Engel Holding GmbH has won another order to supply injection molding equipment to BMW AG's Leipzig factory in Germany, to manufacture car body shell components for the BMW i3 electric vehicle.
Following on from a similar order in March 2013, the latest order includes two Engel duo machines with 4,000 metric tons of clamping force, which are integrated and act as a double system during production.
Engel said: “In master/slave mode, both machines can be synchronized to injection mold and complete two components at the same time. This manufacturing principle makes sure that both components undergo exactly the same material aging process and that the high quality requirements are met.”
The Austrian machinery group is the general contractor for the manufacturing cells in Leipzig, and is incorporating automation into the entire system. Both machines are fitted with a multi-axis robot.
Munich, Germany-based BMW began selling its i3 electric car, made with extensive use of carbon fiber for the body structure, late last year. It begins selling a larger electric car, the i8, this year.