows the optics to measure from several directions.
Medical technology is a broad term, covering a multifaceted field, from implants to various instruments to large medical equipment. This is the case for Balda Medical, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany. It specializes in plastic technologies, specifically in automated precision injection molding of mass produced parts. Managing Director Dr. Rolf Eilers notes the company’s origins, which affected the choice of niche. “When Balda Medical was founded in 2003, the Balda Solutions company still belonged to the parent company, Balda AG. This was a shooting star in the German injection molding industry for mass production, rapidity, and surface technologies.” Mobile phone cases for every manufacturer were the main product. Because the company also had extensive expertise in moldmaking, the transfer of this existing knowledge to the medical field was a natural progression. Balda Medical has concentrated since the beginning on subject areas in which production volumes are over 1 million, and that have high standards for design, surface technology, and precision. The initial products included, for example, a dry powder inhaler for asthmatics, and a lancing device for diabetics. Each of these articles consists of over 20 individual parts, some of which must fulfill challenging functions, and must therefore be dimensionally correct.
Dr. Eilers sees the company today as a system partner in B2B. “We have our own product development department. Concepts for complete products are created there, even if they will never bear the name of Balda.” The company builds models and functional prototypes, and qualifies the associated machines and molds. The processes are then validated, so that the safety and function of the components, and the devices and systems made from them, are ensured, and this quality is documented for traceability.
