Carclo Upgrades Medical Production with Wittmann Robotics

Leading medical device manufacturer Carclo has expanded its automation capability with a further investment in Wittmann robotics, purchasing two Sonic 143 linear robots with the R9 TeachBox control to support high-throughput injection moulding in regulated medical production.

A key requirement was rapid, low-risk integration into an existing production cell, including mechanical/electrical interfacing, safeguarding to current British Standard requirements, and commissioning with minimal disruption to validated 24/7 manufacturing.

Andy Fay, Carclo – Mitcham Manufacturing Director, said: “After running 24/7 for nearly 20 years, the time came to replace our super-fast and reliable Wittmann W721 robots. These had been faithfully running cycle times between 9 and 9.5 seconds on a 24/7 schedule for nearly 20 years of uninterrupted production.”

“We had arrived at an important juncture, and I knew we required robots that Carclo could absolutely depend on. We had already installed several UHS and Sonic robots, so we knew what to expect from the Wittmann brand—fast, easy to use and ultra-reliable.”

Andy added: “The Sonic 143 stood out as the obvious choice. Backed up by personal service from Wittmann’s Adrian Walters, our production cell was measured up and all safety measures were built in to align with the latest British Standard specifications.”

Installation and commissioning followed, with a seamless swap-over delivered by seasoned service engineer Bob Essam. The Carclo manufacturing cell had minimal downtime and was back up and running quieter and faster than ever.

Andy noted: “Speed and accuracy are essential in today’s medical markets. Wittmann once again delivered two other vital factors—repeatability and reliability. The results here proved the correctness of our procurement and our ongoing relationship with the Wittmann Group.”

Adrian Walters, Wittmann UK area sales manager, said: “We are delighted to be supporting one of the UK’s leading medical manufacturers as it upgrades automation for high-output, high-repeatability moulding. Carclo made a great choice: the Wittmann Sonic 143 robot, together with the R9 TeachBox control, is a strong combination for injection moulders—helping deliver pace, accuracy, energy savings and reliable operation year after year.”

Technical highlights from the Carclo – Wittmann UK project

• Robot: Wittmann Sonic 143 linear robot; controller: R9 TeachBox.
• Axis strokes (as supplied): Z2500 / Y1200 / X500.
• Application context: 24/7 medical moulding with legacy Wittmann W721 robots previously running 9–9.5 second cycle times.
• Integration: cell measured and safeguarded; safety measures built in to the latest British Standard specifications.
• Commissioning: swap-over delivered by Wittmann service engineer Bob Essam with minimal downtime.

Based in Mitcham, Surrey, Carclo is a specialist contract manufacturer of precision injection-moulded plastic components for the global medical, pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries.

The Mitcham site features 63 injection moulding machines housed within white rooms and classified clean room environments. Production includes medical devices, drug delivery devices (such as asthma inhalers and insulin pens) and diagnostic consumables (reagent packs, pipette tips and point-of-care cartridges).

Carclo additional capabilities include laser marking, ultrasonic welding and camera inspection. The Mitcham site is a division of Carclo plc, a UK-based company with manufacturing operations in the UK, USA, Czech Republic, China and India.

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