— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Look closely, or you might miss it: 0.002 grams – that’s all this tiny injection-moulded part registers on the lab scale, putting in the same weight class as a few grains of salt, a chia seed, or a paper punch-out. Two milligrams of POM, moulded into microfilters for use in hearing aids. German injection-moulding machine maker Arburg is showcasing just the machine for the job at this year’s upcoming Fakuma trade fair.

With it, four of these micro-components are produced, without sprues, in around seven seconds. This is achieved with 300 kN of clamping force, supplemented by a micro-injection module and an injection screw measuring just 8 mm. And because the microfilters don’t simply behave the way one would expect of a freshly manufactured component – that is, staying put – ionised air also comes into play, to prevent static build-up.

That’s just the way it is with precision: the smaller the part, the greater the effort required to get it just right.