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120 injection unit with 120mm screw. The e-Speed machines are described as top end packaging units that use a high performance all-electric clamp with a novel flywheel- based kinetic energy storage system and offer a 2.1s dry cycle. The design, which is also available in a 500 tonne version, is targeted at thin wall packaging applications and was demonstrated during the symposium producing sealant cartridges in HDPE on a 16-cavity mould running a 10s cycle. Shot weight was 800g.
Watching part weight A new version of Engel’s iQ weight control software was also revealed. The iQ weight control software analyses the pressure profile in real time during the injection process and compares this with a reference cycle before calculating and implementing an appropriate change to the
switchover point and injection profile to maintain a constant injection volume. This enables deviations to be compensated for within the same shot to reduce problems such as short shots and flashing. In the latest version of the
software, Engel has integrated automatic holding pressure correction to make it possible to compensate for viscosity variations after injection has finished by adjusting the holding pressure profile. While the original version’s adjust- ment of the injection profile works very well in thin wall moulding applications, the ability to adjust holding pressure parameters is more critical on quality of thicker walled mouldings, the company says.
During the symposium, the
effectiveness of the upgraded software was demonstrated in production of PP medical housings on an all-electric
Engel’s Liquid- metal material
preparation and injection system uses plunger delivery and
induction heating
e-motion 110 T machine by dosing differing small amounts of a low viscosity wax into the resin to simulate viscosity variations. Without using the iQ holding pressure correction technology the weight of the parts increased by up to 0.29g as viscosity reduced (around 1% of the component weight). With the iQ system running
Investing for the long term
Engel set a new record turnover of €1.07bn for its last financial year, which ended on 31 March, up by 14% on the previous period. CEO Dr Peter Neumann said that while the global economic situation could not be described as problem free, the company expects to see a continuing strong performance for the coming months. “An outlook in such dynamic times is not so easy. But at Engel we see
the plastics industry is still growing strongly. Our objective is to further develop our market position [in Europe] and to consolidate in Asia and America,” he said. The company is continuing to invest in its production and engineering
capacity. This summer it begins work on a new €30m building at its headquarters location in Schwertberg which will extend its five year old Technology Centre. With an eye to the future of the organisation, the building will house a new €5m apprentice training centre. Around 150 of the 170 apprentices undergoing training across Engel’s worldwide operations are located in Austria. Neumann also said the company will be expanding staffing in its automation centres in the US and China and will be adopting a business unit approach in these markets, with specialist staff focused on individual business units such as packaging or automotive. Investment in lightweight manufacturing technology will also continue. “We are following a long term approach. The invest- ments we are making are not for the next year but for the next three to five years ahead,” he said.
14 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2015
Engel President and CEO Dr Peter Neumann
component weight variations was reduced to 0.07g.
HL Awards
Engel also used the event to announce the winners of its eighth annual HL Award competition, which drew 27 entries from 14 different countries and is intended to recognise companies exploit- ing the full benefits of the company’s tiebar-less machine design.
The tiebar-less machine design – which offers proces- sors a large and highly accessible mould area - has now been on the market for a quarter of a century, an anniversary that prompted Engel to expand the competi- tion this year from one to three categories: Efficient use of the mould area; Innovative process integration; Economical automation. German processor Hengst
won the award for the most effective use of the mould area for a system for making oil filter bases in glass reinforced PA for four-cylinder diesel engines used by Audi and Volkswagen. The production
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