product update | Machinery and equipment ENERGY


Engel introduces energy- saving retrofit upgrade


With the cost of energy rising in many markets, Engel has introduced a new retrofit upgrade designed to improve the energy efficiency of its standard hydraulic moulding machines by up to 50% depending on the application. The ecoDriveR retrofit option is said to be reasonably priced and straightforward to install. It uses a frequency converter to adjust the speed of the asynchronous motor and electric-hydraulic variable capacity (EHV) pump used on its traditional moulding machines to provide demand control. “Since a machine’s


hydraulic system remains the same when it is retrofitted, ecodriveR allows us to adapt older injection moulding machines to the requirements


TESTING Networked moisture measurement


Switzerland-headquartered Mettler-Toledo has added WLAN and Ethernet connec- tivity to its Professional range of moisture analysers, allowing test results to be sent directly to a networked printer or fileserver for archiving. The new func- tionality is being employed by the Swiss knife maker Victorinox, which is using a Professional


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moisture analyser to check plastic moulding materials prior to use.


According to Mettler-


Toledo, the automation of the testing and reporting functions means one non-specialist worker can now cover the entire Victorinox moulding opera- tion. It is only necessary for the employee to load the sample and press the appropriate shortcut key to start the test routine and file the result. ❙ www.mt.com


INJECTION WORLD | March 2014


of modern production companies quite quickly and at a relatively low cost,” says Wolfgang Degwerth, head of Engel Austria’s customer service division. “The first few users have


shown that, depending on the application, it can reduce the energy required by machines by up to 50 % without affecting the cycle time, part quality or reproducibility standards,“ says Degwerth. As with the company’s


latest factory-fitted ecoDrive servo-hydraulic system, the ecoDriveR drives are used only as required, such as when the mould is opened or closed or during plasticising and injection. At other times pump speed is reduced or stopped, says the company. The saving potential


depends on a number of factors, including machine size and cycle time, says Engel. As an example, however, its says a Victory 330/125 injection machine producing POM technical parts with a shot weight of 109g and a cycle time of 78.3 seconds will save 3.7 kWh of energy every hour using an ecoDriveR system – 46% less than a standard model. The retrofit ecodriveR can be added to any ENGEL hydraulic injection moulding machine with three or fewer asynchronous motors and electro-hydraulic variable capacity pumps. In some countries, the investment will attract government energy efficiency subsidies, says Engel. ❙ www.engelglobal.com


MACHINERY


Japan’s Toyo completes Si-6 range


Japanese injection machin- ery maker Toyo Machinery has filled out its Si-6 series of all-electric machines with the introduction of six new small-sized models covering the range from 50-230 tonnes. The company, part of the


Hitachi group, introduced the Si-6 machine design last year with three mid and three large sized machines (covering the range from 280 to 950 tonnes). The six new small machines, launched at the start of this year, complete the product line. All six of the new machines


incorporate Toyo’s V-clamp, which was developed in collaboration with Kyoto University and is claimed to result in very even force application across the mould, as well as an energy-saving insulated barrel. The System 6 controller, with its 15-inch touch panel interface and high precision mould safety system is also standard across the range. The three smallest


machines in the line – the 50, 80 and 100 tonne models – are equipped with the company’s high precision clamping system, which uses linear guides and a more rigid sub frame to minimise any misalignment of the mould during operation. Mould height extension is standard on the 100, 130, 180 and 230 tonne models. ❙ www.toyo-mm.co.jp


www.injectionworld.com


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