B. Braun USA boosts capacity with a click of the mouse
B. Braun of Allentown, Pennsylvania USA recently acquired a top of the line medical IV tube manufacturing system from Maillefer (Extrusion) in Ecublens, Switzerland. Ordered in December, 2005, the new PML line addition was giving a serious boost to production capacity less than a year later.
The project got started when Louis DePaul of B. Braun’s USA operations began inquiries for developing production possibilities. “The B Braun corporate philosophy and corporate motto is to Sharing Expertise. Naturally, when it came time to upgrade our extrusion facility and equipment in our Allentown, USA plant, we consulted with colleagues in Germany; specifically, Karl-Heinz Jacobi, Manager Medical Production Technology to share expertise.”
Indeed, thanks to the remarkable input of Mr. Jacobi and his product development team, Maillefer has come up with a PML line configuration specifically suited for B. Braun worldwide. The performances provided to B. Braun factories are the result of this long established partnership.
Mr. DePaul continues, “Though we looked at two other manufacturers, it came down to proven performance and sole source responsibility, something we felt Maillefer could offer.
Our goal was to replace equipment as we moved into our new expanded clean room facility. However, after evaluating the possibilities of the Maillefer line, we determined that we could increase output, maintain a higher level of quality, and simplify the extrusion process while minimizing the disruption normally associated with the introduction of new technology.”
Mr. DePaul was looking to produce soft PVC tube with an OD of 3.86 mm (0.152″) and an ID of 2.74 mm (0.108″) at speeds between 200 to 220 m/min (656 to 720 ft/min). The tube needed to be “frosted” for easier handling and reduced tackiness of the coiled product. Product quality and production reliability were key requirements. The line configuration is described below.
With the evaluation results in hand, Mr. DePaul had the green light for moving forward. “From the quotation process to the factory acceptance testing, down to the final installation, Maillefer provided excellent communication and customer service. Their dedication to customer service was especially evident during the installation and qualification phase of the project. Despite some minor construction delays on our part, we were very pleased with the ability to hit scheduled project milestones. Our local representative worked closely with us during the installation and continues to call to monitor customer satisfaction.”
The new line has become a feature at the Allentown facility. Production is up for the soft PVC tube found in several of B. Braun products, like the popular IV administrative sets it delivers. By acquiring the most modern equipment available, the output is increased well over 300% from what was previously possible from their fastest line. The Maillefer PML line has become a showcase for visitors at the facility.
“In a word we are PLEASED,” states Mr. DePaul. “The line is well engineered, with controls and interfaces that are intuitive, requiring very little in the way of operator training. Construction fit-and-finish ranks with the best in the industry.
As the manager of the B Braun Allentown facility, and someone who has been in extrusion since the mid sixties, I never thought that I would see the day that an extrusion line would be controlled by a computer mouse – Indeed, the PML line is state of the art.”
B. Braun line configuration
NMC 60-30D extruder
Longitudinal TL-28 extrusion head + tooling
Frost system
CBC 32 calibration trough
Wall thickness gauge
BRC 032 cooling trough
Dryer 032
RCA 032 caterpillar
Dancer for coiler
Diameter gauge
Fully automatic dual coiler KWA
Nomos® process supervisor unit (with SPC, logging and trending)
About the PML lines
The B. Braun line is a customer specific configuration. But other PML models are available. Typical Maillefer medical tube PML lines deliver with rated speeds of up to 240 m/min (785 ft/min). The key components of the line are extrusion, calibration and coiling as well as the integrated control system.
For IV tube grade PVC, extruders are equipped with barrels that have spiraled feeding zones. The principal advantages of this unique design are a stable and linear output across the entire speed range, and relatively low melt temperatures. The well-adapted barrier screw with a mixing extension provides excellent melt homogeneity. An efficient barrel cooling system further enhances the extruder’s output performance.
An extrusion head developed for medical applications forms product to within tight tolerances for diameters, roundness and wall thickness. Besides PVC, extrusion groups are available for processing LDPE, TPU, PO and FEP amongst others.
The stainless steel calibration trough, equipped with a pre-vacuum chamber, is unique in its ability to maintain an extremely precise vacuum. This feature, together with Maillefer’s calibrator system, allows production of medical tubing with minimal OD variations.
The fully automatic KW dual coiler with a non-contact dancer ensures coiling quality at full speed without overlaps, crushing or excessive oval deformation. Operator intervention is limited to the unloading of finished coils. An integral guard around the coiler assures optimal security for the operator.
Several modern control system solutions are available and can be tailored to the particular requirements. They are based on an open architecture to meet the various user and process control requirements. Features include process monitoring, data logging with pen charting, SPC, event alarms, recipe storage, scheduler, report generator and video monitoring. The application is available in imperial or metric unit configurations.
For further details please contact Maillefer Sales & Marketing at:
Maillefer SA
Route du Bois 37
CH-1024 Ecublens
Switzerland
Phone +41 21 694 4111
Fax +41 21 691 2143
Web http://www.mailleferextrusion.com
Mail info@maillefer.net