Injection molding.

Multi-material, thin-wall, and clean-room medical molding will be especially prominent among the injection molding exhibits at K'98, as will allelectric and hybrid machines. Suppliers will also introduce a host of general-purpose machines in new sizes and with new features.

Multi-component machines

Don't be surprised if you can't turn around at K'98 without glimpsing a multi-material molding exhibit. In what could be the first example of two-component molding on an allelectric machine, Cincinnati Milacron, Batavia, Ohio, will show the Elektra 100-2F, a 110-ton model, producing shouldered toothpaste tubes from HDPE and PET in a rotary-platen mold.

Milacron will also show new multi-component applications for conventional hydraulic machines. The Ferromatik Milacron 94.5-ton model K85-2F will be equipped with an auxiliary micro-injection unit to produce the 0.11-g first shot of an 0.72-g dental part. The micro-injector sports an 18-mm screw and handles shot sizes from 0.001 to 3 g.

Another Ferromatik K85 machine will demonstrate mono-sandwich technology, in which layered arrangements of two different melts can be injected from one injection cylinder that is fed by two plasticating units. This technique, in conjunction with gas assist, will produce a windshield-wiper arm of unfilled PBT over glass-filled PBT.

Battenfeld GmbH (U.S. offices in West Warwick, R.I.) will produce a combination LSR/nylon part on a 165-ton machine with a new Unilog B4 controller.

Battenfeld will also use a 3000-ton HM machine to make a three-component automotive fascia of PC/PBT alloy with an integral TPE seal and polycarbonate lens.

Arburg GmbH (U.S. offices in Newington, Conn.) will show its latest Allrounder 520 C Jubilee machine in a 220-ton two-component configuration. Arburg will also bring its Allrounder 320 S in a two-component version available in 38.5 and 55 tons. To accommodate larger two-component molds, Arburg has extended the tiebar length on these machines by 100 mm.

Netstal Machinery (U.S. offices in Devens, Mass.) will run a 660-ton, two-component SynErgy machine producing an automotive adjustment wheel.

Demag Ergotech (Van Dorn Demag Corp., Strongsville, Ohio) will also show two-component molding systems, one of which will combine thermoplastics and LSR.

Faster, thinner

New and updated high-speed machines will be busy cranking out all kinds of packaging and thin-wall parts at the show. Cincinnati Milacron will bring a redesigned Elektra 100 allelectric machine with an extra drive that nearly doubles the machine's injection rate to 380 mm/sec. This power increase enables the machine to handle a broader range of thin-wall applications.

The company will also display a Ferromatik 275-ton K 250 S model with beefed-up hydraulic power to enhance parallel functions. In Dusseldorf, the machine will produce 0.86-1b HDPE parts in eight cavities.

For those times when injection speed really counts, Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. (U.S. offices in Anaheim, Calif. I will show a 66-ton model UH 1500/TM with a maximum injection rate of 1500 mm/sec and injection pressures to 49,735 psi. The new machine incorporates the company's Triplemelt rejection unit, which is said to improve molding precision.

HPM Corp., Mt. Gilead, Ohio, will run a modified NextWave 600-ton two-platen machine that has enlarged platens and an electric screw drive that permits faster cycles via continuous plastication.

New GP machines

Arburg will expand its machine size range with the new 220-ton Allrounder 570 C Jubilee. It has 570 mm between tiebars, up from 520 mm on previous models. One version on display will feature a new injection unit for shot sizes up to 740 g.

Also growing bigger is Arburg's S Series. New Allrounder 420 and 470 S models have respective clamp forces of 110 and 143 tons.

Sandretto (U.S. offices in Middleburg Heights, Ohio) will show the first of a new mid-sized line called the Series Nine. The 440-ton model has a new hydraulic design with twin variable-volume servo pumps.

Krauss-Maffei (U.S. offices in Florence, Ky.) has extended its C Series of small two-platen machines with a new 33-ton model.

On the large end, K-M has updated its MC Series (880 to 4400 tons) with longer screws and a new hydraulic design that integrates the clamp travel cylinders inside the tiebar columns.

HPM will show large two-platen Next Wave machines in several configurations. An 1100-tonner with newly enlarged platens will produce an automotive part in a 1+1 stack mold.

Medical molding

Several all-electric machines for medical applications will operate at the show as part of clean-room molding cells. Ferromatik Milacron's medical molding cell will have a 55-ton all-electric machine with a Class 1000 clean-air module around the safety gate. Battenfeld's 110-ton CDK-SE all-electric toggle machine will have a portable Class 1000 clean room. Netstal and Demag Ergotech also plan to showcase medical applications on hydraulic machines with clean-room enclosures.

Nissei will produce medical parts on a 165-ton, all-electric ES 3000 machine.

DVD machines

Cincinnati Milacron will signal its push into the optical-disc market with a new DVD system based on a 55-ton Elektra all-electric machine.

Nissei will show a 44-ton optical-disc machine along with a downstream line that fits within I meter square.

In-mold laminating

Krauss-Maffei will show a new 250-ton machine for its "Decoform" low-pressure process that involves back molding against a decorative fabric material. With tiebar spacing of 1025 mm square, the new machine accepts molds that are up to twice as big as standard machines take.

Ube Industries (U.S. offices in Ann Arbor, Mich.) will show its "Dieprest" system for low-pressure in-mold lamination. It includes special control logic and other modifications to the company's standard toggle machines.

PET preform machine

Netstal will unveil a 96-cavity preform system based on a 660-ton SynErgy machine with an electric screw drive for continuous plasticating.

Precision molding

Nissei promises gains in molding precision for its all-electric presses, thanks to its "Triplemelt" injection unit, which was previously offered on hydraulic machines. Nissei will display a 44-ton electric with Triplemelt.

Productivity doubler

Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd., Bolton, Ont., will show a 1000-ton two-platen machine equipped with a new stack-mold carrier - a first for the company's twoplaten machines. The system sports a space-saving top-entry robot that is actually two robots on one beam.

Customized cells

A concept for automated molding cells, called the "Insider," will be shown by Battenfeld. Consisting of a molding machine, integrated robot, conveyor, and protective guarding, these customized cells are designed to save cost, floor space, and cycle times.

Insert molding

Battenfeld will show a 83.5-tonner in its new Vertical R rotary-table series, which goes up to 220 tons. These machines have adjustable-height injection units.

Nissei has increased the table size of its three-tiebar, 33-ton vertical TNS 30R machine, allowing it to handle larger molds and more automation. It will appear as part of an automated insert-molding cell.

'Mystery' machine

Demag Ergotech hinted that it will show a new energy-efficient alternative to all-electric machines. Company officials revealed little except that it uses a "decentralized drive" in which motors and pumps are located in close proximity to the part of the machine they power.

DuPont Engineering Polymers, Wilmington, Del., has developed a new injection unit that will reportedly shave several seconds off cycle times for crystalline engineering resins, doubling output in some cases. Patents are being filed, and DuPont declined to reveal details before the show.