Highlights every second
The new El-Exis SP model covers a broad spectrum in the packaging industry.
That the new EL-Exis SP offers a sustainable production system for packaging manufacturers was demonstrated with three different applications by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH, the Japanese-German manufacturer of injection moulding machines, at the Market Segment Meeting "Trends and Technologies in Packaging".
In addition to producing 1.2-litre buckets, the El-Exis SP impressed visitors with its high-speed production of beakers and a sophisticated in-mould labelling cell as the main feature.
As a special highlight and a masterpiece of process engineering, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag together with Marbach moulds & automation GmbH of Bad Urach demonstrated how thin-walled containers can be produced with full cover labelling. The special feature of this new in-mould labelling process is that the banner label and the base label are inserted overlapping around a radius, thus completely covering the plastic surface with the label right up to the edge of the seal. In this way the necessary barrier function can be integrated into the packaging by means of the label.
For this full labelling Sumitomo (SHI) Demag's partner Marbach has developed a process where a "Full Cover Label Placer“ inserts the banner label and the base label in one stroke. Previous IML solutions required a crosspiece on the base of the container so that it was not possible to cover the full area with the label in injection moulding. Last, but not least, the new geometry gives the products an important distinguishing feature at the point of sale.
The new in-mould labelling development was on display at the Packaging Market Segment Meeting in a manufacturing cell around an EL-Exis SP 200 (2,000 kN). The fast-speed machine, equipped with a double IML tool from Marbach, produced the 250-g-containers in a cycle time of 4 s. The Full Cover Label Placer from Marbach ensured that the banner label and the base label were inserted in one stroke. The high-precision mould stop position of the EL-Exis SP ensured the exact positioning of the labels despite the high production speed.
Marbach moulds & automation GmbH of Bad Urach is considered to be one of the leading manufacturers of injection moulds in the thin-wall sector. Furthermore, the moulds & automation division of the Heilbronn Marbach group offers in-mould labelling systems for both injection moulding and thermoform systems. The automation series of the Marbach specialists is rounded off by removal and stacking systems.
In view of the continually increasing cost of raw materials, the thin-wall technique is becoming increasingly important for packaging manufacturers. At the Market Segment Meeting Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, together with Kebo AG from Neuhausen in Switzerland and Machines Pagès from Foncine Le Haut in France, demonstrated the advantages that the hybrid El-Exis SP fast-speed machines offer in this area.
With its patented drive technology the high-speed injection moulding machine, El-Exis SP, offers even faster injection rates and more rapid mould movements than the El-Exis-S, thus testing the limits in the production of packaging.
With a four-cavity mould from Kebo, an EL-Exis SP 200 produced 200 thin-walled cups at a rate of one cup in 1.8 seconds. A high-speed robot system from Machines Pagès ensured the swift removal and stacking of the injection moulded cups.
Kebo AG from Neuhausen in Switzerland makes high-performance injection moulds for applications in medicine, pharmaceuticals and laboratories, for caps and closures and for packaging and IML. The Swiss company specialises in moulds with multiple cavities.
Machines Pagès of Foncine Le Haut in France is a manufacturer of robot systems for injection moulding and thermoform technology. Its mass production focuses on packaging, medical applications, caps and closures and consumer goods. The French company is the world's largest supplier of IML automation systems.
That high performance is standard for the new El-Exis SP was demonstrated by Sumitomo (SHI) Demag with is production of 1.2-litre buckets - representing a typical mass-produced article in the packaging industry. Equipped with a two-cavity mould, the El-Exis SP 300 (3,000 kN) worked with a cycle time of around 5 s. The buckets, which had a safety latch and weighed 38 g, had a wall thickness of 0.65 mm with a flow path/wall thickness ratio of 280.
The two-cavity mould was constructed by the French mould manufacturer Collomb from Oyonnax. This well-established company, founded in 1970, produces precision moulds for industrial packaging and food packaging. Stack moulds with up to 16+16 cavities ensure a high standard of efficiency for production in the relevant applications.
The hybrid high-speed machines of the El-Exis SP series are ideal for the production of thin-walled packaging. Their high output and low energy consumption are simply ground-breaking. Due to the hybrid drive concept with energy recycling in parallel operation, the machine consumes up to 40 % less energy than comparable hydraulic fast-speed machines.