thin wall moulding | Technology
Right: Milacron sees huge opportunities
for its Klear Can transparent coinjected plastic
alternative to metal cans
additional material. Conversely, during the ICM proce- dure, the ‘shrinking effect’ is compensated by the actual compression process, where material savings of up to 20% are realised.” Birchler also highlights the fast but very even cavity filling and lower levels of residual stress resulting from the injection compression technology. Due to the fast injection times, the filling of the cavities is quick, yet extremely even. “In comparison to conventional injection moulding, the pressure distribution in the cavity is extremely uniform which leads to a noticeable reduction in distortion. An improvement in filling behaviour with very high flow path/wall thickness ratio is also made possible. The ICM procedure provides significant savings in cycle times as well as material and energy con- sumption, and increases the quality of produced packaging at the same time. Using a stack mould significantly increases the level of output,” he says. Another trend in the thin wall moulding sector – and particularly in packaging – is the growing demand for larger clamp capacities. Netstal launched its new Elios series at K 2016 with a new range topping 750 tonne Elios 7500, which it says is intended to fill what it perceives as a performance gap in the 750 tonne size class. The machine’s newly developed clamping unit incorporates a five-point dual toggle combined with a highly dynamic servo drive and powerful hydro-mechanical assistance system to deliver fast clamp speeds and high clamping forces. The dry cycle time of the new machine is 1.9 seconds, according to the Euromap standard, which the company says makes it the fastest machine in this size class. Other features of the range include energy
Right: The high performance hybrid clamp on Netstal’s new Elios design, which
extends to 750 tonnes, is designed for fast cycle
applications
recovery and a powerful and precise hydraulic injection using twin-valve technology that delivers injection speeds up to 2,200 mm/s.
The need for speed Continued electrification of the machine, especially the high speed injection which is still primarily done via hydraulic accumulators, remains a major goal for the injection machinery industry, according to Mike Prachar, vice-president Global Product Manage- ment and Marketing, Injection at Milacron. “For 10 years, a Melt Flow Index (MFI) of 20 was good and today MFI 90 is a normal standard. This, plus the trend to small parts, makes it possible to inject these parts with injection speeds from 150 mm/s to a maximum of 500 mm/s and that opens the door to produce these parts with full-electric machines. When material content approaches 80-90% of the part cost, energy usage becomes even more of an issue. As the material content rises, lightweighting will continue to be a significant trend.” Thin walled barrier containers that have at least contact clarity is seen as a big
potential application area at Milacron, which has its
own technologies in-house through its previous acquisitions of Mold-Masters and Kortec. “A big trend for brand owners is to allow customers to see the product in the container and many of these brand owners also want barriers for extended shelf life,” says Pracher. “Co-injection barrier packaging is being looked at to advance product design and brand awareness on the shelf. Also, converters are looking for flexible systems as the market moves to be more customisable, hence lower output/SKU. This requires systems that can quickly switch from one part to another. Another interesting area is the concept of injection compression in packaging and co-injection for both barrier and cost savings, as well as the advantages of all electric for additional savings of energy.” Developments of the company’s Ferromatik machine series include co-injection systems for incorporation of barrier layers and recycled resins, with both highlighted at K 2016. The company’s Klear Can technology allows production of transparent injection moulded can bodies in PP with and EVOH barrier layer. Designed to be closed with a traditional can end, the parts are said to be competitive in price and performance with tradi- tional metal cans while offering the added benefit of transparency. The technology is understood to have been selected by Del Monte to package fruit for one of its brands in the Asia Pacific region. At the other end of the co-injection scale, Milacron also showed production
56 INJECTION WORLD | January/February 2017
www.injectionworld.com
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