Friedrichshafen, Germany — Fakuma 2018 marks the first trade show where an injection press manufacturer has exhibited molding technology from Imflux, part of consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co.
Milacron Holdings Corp. is molding a technical part on an all-electric Elektron EVO 155 press running a four-cavity Imflux mold during the show, which opened Oct. 16. Two people from Imflux will be stationed at the machine all week to explain the process.
Six Imflux employees are attending Fakuma 2018 in Friedrichshafen in what the P&G unit considers an important trade show debut. Imflux CEO Mary Wagner is also at the show.
"It's a seamless integration of Imflux in a molding machine," Gene Altonen, Imflux chief technology officer said in an interview at Milacron's booth Oct. 15, the day before Fakuma began.
The injection press is equipped with Imflux software and pressure sensors inside the mold and nozzle.
Imflux uses constant, low pressure to slowly fill the mold, while simultaneously packing the melt and cooling the mold. Imflux software, linked to sensors, controls the process. Traditional injection molding uses high pressure and high temperatures, then switches over to the pack-and-hold phase.
Imflux officials say the technology can cut cycle time, reduce molding pressure by 50 percent, reduce molded-in stress and shrink variations and allow a wider range of processing windows and shrink variations inside the mold, among other benefits.
The Fakuma demonstration is designed to show off Imflux's capabilities, such as Auto Viscosity Adjust, which automatically makes adjustments for variations on viscosity.
Altonen said the four-cavity mold is intentionally unbalanced. And the injection press will change materials and colors during molding, from white high density polyethylene to red polypropylene and back.
Booth visitors can randomly turn off a mold cavity, and rather than flash the mold, Imflux gives constant feedback to make the adjustment and keep molding good parts, he said.
