Bookmark 10-16-2017

Freedom of Design due to Inductive Mold Temperature Control

KraussMaffei

In live applications of clamping forces ranging from 500 to 2000 kN, KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH of Munich, Germany, will feature all-electric PX and hydraulic CX series injection molding machines. Liquid silicone rubbers will also be processed on all-electric machines. In addition to innovations in machine technology – all machines are equipped with the new, expanded APC plus (Adaptive Process Control) – KraussMaffei is focusing on glossy finishes that can be achieved by inductive mold temperature control.

Their PX series from a year ago combines the advantages of an all-electric injection molding machine with modularity thanks to a wide selection of clamping and injection unit combinations. To satisfy the large demand, KraussMaffei will double their capacity in the PX series next year.

KraussMaffei will produce Fresnel lenses from liquid silicone rubber on a PX 50-180 ­SilcoSet (© KraussMaffei)

On a PX 50-180 SilcoSet, Fresnel lenses will be produced from liquid silicone rubber. Due to the low viscosity of the silicone material, production of these transparent diffusing lenses is very demanding, requiring particularly high precision during injection. To do so, the PX 50-180 SilcoSet combines the hydraulic nozzle system force with an electric injection unit. This keeps the machine-to-mold connection tight, so that production is free of leaks there. A special task in this application is assumed by KraussMaffei’s APC plus function. It compensates the usual charge variation when processing LSR. APC plus detects materials viscosity during the running process and corrects the filling volume right during the shot. Possible preliminary cross-linking of the silicone can be reliably compensated by the system. The next station is the optical quality control of magnification quality and overfeed, after which the finished lenses are deposited in magazines.

KraussMaffei demonstrates their machine-technical solution for the requirements of thin-wall injection molding on a PX 160-540 with faster injection, faster ejection, increased torque, and faster nozzle motion. This injection molding machine, on which flip tops will be produced, features an increased injection speed of up to 270 mm/s. The bottle caps from PP are 28 mm in diameter with short thread 1881. A LRX 100 linear robot removes the caps from the mold and deposits them in an integrated automation unit where they remain closed.

How optical surface effects can be achieved by inductive DMH technology (Dynamic Mold Heating) will be demonstrated by KraussMaffei at the Fakuma in cooperation with their partner Roctool S.A. A CX 200 is going to produce 16 different surfaces and as a result as many design versions of a plastic housing for a games console on a 16-fold mold. In the next step, part and sprue will be separated. Finally, they are bagged and packaged.