Schneider Electric Case Study
Cavist Corporation
Reno, Nevada
Electronic platform helps improve
productivity and flexibility while
simplifying maintenance of low
pressure molding machines.
Make the most of your energy
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Schneider Electric Case Study > Cavist Corporation
The background
Low pressure molding, a process that uses high performance polyamide and
polyolefin (hot melt) adhesives to encapsulate electronic components, was
“We gain precision, motion
control, and flexibility by using
Schneider Electric products.”
– Kurt Carlson, President,
Cavist Corporation
originally invented in Europe in the 1970s and used in the automotive industry to
waterproof connectors and add effective strain relief. In today’s high technology
world, low pressure molding is used in a number of industries, including
automotive, consumer, industrial, and medical to protect electronics from
moisture, dust, dirt, and vibration, or to provide strain relief.
Unlike traditional plastic injection molding, the holding compounds used in a
low pressure molding process are heated to a viscosity of only a few thousand
millipascal seconds (cP). This allows injection into the mold-set cavities at
pressures as low as 25 pounds per square inch, resulting in a gentle encapsulation
of fragile components. Low pressure molding rarely, if ever, directly replaces
traditional molding.
The challenge
In 1998, Cavist Corporation (Cavist) set out to develop the most efficient low
pressure molding equipment in the market. The company began building its own
range of machines from the ground up, holding patents in the U.S. and Europe,
and its industry-leading Moldman™ line of machines. In response to customer
requests, Cavist also began to mold on a contract basis.
Traditionally, Cavist built its Moldman machines on a pneumatic platform. But the
company wanted to continue improving machine performance with more control
The Moldman 8200 low pressure molding
machine transitions Cavist’s machine line-up,
offering the highest volume yet with the ability
to inject 40 grams of material per second.
over the process, faster production, and less maintenance, and considered
migrating to an electrical system.
As a result, Cavist began planning the transition of its machine line-up to the
Moldman 8200 — its highest volume machine equipped with a shuttle table to
ensure high production capacity, two interchangeable melt units that allow users
to quickly go from one compound to another or simply keep an extra melt unit as
backup, and individual pressure control in separate cavities.
The partnership
In May 2010, Cavist met with Schneider Electric,™ The Global Specialist in Energy
Management™ that offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments.
Cavist executives met with Schneider Electric personnel at their Innovation
Center in Raleigh, N.C., a hands-on demonstration center where multi-disciplined
teams run live, working solutions. During the visit, Schneider Electric established
the benefits of an electrical platform built on its MachineStruxure™ architecture.
MachineStruxure is a comprehensive automation solution for industrial machines,
The MachineStruxure platform from
Schneider Electric improves the control over
the pressure set point of the Moldman 8200
machine, as well as simplifies maintenance
and ease of use.
based on flexible hardware platforms and SoMachine,™ a single modular, reusable
software suite. MachineStruxure helps OEMs design more energy-efficient and
cost-effective machines that maximize performance using tested, validated, and
documented architectures and application function block libraries.
Simplifying maintenance of low pressure molding machines | 2
Schneider Electric Case Study > Cavist Corporation
Ultimately, Cavist chose to build its Moldman 8200 machine with a
Magelis™ XBT GT human machine interface (HMI) with a CAN master module,
allowing the HMI to act as a controller combination unit and reduce the overall
number of components. The machine also includes several Lexium™ 32
servo drives, solid state relays, and Advantys™ OTB optimized distributed I/O.
The HMI, servo drives, and CAN master module all are programmed with
SoMachine software.
“Our customers are our main focus, and a machine that electrically moves is very
attractive because it’s quieter and much cleaner than a pneumatic equivalent,”
said Kurt Carlson, president, Cavist. “We gain precision, motion control, and
flexibility by using Schneider Electric products.”
The Magelis XBT GT human machine interface
(HMI) has a CAN master module that allows it to
act as a controller. Using its SoMachine software,
Schneider Electric programmed the HMI with
a specific algorithm for pressure so operators
can change the pressure set points via the
touch screen.
The machine also incorporates safety equipment from Schneider Electric,
including light curtains, an e-stop button, and a safety module that plugs into the
servo drives. Integrating the safety cards into the motion drives eliminates the
need for a separate safety controller and helps the machine meet a safety integrity
level (SIL) that Cavist needs to sell to European customers.
Above all, the new Moldman 8200 machine helps Cavist’s customers take a giant
leap forward in productivity.
“The double melt units allow us to inject more than twice as much molding
material as the Moldman 8000. While the Moldman 8000 can inject 10 grams
of material per second, the 8200 can inject 40 grams per second,” said Carlson.
“That means our customers can quadruple their productivity.”
Improved control over pressure set point
In addition to improved productivity, the electronic platform of the Moldman
8200 gives customers more precision in controlling the pressure during the
encapsulation process.
“Each customer requires a different pressure point based on the product they’re
encapsulating. If the pressure goes beyond that set point, the encapsulation
process could damage the product,” Carlson said. “Now we have electronic servo
control of a pump that creates the pressure, which gives us much greater control
than a mechanical device, such as a valve, that just opens and closes.”
The HMI is programmed with a specific algorithm for pressure so operators
can use the touch screen to change the pressure set points to meet their
specifications. The Moldman 8200 is the first machine on the market to offer this
type of control over the pressure set point.
Simplifying maintenance of low pressure molding machines | 3
Schneider Electric Case Study > Cavist Corporation
Simplified maintenance, ease of use
Carlson also believes machine maintenance is simplified with the
electronic platform.
“By adding a closed loop pressure control system, it allows us to make a simpler
machine with fewer components,” Carlson said. “In the same way, we were
happy to eliminate the need for a separate PLC with the HMI controller. The
communication between the HMI controller and servo motors is seamless. A simpler
machine requires less service and offers a more stable manufacturing platform.”
Ease of use is a core value for Cavist and Carlson believes the HMI touch screen
from Schneider Electric makes the company’s machines more user friendly.
“We want our customers to find that our machines are capable and easy to use,”
Carlson said. “The XBT GT HMI offers that ability. It’s a really good interface and
that’s very, very important to us as a company.”
Global reach, global support
Since Cavist exports some of its machines, having one manufacturing partner with
a wide range of products and global reach was essential.
“We absolutely love the support from Schneider Electric. It’s the most important
thing,” Carlson said. “Schneider Electric products offer a lot of flexibility and
MachineStruxure is a good building platform to make efficient machines, but their
support is truly where they shine.”
MachineStruxure is the latest addition to the Schneider Electric comprehensive
EcoStruxure™ energy management architecture portfolio.
For more information visit
www.schneider-electric.com/us
and enter key code t931v.
Schneider Electric USA, Inc.
Automation and Control Center of Excellence
8001 Knightdale Blvd.
Knightdale, NC 27545
Tel: 919-266-3671
www.schneider-electric.com
Document Number 0106AC1202
Enter key code
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Schneider Electric Canada, Inc.
5985 McLaughlin Road,
Missisauga, ON, L5R 1B8
Tel: 1-800-565-6699
www.schneider-electric.com/ca
August 2012
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To learn more about Cavist,
please visit their website
at www.cavist.com or
contact Kurt Carlson at
contactus@cavist.com.