Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 23, 1995 02:00 AM

K MACHINES UPGRADED, UPBRAIDED: ELIMINATING THIRD PLATEN SAVES SPACE

Bill Bregar
Senior Staff Reporter
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    DUSSELDORF, GERMANY-When it comes to injection molding machines, the fewer the platens the better, say marketersof new, two-platen machines introduced at K'95. A platen is a heavy plate of steel that supports the mold assembly. Most traditional injection presses have three platens-one for each half of the mold, called the moving and fixed platens, and a third platen, often called the end platen. The end platen transmits clamping force, whether toggle, hydraulic or hydromechanical clamping, to the tie bars and moving platen.

    The main advantage of eliminating the third platen - major reduction in the length of the machine - becomes more important in bigger machines with large clamping forces.

    Krauss-Maffei KunststofftechnikGmbH said its new, two-platen versions of its existing C-range injection molding machines are about one-third shorter than comparable 3-ton presses. The

    two-platen machines, using the MC brand name, are available in clamping forces of 1,100-4,500 tons.

    The two-platen concept is actually areturn to an old idea, bolstered withnew technology, said Guido Radig, marketing manager for Krauss-Maffei. Injection presses used to have only two platens.

    ``The old problem was stability of the clamping force. So for stability, the three-platen machine was considered the state-of-the-art,'' Radig said at his firm's booth, where an 1,100-ton MC machine was operating.

    Krauss-Maffei's clamping system features four locking nuts mounted on the fixed platen. The moving platen has been designed as a sandwich plate, made up of two interconnected plates. In one of the plates, the company has integrated a clamping piston from four short-stroke pressure cylinders.

    Once the mold is closed, the locking nuts quickly move in to secure the columns on the fixed platen. Clamping pistons go to work, building up clamping pressure rapidly. During unclamping, clamping force release and unlocking of the guide columns happen almost simultaneously.

    The guide columns never leave the guide bushings of the fixed platen, so the platen will not tilt even with very heavy molds, Krauss-Maffei said.

    Krauss-Maffei of Munich, Germany, said MC machines are targeted to the automotive, waste disposal and furniture industries-all of which use large-tonnage machines.

    Engel Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH of Schwertberg, Austria, said it already has sold 16 two-platen machines since the end of 1994. The company said it offers the machines, designated as DUO-line presses, in clamping forces of 562-5,000 tons.

    At K, Engel showed two of its two-platen machines. One had a clamping force of 900 tons, the other was 1,686 tons.

    Engel offers two types of clamping units on its DUO machines, depending on size.

    Machines from 562-1,236 tons have a fully hydraulic clamp. Four high-pressure cylinders are attached to the moving platen, to build up, then reduce, the clamping force quickly. Tie bars anchored on the fixed platen act as continuous piston rods.

    Two powerful, diagonally positioned cylinders enable rapid movement of the platen and strong force to open the mold. When the mold halves touch, a valve seals both chambers in the two-chamber cylinders and clamping force buildup results directly from releasing pressure in the left chamber. Clamping force is released by equalizing pressure, followed by a uniform pressure build-up in both chambers. For machines from 1,461-5,000 tons, Engel uses a hydromechanical clamp. The fixed platen has integrated pressure pads to apply force. Tie bars are supported fully by the fixed platen. The moving platen is guided on the machine's frame.

    As in the smaller machines, the clamp has two diagonally positioned cylinders. Upon mold closing, four split nuts attached to the rear side of the moving platen are activated, to lock the molds in place. On the fixed platen, four pressure pads are put under pressure to build up clamping force. The pads are linked hydraulically, to guarantee even distribution of the tie-bar load.

    At the cycle's end, pressure is released, the split nuts are unlocked and the cylinders open the clamp.

    Hemscheidt Maschinintechnik Schwerin GmbH & Co. of Schwerin, Germany, makes a retractable tie-bar machine that uses two platens. The hydromechanical-clamp machine has been in production about 10 years, said owner Alexander Hemscheidt.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Berry sees growing health care demand in India; new plant to open soon
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    OSHA: Worker died at plastics firm after duct tape covered safety guards
    2
    Tornadoes, severe weather impact Texas resin plants
    3
    Plastics firms work to eliminate PFAS use as pressure mounts
    4
    Material Insights: Nasty weather knocks some chemical plants offline
    5
    MAPP survey shows ‘struggling' plastics processing sector
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified