SCHWERTBERG, AUSTRIA (Dec. 6, 2:05 p.m. ET) — Engel Holding GmbH has sold huge injection press, with 5,500 metric tons of clamping force, to German trash cart maker Sulo Umwelttechnik GmbH.
The Engel duo press, a model 8000H/8000H/5500, is the largest and heaviest Engel has ever built, said officials of the Schwertberg-based machinery maker.
Sulo is adding the hefty machine to its headquarters factory in Herford, Germany, to make four-wheeled trash containers out of high density polyethylene.
Engel spelled out some statistics in a press release issued Dec. 1:
* Tie-bar spacing is 8.6 feet wide to allow the mold, which weights 112 tons, to be loaded into the mold.
* The largest trash carts measure 4 feet by 3.3 feet by 3.3 feet, and stands 9.3 feet high.
* Two barrier screws, with a screw diameter of 215 mm and a length-to-diameter ratio of 24:1 feed the HDPE into the mold. Injection pressure is 2100 bar.
Engel officials said the super-large presses are built specifically for the molded part. Engel equipped the 5,500-tonner with Ecodrive, which cuts energy consumption by using a servo-driven hydraulic pump to run platen movement. Engel calls it the “no drive while idle” principle.
