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The next-gen melt delivery and control system breaks down barriers of traditional injection molding processes, according to Husky.

Clare Goldsberry

January 26, 2021

2 Min Read
Husky Ultrashot Injection System
Image: Husky

Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. has introduced the UltraShot injection system, which it describes as a next-generation melt delivery and control system that eliminates the deficiencies of traditional injection molding processes. It makes it possible to mold the perfect part at scale with unmatched quality, said Husky.

“With the UltraShot injection system, we are re-engineering the injection molding process,” said John Galt, President and CEO. “We are breaking down the barriers of traditional injection molding processes in order to achieve higher levels of capability, control, and overall part design freedom. The UltraShot injection system is a game changer and provides better control than anything else in the industry.”

Sheldon Alexander, Customer Support Manager, explained to PlasticsToday that UltraShot is the “biggest evolutionary step that I’m aware of over the last 25 years.” While the system still relies on the screw and barrel to melt and deliver the resin, “the melt is delivered to the UltraShot under lower pressures and lower temperatures, which maintains the material properties much better.”

Compared to conventional hot runners, the melt experiences fewer high-pressure injection cycles, thus preserving the original resin properties. This leads to lower molded-in stress and better mechanical and optical properties in the molded part, according to Husky.

Hot runners

A conventional hot-runner (left) is pictured next to the UltraShot Injection System, with an L/T of 140. Image courtesy Husky.

Alexander explained that the typical development of a mold and molded parts starts with a smaller cavitation mold — four cavities, for example — and scales up from there to eight cavities, then 16, and so forth to a high-cavity, high-volume mold. The mold development process can take up to a year. “The UltraShot system’s advanced injection control technology enables risk-free scalability with flawless part capability. Identical system behavior for each injection circuit provides process condition consistency with cavitation scaling. A predictable process from pilot to high cavitation — scalable to 128 cavities — enables processors to maximize cavitation without negative performance on balance or shot-to-shot variation. Brand owners can accelerate from prototype to high-cavitation production qualification, thus increasing speed-to-market.”

Husky developed this technology in response to an industry evolution, in which molders are designing parts with tighter tolerances and higher volumes. “We are at a point where part designers are more concerned with moldability,” Alexander said. “Can this part be molded, as opposed to its functionality.”

The UltraShot is a stand-alone product that is compatible with any type of injection molding system, not just Husky systems. This revolutionary cavity-filling control and process optimization overcomes traditional constraints of pressure, L/T, and difficult-to-mold resins, said Husky. This enables part lightweighting and process time savings and provides resin selection flexibility. Ultimately, this means greater part design freedom, opening up to endless possibilities for brand owners looking to take plastic part designs to the next level, said Husky.

About the Author(s)

Clare Goldsberry

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

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