TECHNOLOGY | THIN-WALL MOULDING
Right: St Mamet in France is one of the first food companies to adopt Klear Can
Mold-Masters Kortec co-injection equipment,” he says. According to AMI, upwards of 45 billion plastics coffee capsules (mono- and multi-layer) are currently produced each year globally. “The coffee capsules we see are typically
applications with PP/EVOH/PP structure,” says Bechtel. “The thinnest capsule we’re running has a wall thickness of 0.38 mm with a length: thickness ratio of about 180. This is thin for co-injection with a viscous core material like EVOH. Moulders who convert over to co-injection can maintain the same cycle time as their monolayer equivalent designs.” Kortec systems are also capable of producing
biodegradable PLA/PVOH/PLA structures where PLA is compostable, and PVOH will break down in the presence of moisture. “Like any material, there are limitations on how thin you can go with PLA, but overall PLA needs a slightly thicker wall section for a given flow length than PP,” says Bechtel. “What’s also exciting about the Kortec Connect system is its ability to produce Mold-Masters’ patented Klear Can. This allows for a wide range of new design capabilities that overcome the limita- tions of traditional packaging like metal cans. Klear Can is already hitting the shelves in markets around the world.” Examples include Del Monte’s S&W Fine Foods brand in South Korea and China, and St Mamet in France. For more traditional applications, Mold-Masters
has introduced its ThinPAK-Series hot runner system, which it claims is the most advanced hot runner system specifically engineered for produc- ing high-quality thin wall packaging products. “ThinPAK-Series has the strength and durability to mould with complete reliability even in high-pres- sure applications up to 2,800 bar – a 40% higher limit than Mold-Masters’ standard manifold designs,” says Bechtel.
The hot runners have new nozzles, gate seals and manifold designs specific to the application. The enhanced gate seal geometry is said to provide a robust design that incorporates high- strength material and a larger contact area to withstand the high pressures required for thin-wall packaging moulding operations. The nozzles also feature precisely balanced thermal profiles for improved process control, and the gate seals are serviceable from the parting line. A new valve disk design controls weepage and directs it to easy-to- clean areas. This design is said to extend service intervals by up to three times. The new nozzle and manifold seal is also said to provide greater reliability even on cold start-up. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag cites Greek food
Above: Kotronis operates Systec, El-Exis and IntElect machines in its food packaging production operation. In all, it has around 50 Sumitomo (SHI) Demag machines and more are on the way
32 INJECTION WORLD | January/February 2019
packaging specialist Kotronis as a success story for its high-speed injection moulding machines, as the two companies ride the crest of the wave of increas- ing international demand for Greek dairy products. In addition to classical Greek food exports like olives and feta cheese, products such as yoghurt and ice cream seem to have weathered and even benefitted from the economic storm, the machine supplier says. Between 2009 and 2017, exports of Greek yoghurt shot up by 204%. Today, Greek yoghurt holds a 7.3% share of the global market, and Greece is the world’s fourth largest yoghurt exporting nation. “Formerly, with the Greek dairy industry pre- dominantly focused on the domestic market, the quality and appearance of dairy packaging was rather irrelevant, but international customers have different requirements,” says a representative for Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. “Large global private-label customers in particular needed to be convinced of the value of Greek products while they demanded attractive, practical packaging with pleasant optical and tactile properties.” At Kotronis, Chairman of the Board Giorgos
Kotronis says: “Our domestic customers wanted to prove that their products could win the tough
www.injectionworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
