- Separation of melt processing and injection unit
- Designed to produce very large moldings
- Significant energy savings
- Processing of highly contaminated melts possible
At the upcoming K2016, the German melt filtration specialist Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen will introduce a series of injection molding machines which are suitable for shot volumes of up to 160 liter (160,000 cm³). The defining feature of these machines is the structural separation of the melt processing and the injection unit. This makes them far more energy-efficient than conventional machines.
Separation of the melt processing and the injection unit
The SRM series of large, two-stage injection molding machines covers the clamping force range from 2,000 to 30,000 kN and shot volumes from 5 to 160 liter (5,000 to 160,000 cm³). Designed for making moldings that weigh upward of 1,000 g and have wall thicknesses of 2 mm and more, typical applications include the production of plastic pallets, fittings, manhole and wastewater systems from virgin, reclaimed or recycled material. In all versions of the series, a relatively small extrusion unit plasticizes the material while a separate plunger unit injects the melt into the mold. This enables large shot volumes to be processed with a high melt quality, but using lower clamping forces in the clamping unit. The small size of the units means that they can be equipped with correspondingly smaller drives that consume up to 60% less energy than similar, conventional injection molding machines from competitors. In addition, the combination of a compact plasticizing unit and a short clamping unit means that the footprint of the machinery, and therefore the amount of production floor space required, is significantly smaller.
Processing of highly contaminated melts possible
It is also possible to transform highly contaminated melts into large, heavy and yet high-quality moldings by integrating the company’s ERF melt filter downstream of the plasticizing unit and another upstream of the injection unit of a SRM machine.