Shibaura unveils a press designed specifically for medical molding

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Elk Grove Village Ill.-based Shibaura Machine Co. is introducing its first medical-specific all-electric injection molding machine to North America in 2024.

The new EC110SXIII debuted at the Plastec West trade show in Anaheim, Calif., in February, when it molded medical high density polyethylene pipettes.

At NPE2024 (Booth W2743) the 110-ton press will produce a medical component from liquid silicone rubber.

Founded in 1974, the company is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Shibaura Machine Co. Ltd., which started in 1938 as Shibaura Machine Tool. The company now builds all-electric presses from 33 to 3,350 tons in addition to machine tools and die casting machines.

Shibaura's 50th anniversary of U.S. operations coincides with the new EC110SXIII. This press is painted white to give it a clean look for cleanrooms as opposed to the machine builder's standard off-white colored presses, according to Chad Clawson, manager of the medical casting and molding division.

"We're focused on cleanliness for medical cleanroom manufacturing," Clawson said at Plastec West, pointing to features, such as stainless-steel guarding to help control particulates and a cover on top for ease of cleaning.

"The ejector housing is enclosed, also to help control particulates, and the platen faces are hard plated, which resists corrosion and buildup of particulates that can get into your molded products," Clawson said.

In addition, the press has a raised platform for cleaning under the machine.

All of these features are new to the company's product line, Clawson said.

Clean room standards are demanding to meet. The air is usually filtered 10-12 times every hour and samples are monitored.

"As we reduce the amount of particulate a molding machine creates, we reduce the amount of stress on our customers' systems," Clawson said. "The less particulate introduced, the less to filter out."

Shibaura's all-electric medical press also is equipped with a longer ejector stroke of 30 millimeters instead of it being an option. This enables products with long draws, such as pipettes, to properly eject from the mold.

The medical-specification press also comes with NFS H1 certified grease, which is tasteless, odorless and physiologically inert.

For another new perk, the new machine comes with year-long subscription to Shibaura's industrial Internet of Things called machiNetCloud, which provides processors with remote, real-time access to machine data to control validated processes at any time from any location.

The medical-specific EC110SXIII is currently available in 110 tons, with larger sizes available in the future.

Shibaura usually stocks more than 100 injection molding machines in North America for quick delivery.

For decades, the company operated as Toshiba Machine Co. Ltd. In 1961, Shibaura Machine merged with a corporate spinoff to form Toshiba Machine. The name was changed back to Shibaura Machine Co. Ltd., in April 2020.