Absolute Haitian is introducing its third generation of Zhafir-brand electric injection molding machines to North America for applications ranging from medical clean rooms to large, complex automotive components.
The three new models — Venus III, Zeres III and Jenius III — have clamping forces from 44 to 3,709 tons and feature a 10 percent decrease in dry cycle times, increased tie bar spacing, smaller footprint and improved process control and 4.0 connectivity.
The Venus III series is a clean room-ready molder for applications such as medical syringe plungers, medical packaging like caps and closures, and disposable medical products.
The Jenius III is for large-tonnage applications. The press was developed to address quality requirements for producing large home appliances and automotive parts. To increase mold capacity, the machine combines electric drive technology for the injection unit with the servo-hydraulic space-saving design for the clamp.
The company's best-selling Zeres III series provides the energy savings and precision of electric injection and clamp functions but integrates a hydraulic powerpack for cores, ejectors, valve gates and carriage movement.
Glenn Frohring, one of the owners of Worcester, Mass.-based Absolute Haitian, explained why the press continues to be in high demand.
"If a molder has a mold that requires, for example, core pull, and they are running it on an all-electric press, they will have to pull up a separate, free-standing hydraulic powerpack and connect it to the press to operate the core pull function," he said in an email. "With the Zeres, there is no need for this, saving floor space and time. The other appeal of the Zeres III is its price. It is priced lower than our all-electric Venus III."
Absolute Haitian sees the third generation of Zhafir machines as a new opportunity for electrics, Frohring said.
"We believe the enhanced capability combined with an affordable price point makes the Generation 3 machines more attractive to a wider range of processors, from general purpose applications to high-end applications," he said.
The Generation 3 presses are also available in multicomponent versions and fast-cycling versions to increase their range of applications.
In addition, the electric Zeres III and all-electric Venus III also offer software improvements for drive control (Motion Plus) and an open integration (Connectivity Plus) for robotics and automation, which increase the scope for processing and production.
Hardware upgrades were made as well to the clamp and injection unit with the goal of designing standardized components to increase parts availability, decrease downtime and reduce the cost of ownership.
The electric injection unit also was improved with a single-, dual- and quad-spindle drive. This change offers "the perfect interaction of software and hardware," according to Aaron Galindo, corporate controls engineering manager.
"The challenge was to synchronize the software and hardware for all four spindles," Galindo said in a news release. "The multiaxis control technology is based on servo-torque direct drives. This is only possible with extremely powerful, reliable, but also flexible components that are controlled by an intelligent control center."
Absolute Haitian officials point to more than a dozen improvements made to the injection unit, clamp design and software. These changes mean better control of small and precision parts; injection unit speeds up to 500 millimeters per second; dry cycle times decreased by 10 percent; and reserved space for robot movement above the nonoperator side of the machine.
Also, the swiveling injection unit for quick screw and barrel changeover is now standard.
Absolute Haitian began quoting Zhafir Multi presses for the Zeres III, Venus III and Jenius III brands to U.S. and Canadian customers earlier this year.
"The Zhafir Multi give molders interested in entering or participating in the market for parts with multicolor or multimaterial design requirements a more affordable machine solution," Frohring said. "Many molders have been dissuaded in the past by the high cost of multicomponent machines. The Zhafir Multi model and layout choices offer flexibility for a wide range of application."
Absolute Haitian is the exclusive sales and service partner in the U.S. and Canada for Ningbo Haitian Machinery Co. Ltd. based in Ningbo, China. The machines range from 44 to 7,425 U.S. tons of clamp force.
The Chinese company says it shipped about 32,000 machines in 2019 and is the world's largest supplier of plastics injection molding machinery.
'We believe the enhanced capability combined with an affordable price point makes the Generation 3 machines more attractive to a wider range of processors, from general purpose applications to high-end applications.'
Glenn Frohring
Absolute Haitian