CHICAGO — Engel North America (Booth S2583) says its new electric tie-barless injection press is the first to combine all-electric technology and tie-barless design.
Engel also is showing its largest-ever, standard tie-barless press.
Franz Strohmaier, vice president of engineering and advanced technology, called the all-electric, tie-barless model "the next logical step in the evolution of machine technology."
"So now you have a machine system that approaches the ideal for high-precision applications," he said.
Kurt Fenske, Engel's vice president of sales and marketing, said tie-barless and all-electric machines have competed for the same market of precision molding.
"For customers, it was frustrating because to get one, you had to forego the other. We expect the electric tie-barless to be a very hot product."
Engel has sold more than 13,000 tie-barless machines around the world. Having no tie bars makes it easier to use parts-removal robots on an injection press, and to change molds. Features of the electric press, running medical pipettes on a 64-cavity mold at NPE, include a large injection unit for precision, high-pressure molding at fast cycles, according to the company.
Engel said the all-electric machine will be commercially available in early 2001, initially in clamp tonnages of 60, 110 and 165.
Engel also is showing a 660-ton version of its standard tie-barless machine, which is more than twice the formerly largest Engel size of 300 tons. NPE booth visitors will see the machine molding a large ABS T-pipe fitting.
According to Engel, the mold has three large, protruding core-pull cylinders, making it impossible to get into a conventional machine without pulling out the tie bars — a costly, time-consuming process.
Strohmaier said more than 70 of the big machines have been sold since the 660-ton press was introduced in Europe on a limited basis.
Engel and GE Structured Products also are running a 200-ton press to demonstrate in-mold decorating. The process inserts a thermoplastic film with graphics and finishes directly into the mold, then injects plastic behind the film to get a permanent bond.
Engel also is showing the largest-ever press to run the low-pressure MuCell process, a two-platen Duo machine with 1,000 tons of clamping force and wide platens.
