Machinery at K2025

IML adds value to packaging/medical applications

Swiss firm Netstal will be showcasing its 5,500 kN Elios 5500 PAC producing 1-l IML (in-mould labelling) PP (provided by materials firm Sabic) yoghurt pails. The hybrid injection unit with two-valve technology has an injection speed of up to 1,100 mm/s in “High Power” mode and a maximum injection pressure of 2400 bar. Furthermore, the 23 g pail with a wall thickness of 0.35 mm will be produced in a four-cavity mould from Dutch IML expert Brink. The automation inserts the labels into the mould cavities and removes the finished pails, inspects under a camera and finally stacks them on a conveyor belt. The PP label is completely detached in the mechanical recycling process. With a cycle time of 3.8 seconds, around 3,800 parts/hour are produced.

Also focused on IML, Germany’s Arburg will show a cleanroom medical cell comprising a compact 1,500 kN-electric Allrounder 520 A, with eight-cavity moulds from Kebo, MCC labels, Beck automation and camera inspection from Intravis. It will produce ready-to-use centrifuge tubes with PP labelling. Added value is achieved with IML technology by applying codes for traceability, and IML products with NextCycle labels are easily recycled without the label having any effect on the PP material. While sensitive information on patient data is initially printed invisibly and can only be read under UV light, patient numbers can be applied to labels that react photonically with light using a laser in the hospital.

For medical also, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag will present its latest clean toggle 420-tonne PAC-E machine showcasing a 48-cavity, 30 ml medication dispensing cup production cell. Collaborating with Zubler Handling (stacking) and Otto-Hofstetter (mould tooling), the cell boasts fast cycles of 57,600 cups/hour, with a shot weight of 70 g. In addition, the thermally balanced cooling system comprises 29 water cooling circuits. After removal from the tool, the cups are stacked on a round table equipped with two 48 compartment sections, with sorting done by the pick & place robot. Another exhibit manufacturing medical valves on an IntElect 130- tonne LSR moulding machine appears on the Nexus stand and has a cycle time of 23 seconds/shot, with a six-axis robot removing 16 moulded parts and transferring them to a slitting station.

Wittmann Group will show the new EcoPrimus allelectric, a standardised model from the EcoPower series. Closing caps for medical applications will be produced using a 24-cavity mould with an unscrewing device supplied by HTW, Austria. The parts are removed and deposited on a conveyor belt by a W918 robot from Wittmann, then passed on to a tubular bag machine from Ravizza Packaging, Italy, and packaged.

Economical/efficient solutions for moulding

Austria’s Engel will focus on its foammelt technology for technical parts made from 100% PCR on an all-electric 2,200 kN e-mac 220 machine, which produces thick-walled parts for the construction industry on a compact footprint.

The blowing agent mixture created by Moxietec, combined with Vistamaxx additive from ExxonMobil, creates a fine-celled foam core, with a weight saving of 30%, shot weight of 538 g, and also increases the impact resistance of the component by 10%. The dosing is carried out via a gravimetric system from Movacolor, with a mixing screw from Engel for a homogeneous melt, while the plasticising unit uses iQ melt control. In addition, a cold runner supports the foaming while cycle time using Moxietec’s two-cavity mould is 120 seconds.

Germany-based Wittmann Battenfeld’s new MacroPower 500/3400 offers a space-saving, one-piece machine body and pivotable injection unit accessible from both the machine’s front and rear sides for easier screw changes, thereby saving time. It is also fitted with the Unilog B8X control system with control components developed in-house for higher internal clock frequency and shorter response times to sensor signals. At K, it will be shown producing a box known as Haibox from PP delivered by Borealis, using a single-cavity mould supplied by Haidlmair, Austria. The machine will be equipped with a Wittmann IML unit and labels come from Viappiani, Italy. Following parts removal, every shot is thermally captured by an imaging camera and then compared with the reference picture from the approval process. The pictures are checked by the TD14.0 software from SKZ, Germany, evaluating any deviations from normal temperature differences.

Canadian firm Husky is unveiling a next generation packaging moulding system with a new look and feel, hot runner, mould controller, and will introduce its Advantage+Elite remote monitoring for packaging. It features enhanced energy efficiency: servo-pump technology lowers consumption by 10% while reducing hydraulic requirements; faster injection, higher pressure and optimised output. An integrated melt stream delivery allows for consistent part quality and highly repeatable moulding processes. Its new Altanium Multishot, with both injection units and rotary platen, is an integrated, multimaterial solution that improves manufacturing efficiency. Enabling expanded moulding capability, the secondary injection unit and rotary platen technologies turn any single-barrel moulding machine into a multi-material production cell.

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