TECHNOLOGY | PACKAGING
Right: Emmer’s 78-litre buckets, with IMLs from MCC, are mainly for the agricultural market
Bucket list At the more robust end of the packaging scale, UK-based Emmer has created “the world’s largest IML bucket” – a 78-litre product that surpasses the previous largest 60-litre version, it says. The main requirements for the bucket were
durability, high-quality graphics (on the in-mould label) and recyclability. “Our 78-litre buckets are primarily designed for the agricultural market,” said Jerry Mulders, founder of Emmer. “I know farmers who find these XXL pails convenient as they can leave the food bucket in the field until it’s empty for so much longer than smaller pails. Of course, this also means that the buckets and labels need to be durable, as they are exposed to harsh outdoor conditions.” IML supplier MCC Verstraete was instrumental in helping Emmer overcome the challenges it faced with such a large label – and the intricacies involved when moulding in HDPE. Dean Poole, regional sales manager for IML at
MCC, added: “To enhance the durability of the IML label, we apply a combination of specific inks and protective lacquer. This ensures that the bucket keeps its high-quality look for a long time.” The buckets are also easy to recycle because no
Below: Engel has produced a 1.3-litre pail in PP, weighing 26g, on an E-motion machine
other materials – such as glued paper labels – con- taminate the recycling process. It is a far cry from MCC’s usual applications of applying IMLs to packaging for food or consumer goods. Recently, for instance, its IMLs were applied to packaging for a sour cream dip – where they helped to enhance the barrier properties to help extend shelf life.
Light work Engel says it has produced the world’s lightest 1.3-litre IML pail – made from polypropylene (PP) and around 26g. It was produced on an all-electric
E-motion 765/280 T machine, equipped with the iQ Motion control assistance system, which cuts cycle times by 0.2 s. “The continuing trend towards reduced wall thicknesses is being driven by economic concerns,” said Engel. “In the case of injection moulding machines used for continuous mass production, small weight reductions in specific products have a big effect on the viability of production cells.” The company said that, until now, a 1.3-litre pail with a wall thickness of 0.45mm could only be made on a hybrid machine. However, despite a flow-path-to-wall-thickness ratio of over 1:400, it said the demonstration – performed at Fakuma last year – showed how thin-wall performance can be combined with the energy efficiency of its electric E-motion. The electric drive and temperature control lead to energy savings of around 30% compared to hybrid machines, it said. The pail was produced using easy-flowing PP
from Borealis with an MFI of 100. Engel said the E-motion’s new 765 injection unit also ensures high injection speed and dynamism. Speeds of 600 mm/second and injection pressures of up to 2,600 bar “guarantee machine performance in spite of short fill times and injection strokes”, it said. In the demonstration, the system used a two- cavity mould and automation from Inmold. The automation involved a side-entry robot which filled the cavities with labels from MCC Verstraete. The labels were picked up electrostatically and posi- tioned in the cavities. Visual quality control was performed to check the geometry and ensure the labels were correctly positioned, with any missing parts separated fully automatically.
16 INJECTION WORLD | September/October 2024
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www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: ENGEL
IMAGE: MCC
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