The lightest 1.3-litre pail with all-electric thin-wall injection moulding
09.10.2023
At the Fakuma event, true to the claim ‘get connected’, ENGEL is bringing together experts with machinery and technology – right from the company’s own stand. The company is presenting a highly efficient, all-electric application for the packaging sector. Addressing the ever more important consideration of weight reductions in impressive style, an all-electric e-motion 765/280 T is being used to produce the world’s lightest 1.3-litre pail.
The continuing trend towards reduced wall thicknesses is being driven by economic concerns. 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. An understanding of injection moulding processes and the particular features thereof, developed over decades, makes ENGEL the ideal partner to any injection moulding business – especially in the field of thin-wall packaging.
All-electric e-motion: ready for thin-wall applications
What until recently could only be produced with a hybrid solution involving hydraulic accumulators is now possible with an all-electric machine: ENGEL has set new standards in the performance of all-electric machines with the e-motion 765/280 T. Until now, a 1.3-litre pail with a wall thickness of 0.45 millimetres as produced at Fakuma could only be manufactured using a hybrid machine. Despite the extreme flow path to wall thickness ratio of over 1:400, ENGEL is demonstrating how thin-wall performance can be combined with energy efficiency. The pail is being produced using easy-flowing polypropylene supplied by Borealis with an MFI of 100. The new 765 injection unit also ensures high injection speed and dynamism. Speeds of 600 millimetres per second and injection pressures of up to 2,600 bar guarantee machine performance in spite of short fill times and injection strokes. Another benefit of the e-motion series lies in the variety of available components for plasticising. In thin-wall applications, ENGEL takes advantage of this by adapting the plasticising unit to high demands in terms of the throughput rate and melt homogeneity.
The all-electric e-motion series is designed for the energy-efficient production of thin-wall packaging. Pictures: ENGEL
ENGEL overcomes an extreme flow path to wall thickness ratio by using an e-motion 765/280 T machine to produce a 1.3-litre pail from PP. Pictures: ENGEL
For the first time, two packages aimed at packaging are available for the e-motion. Package 1 contains all high-performance options required on the e-motion platform to facilitate the fastest cycle times with maximum machine stability. Package 2 comprises a hydraulic package that replaces the standard electric ejector with a hydraulic ejector drive. This is operated by an integrated hydraulic unit, which also controls the nozzle movement automatically.
Automation combines IML with visual quality control
The system is completed with a two-cavity mould and an automation solution from Inmold. The former is ideally coordinated to component geometry characterised by a smaller wall thickness, ensuring the mechanical stability of the pail. As an option, a handle for the pail can be injected in the same cycle using a mould attachment. The automation comprises a side-entry robot which fills the cavities with labels from MCC Verstraete. The labels are picked up electrostatically and positioned in the cavities. Visual quality control is then performed to check the geometry and ensure the labels are correctly positioned, with any missing parts separated fully automatically.
A two-cavity mould and automation from Inmold complete the high-performance system. Pictures: ENGEL
Thin-wall performance and energy efficiency go hand in hand
At the Fakuma event, machine performance – so essential in the field of thin-wall packaging – is going hand in hand with resource conservation. An all-electric drive and ideal temperature control add up to potential energy savings of around 30% compared to hybrid machines. The 1.3-litre pail, which weighs just over 26 grams, is being produced with maximum energy efficiency.
The e-motion is also equipped with an assistance system from the iQ family. iQ motion control cuts cycle times by 0.2 seconds – another source of potential savings that sets ENGEL apart.