Ireland is a major hub for the medical industry. This will be highlighted at the Manufacturing Solutions Ireland exhibition on June 11 and 12. The event will take place at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Coonagh Cross Campus, Ennis Road, Limerick. At the exhibition, Starrag will showcase its newest technology, featuring the Starrag Bumotec 191neo at Stand T7.
Right after the exhibition, the Starrag Bumotec 191 machine will be delivered to Smithstown Light Engineering Ltd. This company is based in Shannon and has a 50-year history. It started with just four toolmakers. Today, Smithstown operates three manufacturing sites and employs over 285 people. Two sites are in Shannon, Ireland, and one is in Rzeszow, Poland. The company is growing fast. The Rzeszow site recently moved into a new 50,000-square-foot factory. Smithstown works with top medical device and orthopaedic companies. The company invested in the Bumotec 191 to improve its production speed and efficiency.
Smithstown switched to medical manufacturing in 1990. Since then, it has regularly updated its technology. It works with well-known clients like Stryker, Boston Scientific, Zimmer Biomet, and Cook Medical. The company produces over 14 million parts every year. It follows strict quality standards because its parts are used in life-saving surgeries. The new Bumotec 191neo machine is expected to make a strong difference in their operations.
Gerard Henn, CEO of Smithstown Light Engineering, said: “We have been interested in Starrag machines for several years. We were waiting for the right time to invest. The Bumotec 191 is ideal for making small, detailed mill/turn parts. We chose this machine for several reasons. Mainly, it will help our New Product Introduction (NPI) team. This team supports our customers from the initial request for quotes (RFQ) through product development and up to production. Over a two- to three-month period, the NPI team works on 10 to 15 development projects. These projects include prototypes and small batch runs.
“This development work will eventually lead to full production. We see the Bumotec 191 as a very flexible machine that will help the NPI team. It will also be very productive for large-scale manufacturing. We expect the Bumotec 191 to be the first of many machines arriving at Smithstown. It fits perfectly with making orthopaedic and medical device parts from development through production.”
Besides medical technology, Starrag is known for its strong machine tools used in general manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, offshore, and power generation industries. At the exhibition, Starrag experts will also present other machines. These include the Heckert H Compact Series, the STC series of horizontal machining centres, and the new Droop+Rein FOGS HD. The FOGS HD is a six-axis overhead gantry-type machining centre.
