Visitors to Engel Machinery Inc. at NPE2012 (Booth 943), can sit in the driver’s seat of the future, where you can activate control functions by lightly touching the car’s center console. Functional elements are below a completely enclosed surface — smartphone-style controls instead of buttons and switches.
How does this fit into injection molding?
At the Orlando trade show, an Engel duo 350 injection press will mold the console using the Clearmelt process, which will integrate a capacitive foil using in-mold labeling. Magna Exterior & Interior Systems in Munich is supporting the processing side of the exhibit.
Using spin-stack technology, the black center console top is made of an ABS/polycarbonate blend is molded, while the pre-molded part made in the previous cycle gets overmolded with polyurethane in the second half of the mold.
The capacitive foil is inserted into the mold before the first component gets ejected.
Engel Viper 20 and Viper 40 linear robots handle the automation.
Engel also is offering a free seminar on its Dolphin and Clearmelt technologies during NPE on April 4.
Engel Machinery is based in York, Pa.
Tel. 717-764-6818, fax 717-764-0314, email sales@engelglobal.com.
