Friedrichshafen, Germany — Deckerform Group's Fakuma exhibit was dominated by a Toyo all-electric double-toggle injection press.
The machine is molding polystyrene cups in a 12-cavity mold with cycle time of 3.5 to 4 seconds. The cups werehandled by a Scara robot from Montecassiano, Italy-based Campetella Robotic Center srl before being film-wrapped in sets of 20 by equipment from Schio, Italy-based Lafer Packaging srl.
Franz Tschacha, managing partner, explained the family-owned toolmaker's decision to prominently display the Toyo machine: Aichach, Germany-based Deckerform and Toyo held discussions at K 2016, resulting in an agreement for Deckerform to handle sales and support of Toyo molding machines in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, the German-speaking part of Switzerland and joint representation in Russia.
The deal provides synergy with Deckerform's traditional core activity of production of compression and injection molds, along with product design and development. In addition, Deckerform already represents French robot producer Sepro Robotique.
With 72 employees, Deckerform has around 11 million euros in annual sales. The Toyo and Sepro activities are managed by Franz Tschacha's daughter, Anna Tschacha, as managing partner of Deckerform Injection GmbH, who talked about expecting the Toyo and Sepro areas to jointly contribute 2 million to 3 million euros in 2017 sales, rising to 4 million euros in 2018.
Claudio Braga, export sales manager at R.P. Injection srl in Brescia, Italy, which provides support throughout Europe for Toyo, said that, excluding German-speaking countries, Toyo sold 135 of its all-electric machines in Europe in 2016. Takahashi said Europe accounts for 10 percent of Toyo machine sales, with plans to increase this to 15 percent within five years. Toyo sells 2,000 machines per year worldwide.
At Deckerform's Fakuma news conference, Alexander Knobloch of Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal-based molder and toolmaker Macro Group, said Macro bought its first Toyo machine in 2010 and "it has run ever since on three shifts per day, with no repairs or maintenance at all." This encouraged Macro to acquire a second Toyo machine in 2013.
Knobloch said Macro presently has 10 injection molding lines with 60-2,500 tonnes clamping force machines and added its next investment will be into 700, 900 and 1,100 tonnes Toyo machines.
"The future for Macro will be just all-electric Toyo machines, without any ifs and buts on that," Knobloch said, pointing to high energy costs in Portugal. He was supported by Franz Tschacha, who said: "This is a clear pledge by Macro that it wants to earn money."