- Injection moulding plus removal of four food containers in less than 2 seconds
- 4-cavity mould for 125ml / 3.4 g containers
- Cycle time reduction of 3-5% thanks to optimisation module
At this year’s Fakuma trade show, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag will present the El-Exis SP 200, an exhibit with extremely short cycle times for injection moulding plus automation: the high-speed machine produces four 125 ml polypropylene gourmet containers and also completes their removal by a special handling robot in less than two seconds.
4-cavity mould for 125ml / 3.4 g containers
Together with its partners Brink B.V., for the automation and mould, and Borealis for the polypropylene (PP), Sumitomo (SHI) Demag will demonstrate its expertise in the field of plastics packaging products and the optimisation of high-speed production lines. Brink supplies the 4-cavity hot-runner mould as well as the complete automation equipment for fast container removal. Four containers, each with a weight of only 3.4 g , a diameter of 83 mm, a wall-thickness of 0.32 mm and a flow path/wall-thickness ratio of 213 are removed from the side by a robot that moves into the mould parting line. They are placed behind the machine, stacked and conveyed along the machine’s lateral axis.
Cycle time reduction of 3-5% thanks to optimisation module
The exhibited El-Exis SP 200-675 with a 25D 40 mm screw plus shear and mixing section is equipped with a module for cycle time optimisation. Individual machine movements as well as acceleration and deceleration ramps can be optimised to suit the requirements of the product currently produced. This includes metering, the dynamics of the switchover from injection to holding pressure, mould opening and ejector movements. This optimisation is key to reduce cycle times of high-speed applications, such as the exhibited production of gourmet containers, by between 3% and 5% compared with those achieved with standard settings.
The machine is also equipped with a mould protection function for the monitoring of the clamping unit’s travel forces both during mould opening and closing. If required, the module will actively stop the movements in order to protect the mould from potential damage. The machine also features an oil cooling and filtering system, which enables a high oil service life of up to 40,000 h.
