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A slim, compact, and easy-to-run line of new, five-point toggle all-electrics is being launched this month by KraussMaffei Corp. (Florence, KY) at the Fakuma trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Engineered to consume 75% less energy and to occupy 25% less floor space than similarly sized hydraulics, KM’s new AX Series machines—developed in conjunction with Toshiba Machine Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan)—are built to help you dramatically reduce your manufacturing costs, especially with garden-variety, general-purpose runs. And KM officials say these machines will be very competitively priced.
Available as the nucleus of a fully automated, fully enclosed production cell that can include KM’s own linear-axis robotics and safety housing, AX all-electrics eventually will range from 50-350 metric tons. Features include centralized clamping system lubrication and precision roller-bearing guides for the moving platen that, together, reduce friction by nearly 80% vs. slide supports, virtually guaranteeing repeatable platen parallelism to help you prolong your mold’s service life, according to the company.
Several energy-saving engineering measures are said to make the AX Series up to 75% more energy efficient than comparably sized hydraulics. Take the water-cooled converters, for instance. They’re described as “regenerative-capable.” That means they “harvest” braking energy and control the machine’s servomotors with high efficiency.
Using KM’s user-friendly MC5 control, you can easily choreograph and direct all the functions of the AX machine and its integral KM robot in real time. In addition to simplifying operation, the full fault diagnosis for all machine functions that the MC5 provides makes maintaining prime performance much easier. This all adds up to more safety, repeatability, and reliability both for your machines and for your machine operators.
AX Series all-electrics use KM’s standard-issue connectors. That means you can use any of the company’s suitably sized plasticating units, including those used on the company’s CX and EX Series machines. Company sources say that these screws have been field-proven to provide long-haul service life, thanks largely to their abrasion- and corrosion-resistance performance properties.
They’re also said to have a well-established track record for delivering very high plasticating performance and a homogeneous melt. Add such injection unit performance to KM’s electric drive technology and what have you got? Repeatability, shot after shot—that’s KM’s answer.
Easy access to all machine modules and the AX Series’ swing-out injection unit reduce setup times and improve productivity, too, especially on short runs. KM has already launched 80-, 100-, and 180-metric-tonners. The remaining units reportedly will be available soon.
KraussMaffei Corp.
www.kraussmaffei.com
