Injection molding machines on full display at Drinktec 2013

At Drinktec 2013 (Sept. 16-20; Messe München exhibition center in Munich), Arburg and Engel will showcase injection molding machines targeting the beverage industry. PlasticsToday takes a closer look at what both companies will highlight at the trade fair.

Engel

At Drinktec, Engel (exhibition stand no. 326; hall B3) will feature an e-cap 3440/380 injection molding machine with a 72-cavity mold from the Austrian toolmaking specialist z-moulds (Dornbirn). This cell will produce 1.8g closure caps for still water.

Specifically developed for cap production, the Engel e-cap is promoted as a unique all-electric concept. The company touts that the injection unit features "premium" execution, and a platen ejector with increased ejector force and increased clamp speed. The Engel e-cap machines reach cycle times of well under three seconds (depending on the type of closure).

The Engel e-cap is said to deliver savings on energy and cooling water. The series is available with clamping forces of between 100 and 420 tons.

At the Drinktec show, Engel and its partners will present a fully automated production cell based on a 380-ton machine with integrated quality control. The patented z-slides technology from z moulds minimizes cycle times while ensuring ease of use and highly efficient production. The cap cooler is provided by Eisbär and the camera-based control system is by Intravis.

Arburg

Together with partner Foboha, Arburg will present an electric cube-mold application on exhibition stand no. 420 in hall B3. An electric two-component Allrounder 720 A will produce 12 juice container closures in a cycle time of six seconds. In this application, fully electric means that both rotation of the cube and the linear mold movement are powered electrically.

The advantages of cube-mold technology for the packaging industry include high-quality molded parts manufactured in very short cycle times since all four sides of the cube mould can be used for production, Arburg said. This permits individual manufacturing steps such as mold filling, cooling,or part removal to run simultaneously. The company claims an increase in productivity of up to 100% is possible as a result. A fully functional molded part is produced by combining cube-mold technology and two-component injection molding.

The Drinktec exhibit is a two-component version of the Allrounder 720 A with a clamping force of 3200 kN, which is driven fully electrically and operates with a 12+12-cavity cube mold for juice container closures from Adval Tech-Foboha. PP and HDPE are the materials processed. The large size 800 injection unit operates horizontally, while the small size 400 injection unit is mounted on the machine's moving platen. Both rotation of the cube and the linear mold movement are driven electrically.

The cube mould rotates through 90° four times, with all four production steps taking place simultaneously. The pre-molded parts are produced in the first station and cooled in the second one. The second component is injected at the third station. This is followed by a further rotation to eject the finished parts with the mold closed.

Arburg offers Allrounder machines from size 630 upwards, and they are tailored to requirements of the mold technology. This involves arrangement of the two injection units, adapting machine bases and the platen distance as well as an additional guidance system for the cube and application-specific software options. Depending on machine size, horizontal injection units are available in modular formats with sizes from 400 to 4600 and travelling injection units are available in sizes from 170 to 2100.

The entire cube system together with the servo-electric rotary units on the central block are controlled and monitored by the Selogica control system, including the sub-sequences closing, opening, rotation, locking and ejecting. This configuration saves additional time as a result.

All mold functions are also fully integrated in the Selogica. The movement sequences are precisely coordinated and harmonized through the individual selection of starting conditions. The system operator therefore has direct access to all process parameters.

Depending on the system, Arburg said the cube-mold technology offers more cavities over the same clamping surface compared with conventional molds. A specific level of production can therefore be achieved with fewer or smaller machines, which increases the efficiency of production overall and reduces the machine floor space.

"This results in significant time, volume and economic benefits in the series mass-production of parts, which are of crucial importance for the packaging industry in particular," the company said.