Since embarking on its pan-European roadshow in mid-June of this year, the new CX injection molding machine series from KraussMaffei (Munich, Germany) has been presented at events such as Plastics Bavaria in Romania and at partner companies in Italy, complete with a live demonstration of the completely revamped small-sized KM CX 35-180. By mid-July, the Grand Tour had reached the information days at Stäubli Connectors in Bayreuth; the next stops are open-house events in Hungary and Slovenia, as well as the MSV trade show in Brno, Czech Republic. All in all, quite an adventure for the tiny CX 35-180, endearingly referred to as the “little one” by KraussMaffei.

Plug-and-play
The CX 35–180 has been traveling for the past weeks by truck across Europe, securely installed on a platform for easy and quick plug-and-play production. At Stäubli, it produced components known as crown wheels in cycle times of 15 seconds, using a high percentage of recycled materials. "The roadshow provides our customers with the opportunity to experience the major strengths of the little CX series live and on site and to field-test the products," explained Dr. Hans Ulrich Golz, Managing Director of KraussMaffei and President of the Injection Molding Machinery segment of the KraussMaffei Group.

Customers impressed by APC function
The response to the live presentation of the machine's APC (Adaptive Process Control) function, which can be used to substantially accelerate zero-defect production, has been very positive everywhere. Visitors could see for themselves how the APC system worked, by watching what happened when the percentage of recycled material changed during production, leading to fluctuations in viscosity. Visitors could witness live on-site how the APC function on the MC6 control system balanced the parameters and without fail, they were impressed by the direct visual comparison between an overpacked component molded without the APC function, and a good part molded with the help of the APC function.

As  Wolfgang Spettel and Thomas Carle, two roadshow visitors who worked at the laboratory equipment manufacturer BRAND GMBH + CO KG from Wertheim said: “The topic of production efficiency during injection molding is ever-present for us. Therefore we are always open to new, efficient solutions, such as the APC function. As a manufacturer of clean room technology, the clean two-platen technology of the CX series accommodates our needs quite well.”

Fast and safe mold changes
The visitors could also appreciate the noticeable timesavings and shorter set-up times for mold changes achieved with the new mechanical ejector coupling from KraussMaffei in conjunction with the mechanical bayonet clamping systems from Stäubli. The new ejector coupling is easy to release, opens fast, is easy to couple again and can be clamped quickly.

"In just a few seconds, the QMC 106 system from Stäubli produces a stable connection between the injection molding machine and the mold. In addition, a safety lock integrated into the bayonet lock prevents unintentional release of the mold," added Roland Rathmann, Key Account Manager at Stäubli.

Another improvement: the SPX 10 sprue picker is integrated into the protective housing to save space and does not have to be manually readjusted in a parked position. Even the data record for the new mold does not have to be reprogrammed; instead, it is directly coupled with the sprue picker and therefore automatically adjusts itself. "All additional components of the CX such as the sprue picker and the APC function are integrated into the new, intuitively operated MC6 Multitouch control system. That makes it noticeably easier to operate," explains Dr. Golz.

KraussMaffei has completely redesigned the successful CX machine series (clamping forces from 350 to 1600 kN) and has consistently taken advantage of every opportunity to increase efficiency. Optimizations have made the new CX 15% faster, its drive uses 10% less electricity and it saves 20% of oil volume. Good sound insulation makes the CX 30% quieter and it is 25% more efficient thanks to the sprue picker, the modified plasticizing unit and the new APC function.