Fakuma 2023 in Germany this month is touting itself as the place where “digital meets circular.” Courtesy of P.E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG
Leading injection molding machine makers, including Arburg, Engel and Wittmann Battenfeld, will be among those planning to use Fakuma 2023 to showcase their latest technologies. Some 1,500 exhibitors will participate in the 28th edition of the fair, taking place Oct. 17-21 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Following are just a few of the anticipated highlights.
Engel overcomes an extreme flow-path-to-wall-thickness ratio by using its e-motion 765/280 T machine to produce a 1.3-liter pail from PP. Courtesy of Engel
Engel Austria GmbH (Hall A5, Stand 5203) will highlight an all-electric injection press that is being used to produce the world’s lightest 1.3-liter pail. Dubbed the e-motion 765/280 T, the machine achieves what Engel says only a hybrid press could previously do –– produce a pail of this size with an extremely thin wall thickness of just 0.45 mm.
Despite the extreme flow-path-to-wall thickness ratio of more than 1:400, Engel says it is demonstrating how thin-wall performance can be combined with energy efficiency. It is producing the pail using easy-flowing polypropylene supplied by Borealis with a melt flow index (MFI) of 100. The new 765 injection unit offers speeds of 600 mm per second and injection pressures of up to 2,600 bar, which together are said to guarantee machine performance in spite of short fill times and injection strokes.
A two-cavity mould and automation from Inmold Group complete the high-performance system. Courtesy of Engel
Engel completes the system with a two-cavity mold and an automation solution from Inmold Group. The automation consists of a side-entry robot that fills the cavities with labels from MCC Verstraete. As an option, the processor can inject a handle for the pail in the same cycle using a mold attachment.
Lossburg, Germany-based Arburg GmbH + Co. KG (Hall A3, Stand 3101) is featuring a theme of “There is only a Plan A” that is designed to show how more sustainability, digitalization and automation can be realized in the plastics world. The company plans to introduce the latest addition to its hybrid Hidrive series of presses –– the 150-ton Allrounder 520 H.
Arburg is rolling out its new 150-ton Allrounder 520 H hybrid press at Fakuma. Courtesy of Arburg.
Arburg is emphasizing energy efficiency with the new machine, which features an updated drive that allows simultaneous movement of hydraulic auxiliary axes, including ejector and core pull, without technology stages or multi-pump technology. On its Fakuma stand, the company says the new press will run a 1+1+1-cavity mold to produce three different components from ABS in a cycle time of around 50 seconds.
The firm says the Allrounder H uses roughly half the energy of a comparable hydraulic press, as well as significantly less oil and cooling water. It will offer the new machine in three performance variations –– Comfort, Premium and Ultimate.
Other sections of Arburg’s booth will feature an interactive area where visitors can obtain energy advice, machine updates and consumption measurements to learn how to save resources and energy. It also will showcase automation systems and machines processing post-consumer recyclate.
Vienna-based Wittmann Battenfeld (Hall B1, Stand 1204) also is focusing on energy-saving solutions, and will introduce its new all-electric EcoPower B8X injection press at Fakuma. The company says the new machine offers a finer gradation of injection units to allow for more accurate dosing, as well as a Plus version that offers twice the injection speed. The new injection unit also can now swing out and is using oil instead of grease lubrication.
Wittmann Battenfeld is preparing to launch its all-electric EcoPower B8X injection molding machine. Courtesy of Wittmann Battenfeld
The firm says it also has optimized the EcoPower B8X’s toggle-lever design to serve dynamic operations and greater service life, and to enable shorter cycle times for the machines. Wittmann Battenfeld plans to offer the new EcoPower B8X range in Europe in clamping forces from 550 to 1800 kN (roughly 60 to 200 tons), and in the U.S. market from next year in sizes ranging from 60 to 330 tons.
At Fakuma the company also plans to showcase its latest EcoPower machine concept –– the EcoPower DC, which draws its power supply solely from a battery as DC voltage source. The aim of this is to directly use renewable energy without first having to pass the sustainably derived electricity through inverters, transformers and high-voltage power lines. These have their own carbon footprint and lead to power loss. It says it will demonstrate the concept on its booth by having a three-axis robot remove parts from a machine drawing its power directly from the interim DC voltage circuit of the EcoPower.
Other parts of the stand will highlight liquid silicone molding and internal gas pressure technologies, among others.
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The precise material matching of the gravimetric blender can assist the injection molding machine to achieve more accurate dosage and stabilize product quality.