IMA April 2012 Features-Machinery

Injection Moulding Asia Machinery

Better design directions for machine makers Conserving time, energy and resources are the design directions for most machines that will be showcased at the Chinaplas exhibition to be held from 18-21 April in Shanghai.

Yizumi will demonstrate its PET system

Solutions for automotive and electronic parts erman firm KraussMaffei will be presenting its CX and MX series that are targeted at the automotive and electronics industries. The compression moulding MX series has a swivel plate and is used for making multi-colour television screen frames and windshields. With low and medium clamping ranges, the CX multi-inject, meanwhile, is for multicolour and multiple component applications. Visitors of Chinaplas can also take a tour of the company’s production plant in Haiyan, where it will have an open house from 19-20 April.

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made possible with the integration of servomotor technology. Its dual plasticising unit enables parallel plasticising movement and the multi-pump system can realise parallel movement of plasticising and injection, mould opening or closing and ejection as well as robot product takeout, thus achieving a shorter cycle.

Swiss machine maker Nestal will show its latest 350 tonne-Pet-Line with a 128-cavity mould from Hofstetter and drypack system from Eisbar.

As new site acquisition becomes more difficult and expensive, Dr Boy will demonstrate the advantages of compact machines, namely its servodriven 10-tonne XS and 35-tonne 35E models. The XS, which boasts a footprint of 0.8 cu m and a stroke volume of 0.18 cu cm, will be shown demonstrating a cleanroom application. The 35E, meanwhile, will be shown producing protective caps in a 16-cavity mould. The machine has a maximum injection volume of 76.5 cu cm and a tonnage of 1.9 cu m, making it suitable for the production of technical and precision parts.

Energy efficiency will be a focus at Arburg’s stand where it will introduce its new 100-tonne Allrounder 470E in the Edrive series, which now covers clamping forces from 60-200 tonnes.

The German firm says its Edrive machines are primarily designed for the production of standard items such as technical moulded parts, making them an energyefficient electric alternative

In conjunction with the show, Engel will inaugurate its newly expanded Shanghai facility that now has double the capacity for large tonnage machinery

Austrian machine maker Engel will be exhibiting three production cells suited to automotive, teletronics and medical industries. Produced at its Shanghai facility, Engel will demonstrate its Duo 5550/700 pico machine moulding automotive components. The production cell is automated with a Viper 40 linear robot. For the teletronics industry, the Victory 330/120 machine will be shown producing mobile phone covers using a mould by China-based Nolato. To showcase electric machines, the E-max 310/100 will be producing protective caps for hypodermic syringes with a mould supplied by Kebo of Switzerland.

Energy and space saving machines hina-based Yizumi Precision Machinery will present its first servomotor-driven PET preform system. Compared to conventional systems, the PETA series is said to save up to 30% energy. This is

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Arburg will show the production of IML cups on a production cell consisting of a hybrid Allrounder 570H

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Injection Moulding Asia Machinery Four-cavity mould for protectors

to basic hydraulic machines. Furthermore, the E machines offer short cycle times and, with the servoelectric drives and toggle-type clamping units, reduce energy use by 50%, compared to standard hydraulic machines.

The firm will also present its 200-tonne Allrounder 570H hybrid machine equipped with a 55 mm screw and L/D ratio of 22:1. It will demonstrate a thinwall PS cup application, with an IML system from Beck Automation and four-cavity mould from Glaroform, in a 3-second cycle time. The cup weighs 10.1 g and the material throughput is 50 kg/hour. The use of transparent PS and a film printed on both sides means that the cups have a decorative surface both inside and out.

In addition, Arburg will present its hydraulic Allrounder 630S. The 250-tonne machine will be shown operating a two-cavity mould from Hejiu Technology to produce light-guide panels for TFT screens with LED background illumination. In order to achieve a high luminous efficiency, the components must be as thin as possible and require a specific optical surface structure possible using compression injection. At Chinaplas, 0.5 mm thick light-guide panels, with a flow/path wall thickness ratio of 350:1, will be produced in a 15-second cycle time.

With the LED lighting market to grow at almost 30% over the next few years and forecast to exceed US$5 billion in 2012, according to Strategies Unlimited, machine makers like Multiplas are keen to get a share of the market.

However, this is beginning for the ultimate replacement of conventional light sources, including high-efficiency fluorescent and HID fixtures.

The high brightness of LEDs has demonstrated dramatic improvements in performance in recent years, as well as significant cost reductions. As a result, LEDs are undergoing a period of rapid market growth in a variety of lighting applications. In fact, the industry will witness a growth of 28% from 20082012.

The Taiwanese company says it has been focusing on technology for lead frames for LEDs and has been supplying automated high-speed vertical injection moulding machines for many years. Its clients include Taiwan-based LED manufacturers of remote control units of televisions, panel displays, monitors and DVD players.

At Chinaplas, Multiplas will demonstrate a vertical injection (700 mm/second injection speed) moulding machine (V60-M70ASR-EPC) with a 128-cavity mould, which is used for the production of lead frame moulding for side-view LEDs.

companies S-mouldtech and Magor Mold. The company will have a 32+32 cavity stack mould on display as well as a four-cavity thinwall container mould. In addition, a 64-cavity mould for protectors will be demonstrated in action by Sumitomo Demag Plastics Machinery.

Sample product applications of its mould injections include customisable caps, closures, spouting systems, thinwall cups and lids, syringes, petri dishes, pipettes and infusion and transfusion kits.

Meusburger Georg will present its new product line of change moulds that combine the advantages of a change mould with the stability of a standard mould and suitable for prototypes or small series. The firm says inserts can be replaced quickly with the help of positioning wedges. Insert changing is also possible with the mould being on the injection moulding machine, saving time for refitting.

SAS’s new QSR and QST line of tool changers

SAS Automation recently introduced a complete line of tool changers that allow EOAT (end-of-arm tooling) and gripper systems to be quickly mounted to the robot arm.

The tool changers have two separate sides. The robot side (QSR) is permanently attached to the robot arm. The tool side (QST) is permanently attached to each individual EOAT. The EOAT mounts to the robot by fitting the two sides together and then locking them into position. The use of tool changers assures perfect positioning each time an EOAT is mounted.

This reduces set-up time and the risk of damage to both the EOAT and the mould.

Moulds and robots shorten cycle times nother German firm Schottli will present its range of moulds, suited to the packaging and medical technology segments, together with its affiliated

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