The focus on new machine technology at injection molding machine manufacturers has hardly slowed down, but the focus of injection molding machine makers at the show has certainly been applications intensive. “What you definitely do see here is that the applications being processed are very demanding,” explained Herbert Kraibühler, technology director at Arburg, pointing out finished parts made at his firm’s stand as well as that of some competitors as examples.

Kraibühler says he was somewhat surprised that machine makers, while hardly avoiding the topic, generally have not used the show to more loudly trumpet energy saving features of molding machines, a topic he expected would be more prevalent. “What I expected was that, at this point in time, we’d hear much more on energy savings, but I think we (as an industry) need to bring more information to the processors about this,” he explained. Critical for machine manufacturing companies such as his, he says, is to collect quantitative data on energy saved in production of finished parts, not simply on the molding machine.

Visitors to Arburg’s booth have been taking note of the firm’s broad range on display, but Kraibühler says the new large-tonnage machines have been especially welcome news for molders who already buy Arburg for smaller tonnage presses, and now welcome the option to buy an Arburg machine for larger applications, with the new Allrounder 820 S able to deliver shot sizes up to 2583g of polystyrene. Arburg’s Herbert Kraibühler says processors have shown tremendous interest in the firm’s increased injection capacity on the firm’s large machines.—[email protected]