press | release
ENGEL at Plast 2015 in Milan
Schwertberg/Austria – March 2015
With highly integrated and automated system solutions from a single source
ENGEL increases product quality, manufacturing efficiency and thus its
customers' competitiveness. The injection moulding machine manufacturer
and system supplier will demonstrate how this can be translated to practice
with five innovative applications at PLAST 2015 in Milan, Italy from 5th to 9th
May.
Double technology integration opens new vistas of quality
The trend of process integration as a path to greater efficiency, safety and quality is well
established. Now it is necessary to adopt a more diversified stance. The object is no longer
simply to integrate process steps upstream or downstream of injection moulding, but also to
combine different process technologies with one another. To produce centre console
components in PC-ABS at its trade show stand, ENGEL will be using an ENGEL duo
2550/550 injection moulding machine with integrated ENGEL viper 20 robot to combine two
technologies: ENGEL foammelt, the MuCell foam injection moulding process developed by
Trexel of Wilmington in the USA, and ENGEL variomelt, a variothermal injection moulding
process on the basis of Roctool technologies (Le Bourget du Lac, France). The double
technology integration enables the production of thin-walled parts with very high quality
surfaces and excellent fine structure reproduction at the same time in a single injection
moulding step.
To demonstrate the versatility of this amalgamation of processes, the sample part will have
varying wall thicknesses and surface structures. Thanks to ENGEL foammelt the cavity,
including the undercuts, is completely filled, and the component has no sink marks after
cooling; meanwhile variothermal temperature control provides a high gloss finish without
weld lines.
Efficient solution for the highest design requirements
In cooperation with its customer Wegaplast (Toscanella di Dozza, Italien), ENGEL has
been developed a production process for designobjects, also using variothermal injection
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH | A-4311 Schwertberg | tel: +43 (0)50 620 0 | fax: +43 (0)50 620 3009
e-mail: sales@engel.at | http://www.engelglobal.com
1
press | release
moulding technology. In this application HB-Therm (St. Gallen, Switzerland) is the partner
for heating and cooling.
The little trees out of PC-ABS with a high-gloss piano black finish make a good figure
whether as a doorstop, bookend, or smartphone holder for battery recharging. The objects
have been designed by Francesca Acciardi, who has been awarded with a prize from the
ISIA Design Institute in Faenza, Italy.
During the trade show a tie-bar-less ENGEL victory 330/80 tech injection moulding machine
and an ENGEL viper 6 robot to will be used. For controlling the whole injection moulding
process centrally via the CC300 control panel of the injection moulding machine, HB-Therm’s
switching unit Vario-5 will be integrated using an interface.
The tie-bar-less clamping unit of the ENGEL victory injection moulding machine further
contribute to a high overall efficiency. Since the mould mounting platens can be used to the
hilt, the relatively large mould can be mounted on a small injection moulding machine,
resulting in a compact manufacturing cell and low operating costs.
The ENGEL victory tech on show at Plast 2015 will feature the ENGEL ecodrive servohydraulic system. With ecodrive, the energy consumption of hydraulic drives is reduced by
up to 70 %, depending on machine type and application.
Highest performance with maximum energy efficiency
500 ml food containers will be produced on an all-electric ENGEL e-motion 440/160 featuring
a 2-cavity mould by Glaroform (Näfels, Switzerland). In-mould labelling (IML) will be used to
decorate the packaging; to do this, ENGEL will collaborate with partner company BECK
automation (Oberengstringen, Switzerland).
The steady enhancement of the ENGEL e-motion series is serving to establish the machines
in the field of high performance applications for the packaging industry. The newest machine
generation is able to achieve cycle times of well under three seconds and injection speeds of
more than 500 mm per second, thereby combining maximum performance with maximum
energy efficiency. The closed system for toggle lever and spindle always guarantees optimal,
clean lubrication of all moving machine components. This makes the ENGEL e-motion the
preferred machine type even in regulated areas such as food packaging production.
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH | A-4311 Schwertberg | tel: +43 (0)50 620 0 | fax: +43 (0)50 620 3009
e-mail: sales@engel.at | http://www.engelglobal.com
2
press | release
Higher productivity per square metre of production space
Using the example of a medical technology application ENGEL demonstrates how maximum
efficiency can be reconciled with maximum process reliability. An all-electric ENGEL e-mac
440/100 injection moulding machine will be manufacturing polystyrene needle holders for
safety hypodermics using a 16-cavity precision mould by Fostag, Stein am Rhein,
Switzerland.
The ENGEL e-mac injection moulding machines provide extremely high repeatability, and
reduced cycle times with parallel movement of the different drive axes. From injecting and
metering to mould and ejector movements, all drives in the ENGEL e-mac are servo-electric.
This guarantees the best possible precision and process stability while maximizing the
effectiveness of the machine as a whole. The drives are operated by a modern axis system
solution involving a stabilised intermediate circuit in which the braking energy is recovered
and fed back into the grid, thereby achieving very high energy efficiency. The ENGEL e-mac
achieves a very high acceleration of up to 20 m/s² on the injection axis. Another benefit is the
compact size of the ENGEL e-mac machines which provides space-saving solutions. As a
result, the productivity per square foot of production space increases, which has become a
key figure for efficiency in an increasing number of businesses.
Efficient use of LIM multi-component processes
The main demands as regards the processing of liquid silicone (LSR) are that it must be fully
automatic, waste-free, low in burrs and require no reworking. An ENGEL e-victory
200H/80W/120 combi injection moulding machine – automated with an ENGEL viper 20
linear robot – will impressively show that ENGEL system solutions not only meet these
requirements fully, but also handle LIM multi-component processes securely and efficiently.
A mould provided by ACH solution (Fischlham, Austria) will be used to produce sensor
housings for flow measurement with integrated seals. ENGEL can guarantee maximum
precision by using servo-powered injection units. The shot weight is 0,04 g per part, i.e. a
total of 0,16 g. Normally the LSR field requires special solutions where very small injection
unit volumes are involved. In this case ENGEL meet that need with a standard unit. For
dosing the LSR, mini-pumps with 1 litre cartridges are used. They work inside the machine's
safety gate without needing extra space. Developed and patented by ENGEL, iQ weight
control software applied in the system recognises and automatically compensates for
fluctuations in melt quantity during the actual injection process.
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH | A-4311 Schwertberg | tel: +43 (0)50 620 0 | fax: +43 (0)50 620 3009
e-mail: sales@engel.at | http://www.engelglobal.com
3
press | release
The tie-bar-less technology of the ENGEL e-victory machine also makes a decisive
contribution to high process stability in this application, while the patented force divider
evenly introduces force to the mould across the platen face. Both outer and inner cavities are
thereby kept closed with precisely identical force, significantly reducing mould wear and
raising product quality. On top of this, free access to the tie-bar-less machine's mould area
facilitates the most effective automation concepts.
ENGEL at PLAST 2015: Hall 24, Stand B81/C82
ENGEL will be using an ENGEL duo large-scale machine to integrate two different process
technologies: ENGEL foammelt and ENGEL variomelt. This results in very high quality surfaces and
excellent reproduction of fine structures.
Art for many purposes: the designobject being produced on an ENGEL victory machine makes a good
figure whether as a doorstop, bookend, or smartphone holder.
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH | A-4311 Schwertberg | tel: +43 (0)50 620 0 | fax: +43 (0)50 620 3009
e-mail: sales@engel.at | http://www.engelglobal.com
4
press | release
All-electric ENGEL e-motion machines are being used for more and more high performance
applications in the packaging industry.
With its compact size, the ENGEL e-mac machines provide space-saving solutions.
The tie-bar-less clamping unit of the ENGEL e-victory injeciton moulding machine makes a decisive
contribution to high process stability.
Pictures: ENGEL
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH | A-4311 Schwertberg | tel: +43 (0)50 620 0 | fax: +43 (0)50 620 3009
e-mail: sales@engel.at | http://www.engelglobal.com
5
press | release
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH
ENGEL is one of the globally leading manufacturers of plastics processing machines. Today, the
ENGEL Group offers a full range of technology modules for plastics processing as a single source
supplier: Injection moulding machines for thermoplastics and elastomers, and automation, with the
assurance that individual components are also competitive and successful in the world markets. With
nine production plants in Europe, North America and Asia (China, Korea), subsidiaries and
representatives in over 85 countries, ENGEL offers its customers the optimal global support they need
to compete and succeed with new technologies and leading-edge production systems.
Contact for journalists:
Birgit Degwerth, Group Marketing Director, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH,
Ludwig-Engel-Straße 1, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,
Tel.: +43 (0)50/620-3800, Fax: -3009, E-mail: birgit.degwerth@engel.at
Susanne Zinckgraf, Manager Public Relations, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH,
Ludwig-Engel-Straße 1, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria
PR-Office: Theodor-Heuss-Str. 85, D-67435 Neustadt/Germany,
Tel.: +49 (0)6327/97699-02, Fax: -03, E-mail: susanne.zinckgraf@engel.at
Contact for readers:
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, Ludwig-Engel-Straße 1, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,
Tel.: +43 (0)50/620-0, Fax: -3009, E-mail: sales@engel.at
www.engelglobal.com
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH | A-4311 Schwertberg | tel: +43 (0)50 620 0 | fax: +43 (0)50 620 3009
e-mail: sales@engel.at | http://www.engelglobal.com
6