KraussMaffei Corp. will show multicomponent injection molding, the FiberForm and MuCell processes, and a new Adaptive Process Control system, at NPE 2015 in Orlando, Fla.
KM's NPE slogan: “Our machines shape the world.”
NPE 2015 marks the U.S. debut of the GXH multicomponent machine. The “H” symbolizes the arrangement of two or more parallel injection units. That horizontal layout means the melt is guided directly into the respective mold half, reducing the number of dead spots in the hot runner, according to the company. Other advantages of parallel injection units are simplified mold design and a smaller footprint of the entire press.
In Orlando, a GXH 550-1400/1400 will run with an LRX linear robot to make covers for fog lights, on a mold made by Proper Group International.
And KM will offer another U.S. premier: higher tonnage sizes of 825-tons and 990-tons, in its GX series.
“The combination of the quickest and most efficient twin-platen machine on the market, a proven plasticizing unit, state-of-the-art drive technology, the GearX and GuideX innovations and coordinated automation, provides for short cycle times and simultaneously high precision,” KraussMaffei Corp. President Paul Caprio said.
The interface for KM's new MC6 Multitouch controller is like a smartphone, so you can use your fingers to swipe or zoom. The MC6 has a 24-inch screen. A new feature, called SlideX, a guiding line engraved in the glass, gives users haptic control over all moving axes without looking at the control panel — you can feel acceleration on the axes.
The FiberForm process will produce airbag housings made of glass fiber-reinforced nylon, with a shot weight of 350 grams on a 45-second cycle time. The airbag is about 40 percent lighter than conventional components made of metal — and it's ready to install immediately.
FiberForm combines injection molding with thermoforming of composite sheet.
Also at NPE, KM will run an all-electric AX 180-750 CellForm production cell, using a Proper Tooling mold equipped with a Roctool inductive mold heater. The part: a panel for coffee machines molded from polycarbonate.
And the Adaptive process Control (APC) function immediately compensates for fluctuations in the molding process. APC makes corrections during each cycle, adjusting the changeover point and the holding pressure profile in each cycle, to the current melt viscosity and current flow resistance in the mold.
At NPE, KM will exhibit in Booth W-903. For information, see npe.kraussmaffeigroup.com.