TECHNOLOGY | PACKAGING
Right: Demand for thin walling is increasing as manufacturers look for lighter, cheaper and more sustain- able packaging
were each produced in a cycle time of around 4.3 s. Due to the two levels lying one behind the other, the mould locking force can be halved in compari- son to a 16-cavity mould, and a smaller machine size can be used. The finished parts were then stacked and packed in tubular film. The automation was provided by Italian company Campetella. A thin-walled IML application was also present-
ed by Roboplas on a hybrid Allrounder 630 H in packaging version with 2,300 kN of clamping force. This exhibit used a mould from Erkoc, Turkey, to produce four rectangular cups, each with a capacity of 280 ml, in a cycle time of around 3.5 s. Another hybrid Allrounder 630 H in packaging version produced four thin-walled PP cups in a cycle time of around 3.5 s at the stand of Ilsemann. The system is automated with the company’s own robot with carbon gripper. The packaging version was developed by
Arburg especially for the industry and is available on machines of the Hidrive and Alldrive series in sizes 520 to 1020. As standard, the package includes FEM-optimised clamping platens and heavy-duty machine bases, highly wear-resistant cylinder modules with barrier screws, servo-electric toggle-type clamping units and dosage drives, position-regulated screw and additional control functions such as start-up parameters and dosage across cycles. This adapted design ensures extremely short dry cycle times, high plasticising capacities and injection speeds as well as reduced energy consumption. There will be a need to balance packaging
safety, security and sustainability following the Covid-19 outbreak, according to Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. “Around the world, health has taken priority over sustainability,” says Nigel Flowers, Managing Director, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK. “As we begin to cautiously emerge from the pandemic, there will be discussions on how brands can move forward with their sustainable packaging initiatives and consumer behaviours and attitudes towards single use packaging that may stick around in the foreseeable future.” He says: “In the early days of the Covid-19, sentiments towards sustainability diminished. Although this was anticipated to be a short-term shift, concerns around hygiene, sanitation, cross- infection and the protection of health took priority. Initiatives like bring-your-own-containers and reusable coffee cups were suspended. Substrate choices veered back to the ‘perceived enemy’ – plas- tic. The big question facing packaging producers now is how much consumers in the future will be prepared to trade off product safety, security and
20 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2020
hygiene against sustainability and whether there is a middle ground. For several decades now light- weighting and consumer convenience have given packaging manufacturers the strong commercial incentive to do more with less. No strangers to responding to demographic and lifestyle changes and balancing a wide range of variables, including cost, increased strength, recycle rates and functional requirements, lightweight formats have become the industry norm. Especially in food and medical packaging. More recently, the market has been moving more towards novelty solutions that improve performance, functionality and shelf impact.” He continues: “Most companies operating in this competitive arena produce millions of packaging containers, caps and closures every year. Volume, raw material waste and precision are fundamental to each packaging manufacturer’s financial viability, with many facilities operating more than 20 machines to meet supplier demand. To succeed in the thin walling arena, injection moulders need to examine every potential application to ensure that the selection of materials, machine and tooling give the optimum blend of speed, quality and consistency.” Plastic is inextricably linked with energy and
resource savings, adds Flowers. “Its low weight makes it both cost effective and flexible to use, adding to the sustainability score when measuring environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. If anything, this pandemic has presented retailers, brand owners and packaging manufacturers with the opportunity to review, realign and reinforce the value of their packaging.” In terms of machinery performance, thinner wall sections lead to changes in processing require- ments. Among these are higher pressures and speeds, faster cooling times, and modifications to part-ejection and gating arrangements. He says: “These process changes need to be factored into
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IMAGE: SUMITOMO (SHI) DEMAG
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