Ernst Reinhardt GmbH.

A prototype of a new linear shuttle machine that saves production space while maximizing oven utilization was unveiled by Ernst Reinhardt GmbH of Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. Typical machines have arms that move from station to station in a circular motion, which takes up space and doesn't allow for molds with a shorter cooling requirement to move ahead of a mold with a longer cycle. In addition, heating and cooling chambers normally have a roughly cubical design, while the mold rotates in a spherical space. This causes poor utilization (less than 50%) of the chamber volume and changing distance between the mold and heating/air jet as the mold rotates.

The prototype unit features a linear arrangement of mold load/unload station, two cylindrical cooling stations, and a cylindrical heating station. The molds are attached to a spindle and move linearly on a track. Cooling and heating stations are elevated above floor level, so the molds move underneath them. A mold carrier lifts each mold arm into the heating or cooling station. This arrangement allows a mold with a shorter cooling cycle to move to the unload station ahead of a mold that requires longer cooling.

Mold rotation in the elevated heating section is achieved by rotating both the oven and the mold-carrier arm. Drives, gears, and other sensitive components are positioned away from the heat source. The prototype is being tested by rotomolder Rhein-Bonar in Hockenheim, Germany.