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Perspective | energy management


Making a case for energy rating


We all hear injection moulding machine manufacturers talk about improving energy effi ciency and new technologies but how can a processor know what is actual fact and what is ‘sales talk’? How can a machine buyer assess competing equipment and make sure they get the right machine for the job? Many other industries have faced this dilemma and have solved the problem by introducing ‘fair, accurate and credible’ energy rating schemes for their products. Injection moulding machine makers could do the same. As consumers, we are all familiar with the rainbow-


coloured energy effi ciency label that is used on a variety of products, ranging from refrigerators to windows. These labels quickly tell consumers which products are the most energy effi cient and allow informed choices to be made without having to closely examine numerous competing claims. Despite the unquestioned success of these systems in consumer markets, there is no current effective method in place for assessing the relative energy effi ciency of injection moulding machines. The Euromap 60 specifi cation – fi rst published in 1995 and revised in 2009 - provides a method of assessing the energy use of an injection moulding


www.injectionworld.com


Energy effi ciency expert Robin Kent explains how a simple “consumer- style” energy rating system for


injection machines could work, and invites machine manufacturers to consider participation


machine under a set of standard conditions. The standard details a means to determine specifi c machine related energy consumption but not relative energy effi ciency; it provides a number but it does not tell you how good or bad that number is. What is needed is a ‘better ruler’ to measure the energy use of machines to allow rating and easy comparison of machines and technologies. A system of energy rating will clearly identify the best performing machines. Euromap 60 provides a


September 2012 | INJECTION WORLD 19


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