American MSI Corp. recently ventured into a new field by developing software for medical-device manufacturers and extended its line of hot-runner temperature control systems by adding a mold-mounted model.
The Moorpark, Calif., firm unveiled both products at Interplas, held Sept. 30-Oct. 4 in Birmingham.
The software, Celltrack Pro, is designed to help manufacturers comply with a Food & Drug Administration regulation requiring documentation for every key step in the manufacturing process.
Celltrack Pro records, archives and transmits relevant data, including batch detail and downstream processing, equipment settings and measurements, as well as who changed what, when, where and even why.
Serge Jonnaert, executive vice president for marketing, noted how various federal agencies issue thousands of product recalls each year.
The software ``can reduce a company's financial exposure by limiting recalls to production batches with specific fail criteria.'' He said two major pharmaceutical firms are beta-testing Celltrack Pro, which costs $8,500 for a server and five licenses, plus $1,500 per additional license.
Separately, American MSI introduced its compact, patented Altanium CM hot-runner temperature-control system, which is mounted directly on the mold-junction box and can regulate six to 12 zones.
``We think the industry is going to move much more toward mold-mounted models,'' Jonnaert said. ``They offer tighter integration, don't use up floor space, and don't get in the way of robots.'' They also eliminate the need for expensive power and thermocouple cables, he said.
A 12-zone, $3,000 model is the lowest-priced controller the firm offers, Jonnaert said. Earlier this year, the company introduced its modular, small-footprint Altanium controller, which can support one to 384 zones with several mounting options.
