Blog - Nissha 360

08Feb 2021 by sam tilkins

Today’s Micro Molding Challenges, Part 2: Tooling – The Enabler

Today’s Micro Molding Challenges, Part 2: Tooling - The Enabler Today's Micro Molding Challenges, Part 2 pushes forward the discussion on best practices for micro molding. It is well known that micro mold and micromachining are key to the realization of micro molded components and micro automated assemblies. Both capabilities require tooling and fixtures manufactured to extreme precision and positional accuracy in order to produce micro core pins, micro cavity geometry, and microfluidic surfaces. In Part 1: Tooling—the enabler, published in the February issue of CMM, we address the risk-mitigating criteria in micro mold design, focusing on runner style and gate style. This second installment details other such criteria in relation to gate diameter, parting lines, ejection, and cooling. Mold Design Criteria Gate diameter Figure 1 shows gate diameters of…

31Jan 2021 by sam tilkins

Micro Giants: Micromolding for Medtech

Articles, Isometric

Micro Giants: Micromolding for Medtech Medical Product Outsourcing article featuring Isometric Micro Molding, Inc. Micromolding for medtech is becoming serious business. The medical industry’s demands are continually challenging suppliers and manufacturers to stretch their technical competencies into areas where they may fear to tread. Doctors and surgeons urge instruments for less invasive procedures and quicker recovery times, devices are shrinking and becoming more complex, and designers seek out smaller, high-precision components with materials and tolerances that years ago were deemed impossible. To further advance minimally invasive device designs and reduce part sizes, manufacturers are turning to micromolding. By definition, micromolding is an injection molding process, but the manufactured components require magnification to view details on or within the part. It can also be defined as parts with sizes or tolerances…

18Nov 2020 by sam tilkins

Micro Molding Innovations For Medical Devices

Articles, Isometric

Micro Molding Medical Device Innovations Medical Product Outsourcing (MPO) spoke to the team at Isometric Micro Molding, Donna Bibber, Brent Hahn, and Wayne Shakal, to learn more about micro molding innovations for medical devices and the complex markets of biopharma and pharma. The big challenges of medical device miniaturization have created crucial demands on micro molders to develop new processes and methods that are outside the norm of standard injection molding. Michael Barbella from MPO discussed this impact through a variety of topics with the Isometric Micro Molding team. The Isometric experts share their 100+ years of combined knowledge on items such as what market forces fuel the need for micro molding technology, the impact of material advancements on micro molding capabilities, as well as the latest innovation in micromolding…

21May 2020 by sam tilkins

Thin-Walled Micro Injection Molding For Devices

Articles, Isometric

Isometric Micro Molding's micromachining of micro molds enables thin-walled micro injection molding in thermoplastic, silicone, and metal. To mold micro thin-wall devices, polymer selection, ultra-precision tooling, and knowledge of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) is critical. For micro molded devices to be small, compliant, comfortable, and/or flexible, they may require very wall thicknesses as thin as 0.002″ (50 µm). Also necessary is the analysis, tooling, processing, and handling of very thin-walled micro molded components. A growing number of medical and drug delivery devices require extremely thin walls that are consistent, pliable, and strong enough for either single-use or multiple uses over an extended period of time. Thin-walled vessels always accompany a discussion about aspect ratio (how thin and for how long it’s thin). In this article, we will highlight some examples…

02Jan 2020 by sam tilkins

Scalability of Micro-Intraocular Implants and Devices

Articles, Isometric

Scalability of Micro-Intraocular Implants and Devices Donna Bibber discusses some of these micro-intraocular implants and devices and the scalability challenges associated with each, from the perspective of a plastics engineer. Recent developments and new-to-market intra-ocular devices and implants have led to the successful treatment of a number of ophthalmological conditions of varying seriousness and complexity such as: Glaucoma Cataracts Retinal detachment Diabetic retinopathy Age-related macular degeneration Uveitis Dry-eye syndrome. Treatment of these conditions often requires collaboration between ophthalmological surgeons, pharmacologists, and micro-specific contract manufacturers. Development of these devices and implants occurs through a large number of highly focused, research-driven specialists, including and micro fabrication specialists, such as: Small, innovation-support funding programs Development companies that easily find a large marketing partner Big pharma funding the outsources of the development instead of…

28Feb 2019 by sam tilkins

How to Approach Today’s Micro Moulding Challenges Part 1: Tooling-the Enabler

Articles, Isometric

How to Approach Today’s Micro Moulding Challenges Part 1: Tooling-the Enabler Challenges in micro molding have not changed much at all in the past 20–30 years. The solutions to these challenges, however, have changed significantly. The most challenging attribute for micro molding matches up with the highest risk mitigation factor—tooling. For this reason, the top 10 micro molders in the world have in-house tooling design and fabrication capabilities. Outsourcing a micro moulding project to a micro moulder that has in-house tooling obviously mitigates the aforementioned risk significantly. Additionally, contracting such a company to not only design and fabricate but also maintain the mould for the life of the programme makes absolute sense in terms of mitigating long-term risk. This is because having made them, they know exactly how to handle…

12Jun 2018 by sam tilkins

Microns Matter® Proven Process in Medical Micro Molding

White Papers

Isometric's Microns Matter® Proven Process for Medical Micro Molding Micro molding for critical applications requires extreme precision and a consistent, proven process. After all, micro-sized components are often the key enabling elements of Class II or Class III medical devices and drug delivery devices which, because of their size, often require micron-level tolerances. With 30 years’ experience in micro injection molding, Isometric Micro Molding has developed a best-practice risk assessment strategy called “Microns Matter®”, which is used for the development and high-volume production of critical-to-function micro molded devices. The Microns Matter® Approach The Microns Matter® process follows a Japanese-like strategy — essentially, “plan, plan, plan, execute”. The axiom “fail to plan, plan to fail” is never more accurate than when it's applied to micro manufacturing projects. But the failure of…

06Mar 2018 by sam tilkins

Isometric Micro Molding is the Fastest Growing Medical Micro Molder in North America

Isometric, News

Isometric Micro Molding is Fastest Growing Medical Micro Molder in North America NEW RICHMOND, Wisconsin, March 6, 2018 – Isometric Micro Molding is now the fastest-growing medical micro molder in North America. Total growth since 2015 has included: 2015 63% sales year over year growth 2016 124% sales year over year growth 2017 79% sales year over year growth 1 to 9 micro molding machines 2 to 29 employees Isometric is a fully integrated micro molding and automated micro-assembly company with in-house 3D micro printing, micro tooling, micro molding, micro automated assembly, and CT scanning. This 5-tiered capability combination provides customers with the in-house controls necessary to mold, assemble, and validate medical and drug delivery devices to micron tolerances. About Isometric Micro Molding Founded over 30 years ago, Isometric has evolved from a…

05Feb 2018 by sam tilkins

5 Steps to Micro Molding Success

White Papers

Microns Matter® 5 Steps to Micro Molding Success With over 30 years of experience in micro injection molding, Isometric Micro Molding has developed a unique 5-step risk assessment strategy called, "Microns Matter®". This proven process is especially important for the successful manufacturing of medical devices, from the development stage to high-volume production of these critical-to-function micro molded devices. Vertical integration and transparency are key to our unique risk mitigation. We've repeatedly heard from OEMs that it's not uncommon for micro-molding suppliers to say that the work is “proprietary”, contains “trade secrets” or, “you can’t see that part of the process”. This level of secrecy leaves a large gap in design history files, which can result in increased design and clinical trial resources, time, and, in many cases, a restart with…

19Dec 2017 by sam tilkins

Biosensors Use Hand Held Micro Spectroscopy to Detect Cancer

Isometric, News

Biosensors Use Hand Held Micro Spectroscopy to Detect Cancer PCR, Assay Plates, Well Strips, and thin-walled PCR tips and wells have long been on the market and serving a scientific purpose. Micro molded micro surfaces and tiny polymer components are a scalable and economic method to produce these biomedical and laboratory disposables. Fast forward to the future where we are using biosensors and micro spectroscopy in a hand held device to discover cancer cells. Once again, micro molding and automated micro assembled devices enable the technology to obtain and analyze large amounts of data quickly with less capital expenditure. This research by WSU is on the leading edge of discovery and development of this amazing and global health solution. The continuing miniaturization of electronic devices has allowed sensors previously confined to a laboratory to…