CHICAGO (Aug. 21, 6 p.m. EDT) — Toshiba Machine Co. America introduced an improved controller on its new all-electric press, the ENCII.
Five ENCII-series machines ran at Toshiba's stand.
Toshiba said it used the core technologies of its EC and ECN presses, but improved them. The ECNII, which comes in clamping forces 20-950 tons, offers better productivity by using high-speed mold opening and closing, superior mold protection and high-speed ejection.
A newly developed, low-inertia injection mechanism and a high-torque electric motor help make it happen.
Other features include a highly rigid clamping mechanism and frame and an automatic lubrication system with a pressure monitor.
The ECNII is outfitted with the Injectivisor V30, an improved version of the company's machine controller. Improvements include one screen to set up processing data, an extended 300-slot mold memory and the use of commercially available storage media, thanks to the addition of a standard USB port and a port for Compact Flash. Auxiliary equipment can be tied into the controller by remote control.
The ECNII presses demonstrated micromolding of a 0.4-millimeter, thin-wall polycarbonate part. An optional high-speed injection unit can reach injection speeds of 550mm per second
Toshiba used one of its Scara robots to coordinate a two-press cell making a turf tool for golfers. A liquid silicone was overmolded on top of a thermoplastic substrate.
Another press was molding a thin-wall PC light-guide plate. In another application featuring the ECNII, Toshiba made a polypropylene coaster on a four-cavity mold with a cycle time of less than 5½ seconds.
