Yes! We carry out two type of plastic recycling, mechanical and chemical recycling.

Pre-use plastics are stripped from the item once it is removed from the print-bed. This is then placed in a bin we provide, which is collected and swapped by our field engineers during maintenance visits. This same bin is used to collect other types of plastic at pharmacies or outreach locations.

Post-use plastics are those which are placed in a bin after they have been used. These can contain any number of contaminants and we have special processes to deal with each. However, all our mechanical recycling and remanufacturing is done at high enough temperatures to kill all pathogens (195 to 350 degrees Celsius)

Automedi had many things to consider.

1. Whether the Automedi appliance was a medical device.

2. Whether what it produces is a device

3. Who the manufacturer is

We worked with the MHRA, BSI and NICE to evaluate the regulations that apply and what falls within scope. Both the MHRA and NICE confirm the Automedi appliance is not a medical device. However, given the versitility, it can manufacture medical devices.

So catalogues are made available to health establishments who assume manufacturing responsibility in accordance with in-house manufacturing rules and, with the healthcare client, marked accordingly. Of course, we also offer non-medical catalogues, like lab products and accessories.

More information on the regulations Automedi operates under, can be found at: https://www.automedi.co.uk/post/fit-for-purpose-medical-device-regulations-3d-printing

Automedi uses a circular subscriptions model. As it is billed at a fixed price every month no matter how much you make, it makes a price comparison quite difficult. Since it's effectively all inclusive. Make as much as you need. There are different ways of trying to compare old and new models. You can find out more about price comparisons, including a worked example, in this blog post.

Towards Net Zero (October 2020) demonstrated the NHS commitment to the environment. That's great, but plastics by themselves, are not automatically evil as long as you choose the right plastics (plant based) and process them correctly (recylable, and recycle it). That is what makes this a great question.

The NHS will adopt reusable items instead of single-use, disposable items, as long as safety, sterilisation and climate costs are maintained and employ novel polymers, like PLA (made from waste plant-based plastics) where it can't. Unlike stainless steel and glass, plastics are strong, light and require a lot less energy to process, clean and recycle. Eradicating plastics completely risks greater injury, higher costs and sometimes a bigger overall carbon footprint than reyclable bioplastics due to the amount of cleaning or the higher initial processing temperatures. Automedi works from a standard mains outlet, uses fully recyclable bioplastics and recycles them on-site. Removing all logistics and haulage from the cycle. Meaning its energy footprint is 33% of the standard plastics lifecycle. Contributing up to a 92% reduction in carbon footprint per kg across its lifetime and crucial cost savings at the same time.

We have big plans, sure! As amazing as that is, over time this requires the creation of a huge network of Automedi appliances to match existing supply. Our subscription replacements mean faster devices will be provided which can start to get us closer to our goal of cutting out logistics and reducing both emissions and plastic creation as the appliances become faster and more efficient. For now, Automedi takes its place in emergency alternative, on-demand supply.

Plastics can begin to degrade after multiple recycling generations in mechanical recycling processes. However, the effect of this can be mitigated through over-engineering, thoroughly mixing different age plastics and using chemical recycling. Which can take plastics from under half a dozen recycles before degradation to over 100 times. This means that each item used compensates for 100 of the same item. When combined with the mix of bioplastics (lack of crude oil derivatives) and emissions from delivery and freight, this means 1kg of plastic items makes up for 687kg of CO2. A radical reduction in carbon footprint.

Very!

Automedi is different. It basically splits up the capacity of a factory into lots of little bits and collects a few bits with a Reclaimer, and puts that cluster where it's going to be used, not where a factory can be placed.

Items are made on demand, where it's used, from recycled material collected where it's used, there isn't any freight or disposal emissions. Also, while it's being made to demand, there isn't anywhere near as much of a requirement for storage. Because it never takes you 7 1/2 to 8 weeks to get an item into your hands. Though you can pre-make a small number of items if you wanted to (and there are use cases where it's beneficial to hold a small store of maybe 5 items per machines for immediate capacity). But the greatest demonstration of scale is what it can do when the machines work in parallel.

Because Automedi is “Demand Side” manufacturing, it is placed where the people need stuff, not where we can put a factory. This means you don't need freight or logistics.

Example:

An order arrives for 1 million items. A conventional factory warms up the machines and starts putting the plastics in at one end for three or four machines in a line to then pop something out at the other. Suppose it makes 10,000 items every hour. This completes the order in 100 hours, running 16 hours a day. It then takes 0.75 days to pallet up and send out in a lorry. Say each Automedi appliance on its own delivers 50 items every hour. It sounds a lot less, but remember they operate in parallel and each machine is located where it's going to be used. Saving the freight and logistics time. 50 items are also well within what would normally be requested by an individual GP surgery say. Since this platform effectively places hundreds and thousands of manufacturing nodes in pharmacies, GP practises, hospitals etc. together with the reclaimers, 20,000 machines can work in parallel, and delivers 1,000,000 items within one hour! In the hands of care staff