Simultaneously Moulding Large and Small Components

Engel and its client, Gallino Plasturgia Srl of Turin, Italy, have jointly developed an injection moulding system integrating a large and a small injection machine into one unit that uses two moulds in the same clamp. The machine has been designed for moulding car body components, rocker panels to be specific, in what the companies refer to as split execution. One set of panels, a left and a right, are made in the main mould, while the clips for the panels are made in a separate second mould positioned above the main mould in the platen.

The unit, based on the Engel Duo machine concept, has a two-platen, 2,500-ton clamping unit, and two horizontal injection units of very different dimensions. The smaller injection unit is positioned on top of the larger one. Using the split execution approach for the rocker panels allows the wall thickness of each individual component to be optimized. This results in reduced cycle time and minimum surface defects, including no sink marks. Both moulds are balanced with regard to shut height, cooling conditions, and ejection systems. All the mouldings are taken from the moulds by one combined robot head, which transfers them to the degating station and other postmoulding peripherals. They are welded together in the next production step.

On the injection side there is an ES 16050 unit with 135-mm screw, and an ES 1800 unit with a 70-mm screw. Each unit can be operated and controlled separately. Moulding production can thus be done with the same material in each unit, or any combination of different materials and/or different colours in both injection units.

Integrating what are essentially two injection moulding machines into one system provided the preconditions needed for faster moulding of these relatively large finished components. It permitted reducing cooling time through wall thickness splitting. It also allowed closer integration of assembly steps by moulding the different parts in equal lots.

There was no longer a need for buffer storage of either panels or clamps to maintain assembly continuity. From the quality viewpoint, the different parts being moulded under the same conditions in the same controlled environment means the quality levels of all components are identical.

Contact Information
Engel Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH
Dr. Mark Stelzer, Marketing
A-4311 Schwertberg
Austria
Tel: +43 (07262) 620-360
Fax: +43 (07262) 620-308