FOAM MOULDING | TECHNOLOGY


Germany applied graining that achieves a streak- free foamed surface, KraussMaffei says. In the demonstration at Fakuma, Isosport of Eisenstadt, Austria, supplied a polymer film for IML that prevents the formation of bubbles caused by the outgassing of nitrogen. KraussMaffei’s LRX 150 linear robot picked up the blank IML film for deposit onto a cleaning station from Esta of Senden, Germany. A stack gripper inserted the film into the mould and soon after extracted the demoulded part. The finished part was transferred to a second


robot for a foam structure test. A testing system from Teratonics of Orsay, France, allows users to visualise the compact outer layers and the spatial distribution of the MuCell foam in the interior of the component and to determine if the part is free of bubbles. The part is placed on a conveyor belt and transported out of the automated system following completion of the test. The MuCell system is fully integrated into


KraussMaffei’s MC6 control system for seamless communication and operation. In the demonstra- tion, an Orca machine-side temperature control system by Jurke Engineering optimised cycle time by measuring the speed and quantity of the cooling flow in a non-contact fashion by ultrasonic means. All data relating to the production process was collected by KraussMaffei’s easyTrace 2.0 system, which was displayed on a screen.


Central gas supply Structural foam moulding is more popular than ever as it saves raw material, energy and weight, and supports the objective of producing and using plastic parts in a more sustainable way, says Engel. The machinery group is improving the cost-effec- tiveness of structural foam moulding with its new E-foam XL multi central gas supply units. Where each injection moulding machine


previously required its own gas supply for foam moulding, Engel’s E-foam XL multi-supplies several injection moulding machines with highly com- pressed nitrogen for structural foam moulding. Only the plasticising and control technology is still decentralised on the individual machines, Engel says. This new solution significantly reduces the capital outlay for structural foam moulding and makes a major contribution to reducing unit costs. The new E-foam XL multi system is based on


Trexel’s MuCell technology. Engel officially launched the E-foam XL multi unit in April of this year and has delivered several orders, Karlheinz Mayr, head of development for smart machines, told Injection World at last month’s Fakuma show.


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Above: Together with automotive moulder Faurecia, Engel demonstrated at its Fakuma booth the huge potential of structural foam moulding technology in the production of automotive door panel sample parts


November/December 2023 | INJECTION WORLD 33


In addition to less energy and raw material use,


structural foam moulding requires lower clamping forces than compact injection moulding. The dissolved blowing agent improves the flowability of molten plastics. In addition, the foam moulding pressure, which is independent of the location, enables thicker ribs to be moulded. These effects can be used to reduce the wall thickness, which has a positive effect on the required cooling time and in turn on the cycle time.


Door demonstration At the K2022 show, Engel presented its E-foam XL multi development as part of a new type of system technology for plastics processors who produce parts in parallel on several production cells using the structural foam moulding process. Together with automotive moulder Faurecia, Engel demonstrated at its booth the huge potential of structural foam moulding technology in the production of automotive door panel sample parts with a sophisticated surface structure, produced on an Engel Duo 1000 injection moulding machine. The demonstration application used a new


MicroJect Advanced process developed by Faurecia’s interior systems business unit, Faurecia Interiors, based in Hagenbach, Germany, and Eschmann Textures International (Gummersbach, Germany) that made it possible to produce lightweight visible components with a very high- quality class A surface using only structural foam moulding, according to Engel. The automotive part maker also presented a


IMAGE: M KNIGHTS


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