Husky demos revolutionary self-cleaning mold technology for HyPET HPP5

Push-button mold cleaning in eight seconds instead of four hours, and 10 times fewer cleaning interventions on a machine? Believe it. At NPE2015, Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. (Bolton, ON, Canada) is providing live demonstrations of its revolutionary new self-cleaning mold technology for the HyPET HPP5 preform manufacturing system at booth W-2117. The new mold feature is part of the reduced maintenance package for the HyPET HPP5 system and can extend cleaning and greasing requirements to approximately every 500,000 cycles. This represents a dramatic improvement over conventional technology in the industry.

“With cycle times getting faster, one could expect shorter maintenance intervals, more maintenance and shorter mold life,” said Nicolas Rivollet, Husky’s Director of Business Development. “Instead, HyPET HPP5 overcomes the contradiction between cycle time and mold maintenance. Self-cleaning can eliminate up to 400 hours of maintenance time per year, which results in 5% more production time.”

Self-cleaning is a push-button that uses controlled flash of the tool to collect and remove dust built up in the vents. Completely automated, reliable, and consistent, according to the company, self-cleaning does not require an operator to go inside the machine, and can be performed as often as needed, as there is virtually zero time penalty on production.

The system at NPE is equipped with Husky’s enhanced mold alignment technology that enables time to first refurbishment to be extended three times, while improving cycle times and part quality. Using six sensors to detect the position of the core plate with respect to the cavity plate, the HyPET HPP5 mold alignment is a real-time, 3D measurement of the alignment displayed as constant feedback on the HMI. If misalignment occurs, the HMI provides specific instructions to resolve it. By simply turning a positioning device, the operator can re-align the tool with a resolution of a few microns, before the offset can cause excessive wear and impact quality.

Since its launch in late 2013, the HyPET HPP5 system has had a very strong response from customers, says Husky. In a short 16 months, the company has sold over 70 systems, nearly 40 of which have been installed and are producing high-quality preforms in customer facilities across the globe. The HyPET HPP5 system at NPE is running a lightweight carbonated water preform application with a 10.89 gram part weight on a 96 cav 50 x 140 pitch mold at an aggressive 5.5 second cycle time. With this preform, HyPET HPP5 is approximately 50% faster than industry averages for the same type of applications.