Open houses scheduled at KraussMaffei, Ferromatik Milacron

Every year the German plastics machinery manufacturing landscape is enlivened by a few open houses where a processor can get his fill of new machinery technology as well as the fresh bread and pretzels, bratwurst and good beer for which the country also is well known.

This year's lineup of machinery manufacturer open house events began with Arburg's Tech Days in March, which attracted more than 5200 visitors.	Shown here is a hybrid version of the F 80, currently the smallest model in the new modular F-Series

PlasticsToday last month had the pleasure of attending Arburg's annual Tech Days event along with, reports Arburg, some 5200 other people interested in the companies products. The highlight among the new machine s is Arburg's new Edrive range of electric press, which the company says is its answer to processors' need for a machine that delivers the benefits of all-electric drive technology, but at an "attractive price" closer to comparable hydraulic machines.

On the horizon are two other events, both in May, at noted plastics processing machinery manufacturers. The first, the KraussMaffei Competence Forum, will be held at that company's headquarters in Munich on May 19, 2011. The motto for this year's event is "Technology³ - Machinery, Processes, Service," with the company planning to showcase its injection molding, reaction process (PUR) and extrusion machinery.

The event coincides with the opening of the company's new technical center. The event will include more than 30 machine exhibits as well as stands manned by 30 partner firms (generally these are mold makers, suppliers of auxiliary equipment and suppliers of materials).

Among the exhibits are injection molding machines from KraussMaffei's AX, EX, CX and MX series, together with matched automation solutions. The latest addition to the EX series, the EX 200-1400, the company's largest electric press, will be teamed with an SR80 side-entry robot in a cell molding food packaging. Also running will be an IMC 3200-24500, molding pallets made of recycled plastics in a system combining in-line compounding and injection molding.

The company also will highlight its other multi-process solutions, such as ones where injection molded substrates are given high-quality PUR surfaces in a single step. Inline processes such as ColorForm, SkinForm and CoverForm produce parts that are painted, grained/soft-touch and scratch resistant, respectively, in a single processing sequence.

For extruders, the focus at the Competence Forum is on processing high-end materials for pipe extrusion. Visitors can see the whole production process for PE-Xa pipe on a fully operational extrusion line. KraussMaffei Berstorff is also premiering its new Internal Pipe Cooling (IPC) system, which is said to significantly shorten the cooling zone, with a KME 75-36 B/R single-screw extruder and a RKW 33-IPC pipehead in a complete production line for PO pipe extrusion.

Naturally there will be presentations as well as an evening get-together. Here is the full program and other details of the KraussMaffei Competence Forum.

One week after KM's event, on May 26, injection molding machine maker Ferromatik Milacron (Malterdingen, Germany) is holding its own open house. There, the company intends to introduce the two most recent additions to its F-Series.

The first model in the series, the F 160, was introduced at K 2010 in Düsseldorf, and now two other models (one smaller, one larger), also are available. Along with the F-Series, the Ferromatik Milacron Open House will showcase five other molding cells featuring in-mold labeling, in-mold foiling, the Monosandwich process, and twin cube molds. Auxiliary equipment manufacturers also will be exhibiting their own portfolios. Presentations by industry experts and guided tours of the facility complete the program. At the end of the day, guests are invited to a party.

"The Open House marks the start for sales of the new F-Series," said Robert Trube, Director Sales & Marketing at Ferromatik Milacron. "Once all of the models have been introduced, the complete series will include ten sizes ranging from 500 - 6500 kN." The F-Series will gradually replace the company's current lines of all-electric, hydraulic, and hybrid machines. The new machines are designed to allow for any number of module configurations so that every machine is, in effect, customized.

To register for the Open House, contact Ferromatik Milacron at +49 (0)7644 78-0, or by E-Mail at marketing@ferromatik.com.