Meet demand with precision medical manufacturing technology
Meeting Global Demand for Medical Consumables: From Petri Dishes, Pre-filled syringes to Auto-Injectors
a Strong Foundation in MEDICAL Market
At Husky Technologies™, we are proud to rely on the expertise of our two Medical Tooling Centers of Excellence—strategically located in Switzerland and California, USA. With more than 70 years of combined experience dedicated exclusively to medical and pharmaceutical applications, these centers form the backbone of our leadership in medical mold making. The Schöttli brand, founded in 1952, has been a key player in the industry for decades, setting milestones such as building the first full hot runner syringe barrel mold as early as 1963. Complementing this heritage, Magor—established in 1967—has become renowned for its specialization in complex medical molds. Together, these two centers embody an unparalleled legacy of technical know-how and innovation, making Husky Technologies the trusted partner for producing high-quality medical components worldwide.
This expertise comes at a crucial time. The global medical consumables market is booming. Aging populations, rising chronic disease rates, and the shift toward self-administered care are creating unprecedented demand for precision-molded components. For manufacturers and drug producers, this represents a significant growth opportunity—but only for those with the right technology to meet the exacting standards required.
In this article, we'll examine how Schöttli medical molds and three advanced Husky hot runner technologies are enabling manufacturers to overcome production challenges and capitalize on high-growth opportunities in the rapidly expanding medical consumables market.
WHY SOME MOLDING SYSTEMS FALL SHORT IN MODERN MEDICAL MANUFACTURING
Two categories of medical consumables are seeing especially strong growth: laboratory and diagnostic products (petri dishes, pipette tips, reaction cups and blood collection tubes) and drug delivery systems (pre-filled syringes, auto-injectors and pen-injectors)—with the latter projected to reach $260 billion by 2033.
These high-growth segments share a common characteristic: they require exceptional precision and consistency that push the boundaries of molding technology. As manufacturers scale production to meet increasing demand, they face four critical challenges:
● Uncompromising precision: Components must meet micron-level tolerances for fluid control, accurate dosing, and proper assembly—whether for diagnostic clarity in laboratory consumables or safety in drug delivery devices.
● Material complexity: Medical-grade polymers like PC, COC, COP, and PFA require specialized equipment to prevent degradation during processing, particularly crucial for maintaining optical clarity in diagnostic products.
● Scale without compromise: High-volume production demands intelligent monitoring and tight repeatability to maintain the consistency required for both laboratory testing accuracy and drug delivery safety.
● Stringent regulatory compliance: Global medical regulations require validated processes with complete traceability and documentation, especially critical for components used in patient care.
These challenges create a clear technology gap—and a competitive advantage for manufacturers who adopt advanced molding solutions capable of delivering the precision, consistency, and validation required by the medical industry.
Husky's Comprehensive Approach to Medical Molding Excellence
Some molding systems have limitations, manufacturers and drug producers increasingly need a supplier who can deliver the advanced technology and expertise required for medical component production. Husky offers a unique combination of cutting-edge technology, specialized knowledge, and comprehensive support designed specifically for the demands of medical manufacturing.
The Power of FIVE: A Team-Based Approach to Medical Molding Solutions
Husky builds lasting partnerships through a team-based approach that brings together five key specialists focused on your success:
● Solution recommendation: Husky Product Development Engineers design optimized systems for your application
● Optimization: Application Engineers fine-tune performance for maximum efficiency
● Engineering: Project Engineers ensure seamless implementation and integration
● Start-up: Technical Sales Leaders guide successful launch and validation
● Field support: Field Service Experts provide ongoing assistance throughout your system's lifecycle
This integrated team approach delivers solutions across the full spectrum of medical applications—from pre-filled syringes and auto-injectors to diagnostic consumables like reaction cups, pipette tips, and petri dishes.
Comprehensive Capabilities That Scale With Your Growth
Husky's medical manufacturing ecosystem includes:
● Precision mold manufacturing specifically engineered for medical applications
● Integrated hot runner systems with controllers designed for medical-grade materials
● Custom engineering tailored to each specific molding application
● Comprehensive testing for electrical components and challenging applications
● Global support network providing local expertise and rapid spare parts delivery
● Advantage+Elite™ proactive monitoring system that prevents issues before they impact production
This end-to-end capability allows manufacturers to scale production efficiently while maintaining the precision and consistency that medical applications demand.
High-Quality Medical Molds and Advanced Hot Runner Technologies to Solve Manufacturing Challenges
To overcome these challenges and capitalize on market opportunities, leading manufacturers are adopting high-quality medical molds and advanced hot runner technologies that fundamentally transform production capabilities and outcomes.
Let’s take a closer look at three of these technologies:
Schöttli Medical Molds: Precision Engineering for Superior Component Quality
Husky's Schöttli molds are renowned for their precision, speed, and exceptional repeatability, making them the preferred choice for high-volume medical production. These molds consistently meet critical quality criteria while maintaining superior performance throughout their extended lifespan.
Key advantages include:
● Superior wall thickness consistency through advanced mold design and system integration
● Extended mold life with integrated alignment mechanisms and optimized clamp force distribution
● Faster cycle times through holistic process optimization
● Lower risk with comprehensive testing before shipment
● Simplified maintenance using mold ID tags and preventive maintenance reminders
● Enhanced quality control through integrated optical part detection
UltraMelt™: Superior Material Integrity for Medical-Grade Resins
UltraMelt™ is Husky's innovative solution for modern molding challenges, specifically designed for resins that are prone to degradation or used in corrosive applications. Born from years of development and rigorous testing, UltraMelt™ addresses the challenges posed by temperature-sensitive and chemically reactive materials often found in smaller, transparent medical components. It achieves this with:
● 100% non-reactive surfaces for processing sensitive medical-grade resins
● Preservation of material properties and part transparency
● Superior thermal profiles for consistent part quality
To support reliable, high-quality production, UltraMelt™ effectively resolves challenges including:
● Enables reliable processing of challenging medical-grade resins (PC, COC, COP)
● Prevents material degradation in temperature-sensitive applications
● Maintains part clarity and dimensional stability
Ultra Helix™: Exceptional Gate Quality for Precision Medical Components
Ultra Helix™ revolutionizes valve gate technology by delivering unprecedented gate quality that maintains consistency from the first shot through millions of production cycles. This innovative system ensures that even the most demanding medical applications achieve the pristine finish and tight tolerances they require.
The key to Ultra Helix's performance is its perfect alignment between the valve stem and gate opening. This design creates exceptionally clean gate marks and ensures balanced filling across all cavities. With its advanced heating system keeping temperatures consistent throughout the mold, setup becomes simpler and qualification time shorter. The technology also works with various sizes and styles, making it suitable for everything from tiny diagnostic components to larger drug delivery devices.
By addressing the core challenges of precision medical molding, Ultra Helix™ delivers measurable improvements in:
● Part quality consistency across high-cavity molds
● Gate appearance in cosmetically critical medical applications
● Production efficiency with extended run times and minimal maintenance
Application spotlight: A manufacturer of 0.8-gram polypropylene reaction cups implemented a 32-drop U350 Ultra Helix™ Valve Gate system, which reduced cycle time by 12 seconds while maintaining pristine gate quality—enabling the deployment of four repeat molds that consistently achieve required wall thickness and dimensional accuracy.
UltraSync™: Synchronized Precision for Complex Medical Components
Engineered for unparalleled accuracy and reliability, UltraSync™ sets a new standard in servo-driven valve gate actuation. This advanced system precisely coordinates valve stem movement across all cavities, ensuring consistent part quality from startup through millions of cycles—a critical requirement for validated medical production processes.
What makes UltraSync™ different is its synchronized plate design. By moving all valve stems together with exact timing, it eliminates variations between cavities that can lead to quality issues. The system also works with different gate types and sizes, making it easy to implement while providing the precise control needed for medical components.
These capabilities directly address key challenges in medical component production by:
● Ensuring dimensional consistency across all cavities in high-volume molds
● Maintaining precise control throughout filling and packing phases
● Delivering the exceptional cavity-to-cavity repeatability required for medical validation
Application spotlight: A polypropylene reaction cup manufacturer implemented Husky's 64-drop U350 UHT2 UltraSync-P system, reducing cycle time by 7 seconds while enhancing gate quality and cavity-to-cavity repeatability—enabling consistent production scaling while maintaining precision standards.
High-performance medical injection molding System
Reducing part variability and enhancing predictability are key in medical injection molding. Most injection molding manufacturers face a challenge of complexity when putting together medical injection workcells. First is having to specify and select all the subsystem elements and managing them to deliver unconstrained performance. Second is having to over-spec their machines, hot runners, molds and controllers to eliminate the high cost of producing a bad part. This generates waste, risk and ultimately limits the returns of such a project.
At Husky, we start with the end medical part you want and engineer the entire system. Husky offers expert guidance, and a comprehensive solution based on years of experience working with medical manufacturers worldwide. As a trusted single-source supplier, we provide medical injection molding systems and the support you need to ensure your success.
Take Your Medical Manufacturing to the Next Level
Speak with a Husky specialist to explore how our advanced hot runner technologies and Schöttli Medical Molds can help you achieve unmatched precision, consistency, and scalability in medical molding.