Demag Plastics Group to Launch New Machine at Chinaplas 2006 in Shanghai
March 27, 2006
Demag Plastics Group will be participating in the Chinaplas Trade Fair from April 26 to 29, 2006 to launch its Ergotech Dragon 200 with the new clamp tonnage of 2.000 kN, a new product from its Chinese operation in Ningbo. Also displayed by Demag at its Stand W1N01 in Hall W1 will be two other injection moulding machines, including an EL-EXIS S high-performance machine for the manufacture of decorated food containers using the in-mould-labelling (IML) technique.
Demag Plastics Machinery (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. has extended its Ergotech Dragon series at the top end of the line. Named the Ergotech Dragon 200, the company is now offering a machine featuring a clamping force of 2,000 kN and a toggle clamping unit with an attractive price/performance ratio and exceptionally short delivery times. The new Ergotech Dragon 200-840 (2,000 kN clamping force, size 840 injection unit) will be demonstrated at the Chinaplas producing a technical automotive part. A Wittmann-make robot will remove the ABS moulding from the mould provided by Demag's Chinese customer Fuerda Industry.
A second machine from the Dragon series, an Ergotech Dragon 100-430 (1,000 kN clamping force, size 430 injec-tion unit) will be seen producing hubs of polypropylene using a 16-cavity hot runner mould from the Swiss mould maker Kebo Formenbau AG of Neuhausen, Switzerland.
In-mould-labelling (IML) to decorate packaging articles
Since its launch in 1999, the EL-EXIS S injection moulding machine has established itself especially in the manufacture of plastic packaging. An increasing number of moulders of pails, screw caps, containers and lids are using the EL-EXIS S – the first machines having logged almost seven years of operation. With ten models, the EL-EXIS S covers the clamping force range from 1,000 to 7,000 kN. Electrical drives for mould movement and metering distinctly reduce energy consumption compared to full hydraulic fast-cycling machines. Depending on the structure of the cycle and plasticising capacity, savings are possible of up to 40%.
Because packaging is increasingly being looked upon as a sales promotion medium and its visually attractive appearance is apt to be an important factor for the success of the packaged product, the use of label decoration of packaging articles has found wide acceptance in recent years. Therefore, Demag Plastics Group will have one of its exhibits at the Chinaplas focussed on the subject of in-mould labelling (IML).
EL-EXIS S 150 with family mould for in-mould labelling
The IML production system on display at the Chinaplas will consist of an EL-EXIS S 150/500-610 (1,500 kN clamping force, 500 mm tiebar distance, size 610 injection unit) and will be shown producing a decorated 500 ml container with lid using an 1 x 1 cavity family mould provided by Glaroform AG of Nafels, Switzerland. The container and lid are in one parting plane, filling being through a hot runner system equipped with shut-off nozzles. The needle valve nozzles can be independently con-trolled. This is necessary in order to achieve uniform filling over different flow distances. Decoration of the containers on the bottom and sides and on the surface of the lid is by means of in-mould labelling (IML) using an IML-line supplied by Beck Automation AG of Oberengstringen, Switzerland. The production system will use a polypropylene from Borealis and operate with a cycle time of only 4.5 seconds.
The use of a family mould saves the investment in a second injection moulding machine and a second automation concept. The total solution on show has special application in producing high-grade packaging articles that are needed in smaller lot sizes.
