Pipette tips feature a challenging wall thickness/length ratio, an inner geometry that is key for analysis results, and a tip opening just a few tenths of a millimeter wide. They have been in extremely high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, which is why the mold construction and hot runner specialist Männer has developed a mold with an innovative cluster concept.

At the Männer test center in Bahlingen, Germany: an injection mold for manufacturing pipette tips, shown here in operation. Automation of the system is currently being set up

Pipette Tips: Männer Presents a Mold with Replaceable Clusters

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Heißkanalsysteme

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

Maintenance During (Nearly)  Uninterrupted Production

In plastics processing, efficient production methods are required, especially for articles with high volumes and exacting quality requirements, and these must be constantly optimized. The container specialist Walther Faltsysteme has been successfully working together with the Austrian moldmaker Haidlmair for many years.

Left: products which are manufactured using the technologies of the Haidlmair Group companies. Right: an application example with folding boxes

Walther Faltsysteme Combines Three Mold Technologies from the Haidlmair Group

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

Paletten und Behälter

Logistik

Verpackungstechnik

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

With Broad Sword and Data Collector

Aside from offering high mechanical strength, versatility and durability, polymer materials are ideal for applications in the electrical industry because of their ability to isolate electrical current.

For the conduction cooled MicroTCA systems, Harting processes LCP, a material that is flame-resistant, dimensionally stable at high temperatures, chemically resistant, and has only a low thermal expansion

Connectors for Industrial Lifelines: High-Tech Injection Molding at Harting

Hybridtechnik

Polymere, flüssigkristalline

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Stanzen

Verfahren für die spanlose Fertigung

Schneiden

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

Well-Balanced Hot Runner Technology for LCP Processing

For a cutlery series made of a new biopolymer, three full hot runner molds with digital process monitoring were developed in close cooperation with mold maker Uniform and hot runner specialist Ewikon.

The 16-drop family mold on the machine. The removal and packaging of the parts are fully automated

16:9

Complete Digital Hot Runner Solution for Automated Biopolymer Processing

Biokunststoffe

Virtual Reality für die Qualitätssicherung

Process Reliability Is Crucial

Family molds belong to the state-of-the-art in injection molding – at least when wall thicknesses and volumes of individual components vary considerably. Using a trial mold soon ready for series production, Synventive demonstrates that – though demanding – optimal process control can be achieved using the right technology. The filling of each mold cavity is controlled individually and in real time. The Kunststoffe editorial team were among the first guests at the new Tech Center.

View into the mold space of the Engel Duo 2700 at the Tech Center. In the background, a 6-axis robot with 180 kg load-bearing capacity which removes the components.

Single-Shot Injection Molding of Heterogeneous Components

Schröder, Susanne

Leading-Edge Process Control

Starting with the systematic design of manufacturing processes and the precise simulation of part manufacture, through smart tooling technology and sophisticated melt guidance, to efficient mold temperature control, numerous exhibitors have many innovations in the field of tooling technology on offer at K 2019.The current debates concerning marine pollution as well as anthropogenic climate change and its consequences seem to be having an effect at this world-leading trade show for plastics processing in Düsseldorf, Germany. A number of companies are noting the growing customer interest in sustainable, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient modes of production, and offering products and services intended to satisfy this interest.

Resource-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Products Are the Trend in  Tooling Technology

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Messtechnik

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Temperiergeräte

Gießanlagen

Temperiertechnik

Normalien für die Kunststofffertigung

Normalien

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

Kaltkanalsysteme

Exhibitors See Green

The new Reverse Cube developed by Foboha manufactures various components or multi-component parts from varying materials in one step and assembles individual parts into finished products independently from the cycle time using an integrated handling robot. The automated process improves quality, accelerates cycle times by up to 40 % compared to separate injection molding and assembly processes, and thus enables substantial productivity gains at lower costs.

Two thermally separated cube molds rotate in opposite directions at a 90° angle. Bottom: injection and cooling of component 1 (roller made of PP) and component 2 (female connection made of POM), staggered by 180°

Manufacturing and Installing Multi-Component Parts on a Two-Part Cube Mold

Montage

Montagetechnik

Steuern, Regeln

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Werkzeugtemperatursensoren

Industrieroboter

Spritzgießmaschinen

Reverse Rotation

A Polish pharmaceutical company is developing inhalation therapy for the treatment of lung disease and the appropriate drug delivery drug. The inhaler has a complex interior and consists of 14 components. In order to be able to produce these with the required precision, Celon Pharma has formed a partnership with the mold making company Glittenberg and its hot runner sister Witosa.

For its complex functional mechanism, the inhaler requires 14 components

Glittenberg Supplies Tools for Vital Medical Devices to Celon Pharma

Plastic in the Service of Medicine

Jessica Poliner has been appointed President of Barnes Molding Solutions. She replaces Norbert Scheid, who retired from Barnes Group in December 2020.

Jessica Poliner has been appointed President of Barnes Molding Solutions

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Normalien und Heißkanaltechnik

New Management to Head Barnes Molding Solutions

The Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University is investigating a new control approach for injection molding in which the cavity pressure is controlled by different positions of the hot runner valve pin. The influence on the cavity pressure of different strokes in the holding pressure phase is investigated.

The experimental mold with the cavity of a bicycle saddle has a servo-electrically driven hot runner

20:7

Cavity-Specific Pressure Control to Increase Process Consistency

Mess-, Steuer- und Regelgeräte

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

The Hot Runner Valve Pin  as Actuating Variable

In the injection molding of engineering plastics, mold temperature control consumes more than one third of the total energy input. A novel technology offers the opportunity to reduce this continuous major cost factor – and eliminate hotspots.

Fig. 1. The temperature control units have the highest energy share in the injection molding process

Source: M. Schläger et al [2]; graphic: © Hanser

Reduced Energy Consumption and Shorter Cycle Times due to Structurally Integrated  Heat Pipe Mold Cores

Cooling with Heat Pipes

The spring clamping cylinder ESZS for a nominal clamping force range from 16k N to 350 kN enables hydromechanical clamping.

The ESZS spring clamping cylinder can be used wherever shiftable or movable machine parts have to be fixed or clamped

Presswerkzeuge, Kunststoff

Werkzeugspanntechnik

Spanntechnik

Robust and Reliable Clamping

For the further development of the Streamrunner and also for customer demonstration purposes, Hasco hot runner has developed an innovative 32 cavity injection mold tool.

The special feature of the mold is the 32-cavity Hasco Streamrunner

New Design Possibilities in Moldmaking

The Reversecube two-part cube mold is used to produce 60 million multicomponent parts per year on one production line and in the same process. The cycle times must be kept very short while at the same time maintaining stable processes and a high part quality. Sensor-based monitoring and automatic process control is therefore deployed in the form of Fillcontrol from Priamus. It consists of hot-runner balancing, viscosity and compression control as well as automatic holding pressure changeover.

The two halves of the Reversecube cube mold, in stacked arrangement, rotate in 90° steps. Bottom: injection and cooling component 1, analogous to the component 2 above, which is offset by 180°

Automating Injection Molding with Process Control – with the Example of a Cube Mold

Quality Assurance for Multiple Cavities

Zahoransky Automation & Molds GmbH has entered into a partnership with the Swiss company Kebo AG. The result of this collaboration is a new mold concept for the production of pipette tips, which features a double quick-change system.

If a core breaks during production, it can be replaced quickly

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Double Quick-Change System Speeds up Production

Award-Winning Packaging Solution Increases Productivity

Fully Automated Production Line with Stack Mold and In-Mold Labeling

A solution, which is unique in Europe, significantly increases productivity and comprises the production from a 12+12 stack mold with fully automated in-mold labeling and removal with visual 100 % inspection of the parts. The process significantly increases productivity compared to conventional tooling solutions. The Thuringian mold making specialist roth was responsible for the design and construction of the stack mold. Ewikon supplied the customized valve gate hot runner system.

A solution, which is unique in Europe, significantly increases productivity and comprises the production from a 12+12 stack mold with fully automated in-mold labeling and removal with visual 100 % inspection of the parts.

Packaging manufacturer Amaray won the UK Packaging Award 2019 in the “Investment Project” category with a fully automated production line for manufacturing a hinged lid for a wet wipe dispenser softbox (Fig. 1). The center of the 100 m2 plant is an injection molding machine with a clamping force of 5800 kN (type: El-Exis, manufacturer: Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH, Schwaig, Germany) and a sophisticated stack mold. The one-piece hinged cover made of polypropylene (PP) is injection molded in a single operation and labeled using the IML (In-Mold Labeling) process.

A linear handling system per parting line positions the labels precisely and within fractions of a second in the cavity removes the finished parts after the injection process and closes them to achieve a compact packing size. This must be done quickly while the polypropylene is still moldable. After an optical 100 % inspection by a camera system, 38 hinged lids are stacked and banded into packaging units. Nine of these units are packed – also automatically – into bags and then into transport cartons.

Fully Balanced Melt Channel Layout on Several Levels

Since the type and size of the injection molding machine and thus the maximum possible mold dimensions and weights were defined by the customer, roth Werkzeugbau GmbH, Auma-Weidatal, Germany, faced a challenge in developing the mold concept. For maximum productivity, a 12+12-cavity stack mold solution optimally adapted to the limited space available was required (Fig. 2). “With a mold installation height of 1250 mm, we achieved a very compact mold size”, explains Benjamin Noack, project manager at roth, “nevertheless, the development of a special set-up concept was necessary, as the mold is just 4 mm smaller than the clear width between the machine tie bars”.

Therefore, the mold features a modular design with special plug connections for the electrical connections between the plates to ensure optimum dismantling and ease of maintenance, even on the injection molding machine. There were additional restrictions on the weight. With a total mold weight of 12 t, 8 t could be allotted to the central block with hot runner system due to limited crane capacities at the production site. This required a weight-optimized design of the entire mold structure, to which the hot runner manufacturer (Ewikon Heisskanalsysteme GmbH, Frankenberg, Germany) also had to contribute .

“It was most important that the mold weight was not reduced at the expense of mold stability”, says Noack, “here Ewikon was able to support us with a special manifold design. The element technology used allows a very compact, fully balanced flow channel layout on several levels. This made it possible to integrate recesses for additional stabilizing supports in the manifold. The very space-saving arrangement of the valve gate drive units also helped to reduce the dimensions and weight of the center block. In the end, this flexibility was the decisive factor for us to choose Ewikon”.

Despite the weight reduction, however, additional measures were required to stabilize the mold, which is operated by four rack drives, on the machine. For example, the central block is guided in the reinforced machine bed and additionally supported by an adjustable crosshead.

Valve Pins for the Two Gating Points Are Actuated as a Group

To enable a most convenient one-handed operation when removing the wet wipes from the pack, the hinged lid is opened by a push mechanism. To ensure a reliable opening and closing over the entire life cycle, the thin-walled component with a shot weight of around 7.4 g and a wall thickness of 0.8 mm must be manufactured with high dimensional accuracy. A good filling is essential for this.

Initial tests to gate the part via only one gating point by using a prototype tool which has been purchased locally by the end customer showed unsatisfactory results in terms of filling behavior. So it was decided to use two gating points. In order to determine the optimum injection point positions, roth and Ewikon carried out MoldFlow filling analyses as well as pressure loss and shear calculations for the hot runner and the part in close cooperation. The results were validated in a 1-cavity pilot mold. The article is gated over a gate diameter of 1.2 mm with an injection time of 0.15 s. The first gating point is positioned centrally on the surface of the lid, the second on the frame structure of the removal opening. In order to achieve the highest possible part stability the valve pins are opened sequentially to that the weld line of the melt fronts is moved to the desired area 5 mm behind the film hinge.

In each parting line of the production mold, twelve parts are arranged in in four horizontal rows of three parts each. For each row, the valve pins for the first and second gating point are actuated as a group via a corresponding design of the supply channels. This requires 16 pneumatic control circuits which are activated by the pneumatic control system of the injection molding machine.

48 Valve Gate Hot Runner Nozzles  Vary in Length

Per parting line two manifolds are installed. Each of it has two melt inlets. Each inlet feeds six nozzles or three mold cavities. Thus, one manifold features two completely separated, fully balanced 6-drop flow channel layouts, which are arranged in such a way that the recesses for the supports could be easily integrated. A centrally located bridge manifold with outlets on both sides supplies all manifolds with melt (Fig. 3).

The leakage-free melt transfer from the machine nozzle is achieved by using a valve gate transition snorkel with a cooled pneumatic drive unit screwed onto the bridge manifold. The length of the valve pin is 1000 mm, the diameter is 6 mm. The 48 installed valve gate hot runner nozzles vary in length by approximately 10 mm, depending on the position of the injection point.

The pneumatic drive units are integrated in two middle plates in an extremely compact back-to-back arrangement (Fig. 4). In addition, cooled gate bushes are used. They do not only optimize the cycle time but also improve the gating point quality. In total the mold features 78 control zones and 58 cooling circuits.

Finally, a cycle time of less than 10 s was achieved. Since its start-up in spring 2019, the production line has been producing with a capacity of over 50 million units per year. As comparable in-mold labeling stack molds for the packaging sector have so far only been realized in 8+8-cavity versions at the most, it represents the most demanding and highly sophisticated mold technology solution of its kind in Europe.

The compact design of the mold and the hot runner system, the high productivity and the high degree of automation, which enables the parts to be produced under highly hygienic conditions without any human contact at any point in the production process, were reason enough for the UK Packaging Award jury to award the end customer Amaray the prize for the investment project of the year.

EWIKON Heißkanalsysteme GmbH  

https://www.ewikon.com

Ausgabenartikel

Before relocation to the production site, extensive functional tests and the final trial were carried out at the roth technical center

Fig. 1. The hinged lid is injected and labelled fully automated within one working cycle. The original label may not be shown here in consideration of the OEM

Fig. 2. Modular, compact 12+12-cavity stack mold with valve gate full hot runner system

Fig. 3. Hot runner layout of the 12+12-cavity stack mold with valve gate transition snorkel

Fig. 4. The compact design with back-to-back arrangement of the drive units contributed to the weight reduction of the mold

Name - Hauptartikel

<b>Henning Becker</b> is Head of Marketing at Ewikon Heisskanalsysteme GmbH, Frankenberg, Germany.