KraussMaffei delivers high-end multicomponent machine to French market

KraussMaffei received a milestone order in the French market when the France-based Texen Group (Groupe Texen), one of the largest global manufacturers of plastic packaging for cosmetic and perfume products, decided to switch to a KraussMaffei machine. "Texen was looking for a partner who could deliver an injection molding machine with outstanding application flexibility," explained Jacques Socquet, president of the subsidiary of the KraussMaffei Group in France. KraussMaffei was happy to comply.

With sales of nearly 170 million euros ($230 million) in the last fiscal year and almost 1,000 employees, Groupe Texen is one of the major companies in this market segment. The company manufactures injection molded plastic packaging and screw-cap closures at eight locations in Europe, North America and Latin America.  In this respect, the performance specifications for the new machine were extremely demanding. "We have integrated all kinds of process engineering, which likely cannot be found in France or even in the market as a whole in this form," Socquet said.

Groupe Texen opted for a two-component CXZ 160 - 380/180 hybrid with a LRX 100 side-entry robot for a wide range of technologies, and even features interfaces for gas injection technology and the processing of liquid silicone (LSR).

It was delivered equipped with many refined procedural and mechanical features, which increase its flexibility in the development of injection molded packaging. This fits well with  Groupe Texen's strategy program "Ambition 2020," which among other things calls for an expansion of R&D activities. To this end, the Groupe also recently opened the new "Texen Lab" innovation center.

The machine, which was just commissioned, fulfills all requirements in full. Fabrice Baravaglio, president of Texen: "Our new injection molding machine is utilized specifically for development projects. We envisioned a single machine that could map all of our requirements. KraussMaffei succeeded in making our vision a reality."

The CX Hybrid purchased by the Groupe has 1,600 kN of clamping force and features an extensive equipment package. The CX Hybrid series combines the benefits of a fully hydraulic clamping unit with those of electrically driven injection units. This series is characterized by low energy consumption and high power density. Each shaft of the injection unit is electrically driven separately so that the mold can be opened and the ejector activated, even during the plasticizing phase. Shot weights of up to about 140 g of polystyrene can be produced with the large injection unit. The machine is also designed for the injection of multi-component parts using a sandwiching technique and is equipped for molds in index implementation.

Furthermore, physical foaming (MuCell) is possible with all components. It also comes equipped with control system interfaces for essential processes for achieving high-end surfaces, such as in-mold decoration, SkinForm/ColorForm, DecoForm or Coverform.

The Dynamic Mold Heating (DMH) system from KraussMaffei is an integral part of these technologies. The system separates the temperature control circuits in molds and creates a dynamic temperature profile in the mold. This innovation minimizes the masses in need of heat balancing in the mold-halves and prevents the mixing of the heating fluid with the coolant, which ensures effective operation of the system.