Improving Yield and Efficiency with High-Precision Blood Tube Automation
Many manufacturers drop molded blood and centrifuge tubes onto conveyors, causing damage, part accumulation, and rising rejection rates. When a mold cavity fails, later sorting becomes difficult and costly. Additional steps such as reorienting parts or pad printing add complexity, contamination risk, and slow throughput. Overall, the traditional workflow no longer meets modern MedTech quality and traceability requirements.
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- Patented VarioTIP® System
- End-to-end traceability
- 100% Inline visual control
Challenge
A leading medical plastics manufacturer still dropped freshly molded blood and centrifuge tubes onto conveyors, which led to tube damage, part accumulation, and rising rejection rates. When a single mold cavity produced defects, the team struggled to trace and sort affected parts later, causing costly rework. Additional downstream steps – such as reorienting tubes before assembly or performing pad printing – added complexity, contamination risks, and layout challenges. Overall, the workflow no longer met the company’s growing quality and traceability requirements.
Developing a Solution
To address these challenges, the customer implemented HAHN Automation Group’s highspeed, high-precision part take-out robots and integrated downstream automation directly at the molding machine. Parts are removed securely and accurately, ensuring defect-free, orientation-controlled handling. This enables cavity-sorted accumulation and packaging, eliminating downstream sorting.
The system supports advanced decoration like in-mold labeling (IML) directly in the mold and allows seamless integration of downstream processes such as coating and capping, minimizing contamination. The result is a fully automated, clean, and efficient production workflow with improved quality, traceability, and throughput.
