TECHNOLOGY | MOULDS
“This can improve balance by eliminating the variability that will occur with pneumatic actuation,” Husky says. “For applications that require sequen- tial gate opening and closing, individual servo performs with much greater control and flexibility than pneumatic or hydraulic options. Family moulds, multi-material moulds and large parts with multiple gates are examples of systems where sequentially actuated servo valve gates would provide significant benefits. When matched with Ultra Helix valve gate technology, control of valve stem speed significantly extends gate and valve stem life.” The Altanium mould controller is now evolving
from a relatively simple temperature controller into a total mould control system, says Jason Ruby, Program Manager, Marketing Communications. For example, used with the Ultra Helix plate actuator, Altanium can control stem profiling. Husky also has a new family of Altanium mould controllers, Neo5, Delta5 and Matrix5 for temperature control of up to (in the case of Matrix5) 255 zones; the last two of these can work with servo control. Mold-Masters is also moving ahead with servos. At K2019 it introduced its most advanced actuation control system so far, SeVG+. It is claimed to provide “absolute control and precision” over individual valve pin opening and closing actuation profiles. Once again, users can fully adjust pin position, accelera- tion, velocity, stroke, timing and sequence of each pin independently.
Especially for medical applica-
tions, Mold-Masters was emphasising its Melt-Cube Evo (no relation to the
Foboha cube) for side gating. The com- pany claims this is the simplest in-line design, minimising downtime and improving processing capabilities. “Tips
Above: Fusion-Series G2 from
Mold-Masters
are secured by a single bolt which allows moulds to be serviced up to 85% faster than before,” says Hans Hagelstein, President of Mold- Masters in EMEAI. “This can save up to five hours of downtime on a 64-cavity system.” The new design incorporates Mold-Masters
Brazed Heater Technology, which provides a precise thermal profile, with the heating element going all the way to the tip. In testing, Melt-Cube Evo showed only 1°C variation between tips. It also minimises the number of control zones required and so allows a simpler and more cost-effective
40 INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2019
controller to be used with the application. Melt-Cube Evo also features what Mold-Masters
terms Gate Located Tips: this means the tips are fixed to the cavity insert, so they are not affected by thermal expansion. This maintains concentricity of the tip and gate. The company says it also offers superior reliability, even with high MFI materials. Fusion-Series G2, meanwhile, is a completely
pre-assembled and pre-wired system for automo- tive applications. Hagelstein points to new protec- tive nozzle sleeves and high temperature heater sleeves, a new waterless actuator, and new valve pint adjustment and quick release actuator. “The big change in control systems is TC-Con-
nect,” said Hagelstein at a presentation during K2019. Exclusively available with the company’s new TempMaster M3 controller, the new technol- ogy eliminates traditional mould temperature control cables, and has just one small data cable connecting the mould to the controller. It is compatible with new and existing moulds.
Valve gate concentration The focus at Mastip is on valve gate solutions. Its VeriShot product, introduced last year, is described as compact and precise, enabling a mould height of just 54mm. The VeriShot system functions as a locating ring to align the mould with the machine platen. “We have pushed all the mechanics into the locating ring portion and integrated the brass heaters,” says Brett Reynolds, Group R&D Manager. Thermal profile is said to be very well balanced. Internal flow channels are in stainless steel, which means that VeriShot can process just about any thermoplastic resins running at around 380°C. This is a threaded nozzle, which Reynolds says is leakproof and has a very balanced thermal profile. Mastip, headquartered in New Zealand, opened a new plant in Ningbo, China earlier this year. The plant is about half the size of the company’s main operation, and caters just for the Chinese market . Günther continues to plough its own furrow with its BlueFlow range of nozzles. Rather than using band heaters, these use thick film heating technology. Günther is currently the only company in the world to use this technology. Heating circuits are printed onto the film, which forms a sleeve around the nozzle. This makes it possible to put the heat exactly where it is needed, since the circuit layout can be printed exactly as is required. The film is also much thinner than regular heating bands. Günther’s General Manager for China, Andreas Seidel, says that its technology, which is protected by patents, is no more expensive than traditional heater band technologies. Thick film
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PHOTO: MOLD-MASTERS
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