Plastics moulder generates ideas

A plastics moulder in Herefordshire has transformed its business by focusing on developing ingenious designs that slash manufacturing costs in critical applications. One example from AK Industries is the design and technology used to mould vials used by Molecular Dimensions for its protein crystallisation X-Ray diffraction machines. The vials protect protein growth during transportation. They must be automatically placed for testing, identified, then returned to a holding unit. This requires the use of a pole-oriented, ferromagnetic ring. A particular challenge was the fact that the magnetic rings have to be the right way round. There is a magnet on the moving half of the tool, at the base of the core that creates the vial form. It is polarised such that it will attract the magnet that is inserted and moulded into the product. If wrongly positioned, it will be repelled by the magnet in the tool. A longer story appears in the forthcoming issue of Eureka.