ENGEL at NPE2024: Get connected with solutions from ENGEL

ENGEL brings together what belongs together: machines, solutions, technologies, and experts - because only together the plastics industry will continue to be innovative and successful.

ENGEL invites customers to join them at NPE2024 in Orlando, Florida, from May 6 to 10, where the company unites machinery, solutions, technologies, and expertise to drive innovation and success. Visitors are invited to explore how ENGEL can empower its customers' workforce, enhance production efficiency, and drive forward sustainable initiatives.

Addressing critical challenges faced by plastic processors, their exhibits showcase solutions to elevate operations across automotive, teletronics, technical molding, packaging, and medical sectors. With a focus on sustainable practices, readily available stock machines, digitalization for smart factories, and comprehensive training programs, ENGEL is committed to providing customers with a competitive edge.

Learn more about ENGEL’s show highlights, exhibits, and main topics: www.engelglobal.com/npe

Many production companies face a shortage of experienced staff in operating plastics processing equipment. This often results in inefficiencies, errors, and increased waste. ENGEL provides certified training programs and advanced digital and automation solutions to overcome these challenges. Its comprehensive training courses cover all aspects of equipment operation, equipping molders with the necessary skills. In addition, ENGEL's digital solutions are designed to support and alleviate the workforce's workload, assisting with part design, mold sampling, production, maintenance, and service support. By leveraging these digital solutions, customers can optimize productivity and enhance quality while enabling machines to handle more tasks. ENGEL also designs and manufactures critical components for the automation of injection molding cells. That includes linear and articulated robots, peripheral and conveyor technology as well as grippers and safety guards. With ENGEL's support, the skilled labor shortage should not obstruct progress.

ENGEL is renowned for its injection molding machines. While their flexibility and performance are unmatched when it comes to custom machines, ENGEL will highlight its extensive selection of standard machines in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The in-stock supply of UL certified machines means fast availability for the North American market and competitive pricing that can’t be beaten. Whether it's all-electric, servo-hydraulic, or two-platen machines, ENGEL has its customers covered.

Recycling is no longer an option but a necessity for plastics processors who want to thrive in the future. The plastics industry faces increasing pressure to provide sustainable solutions that are environmentally friendly and economically viable. Thankfully, there is a vast potential of Circular Economy opportunities for injection molding production. For over 15 years, ENGEL has been developing solutions for sustainable plastics processing that not only reduce their customers' environmental footprint but also boost their bottom-line results.

During the six-year hiatus, ENGEL has fortified and expanded its operations, reinforcing its capacity to serve its valued customers better. For example, in June of 2023, ENGEL North America announced the opening of its new, expanded automation center, solidifying its commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions to the injection molding industry.

Additionally, the company has increased its workforce by more than 50 employees over the past year, leading to a record-breaking number of over 260 employees in the US and Canada. It has also added a vibrant apprenticeship program to solidify ENGEL's expertise. President of ENGEL North America, Vanessa Malena, states, "After the show's cancelation in 2021, we're excited to return to this year's event. ENGEL is set to showcase state-of-the-art machines, automation solutions, and the latest digital products designed to support our customers' production needs. Our team of experts will be available to discuss sustainability, address circular economy concerns, and dive into energy-efficiency topics." It's show time! With registration soaring 15% higher than at this point for NPE2018, according to PLASTICS, ENGEL eagerly anticipates showcasing pioneering exhibits tailored to address the evolving trends in the injection molding industry. "I am thrilled to participate in my first NPE, the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, uniting the industry in Orlando, FL. This event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with customers, partners, and the interested public. You'll experience a well-rounded product portfolio with innovations on machines, robots, inject 4.0, and our after-service offerings." says Benjamin Lettner, Executive Vice President of ENGEL North America.

1.    e-mac slim edition 
The new compact all-electric

Maximum mold space on minimum footprint: ENGEL's all-electric e-mac is now available in slim execution. This provides the most compact footprint for utilizing production space best. ENGEL will be exhibiting this new model at NPE2024 for the first time, saving its customers up to 16% in overall machine width. The e-mac 1565/310 will produce a technical molding part, a bottle tray, on a single cavity mold supplied by its long-term partner Haidlmair (Nussbach, Austria).

Despite the reduction in footprint, the generous mold space remained unchanged, providing enough room for large molds, as shown in this application. Another highlight of this exhibit, the tray is being produced using regrind instead of repelletized material, tightening the material circle even further. A recycling package consisting of a highly abrasion and corrosion-resistant screw and a melt filter ensures consistent high process and part quality.

2.    e-speed 610/90
Maximum packaging performance

The ENGEL e-speed 610/90 is a cutting-edge injection molding machine designed for high-speed and high-performance production of packaging applications in the plastics industry. Its hybrid drive concept allows extreme injection pressure and speed at very short injection strokes, enabling applications with the highest demands in injection performance. This machine features a 4+4 cavity high-speed family stack mold designed for tamper evident food containers and lids with In-Mold Labelling (IML) and two significantly different shot sizes, addressing the demand for efficient mass production.

The asynchronous mold carrier system, complemented by an integrated water manifold, enables simultaneous molding of both containers and lids. This efficient system enhances productivity and streamlines the manufacturing process. Mold partner Top Grade Molds (Ontario, Canada) also supplies their Modular Mold Change system, allowing for swift product changeovers. Automation is provided by Campetella (Montecassiano, Italy), vision inspection system by Mevisco (Bremen, Germany), labels by MCC Verstraete (Maldegem, Belgium), stack mold carrier system by Nexteco (Ontario, Canada), material provided by Washington Penn (Auburn Hills/Michigan, USA), and auxiliary equipment by Frigel (Scandicci, Italy).

3.    victory 330/85
Quick mold changes – A cost-efficient solution also for small machines

ENGEL demonstrates how quick and easy mold changes can be on the hydraulic victory 330/85 with a clamping force of 800 kN. The tie-bar-less series is the ideal machine platform for the efficient production of a large variety of parts, providing more space for tools and easy access.

Roembke Mfg. & Design, Inc. (Ossian/Indiana, USA) provides this cell with the two molds for the application: salad tongs and a fruit bowl. The mechanical quick clamping system QMC from Stäubli (Bayreuth, Germany) is used for quick mold changes. Mold identification is carried out by means of RFID. The machine automatically adopts the correct data set for the mold without any additional adjustment to the control unit. The material used for this exhibit is HDPE, provided by Shell (Monaca/Pennsylvania, USA).

The iQ weight control machine software automatically adjusts the process parameters to batch fluctuations and changes in ambient conditions, shot by shot. This not only improves part quality during ongoing production, but also helps customers get good parts faster after a mold change. An ENGEL viper 12 linear robot removes the parts and places them on a conveyor belt. The end-of-arm tooling is also identified using RFID and exchanged with a quick coupling.

4.    e-motion 440H/160TWP combi M
Efficient production on compact machine with cube mold 

This compact injection molding machine with a horizontal rotary table boosts shopfloor productivity. With a minimal footprint, two-component diagnostics cartridges are produced in cleanroom conditions on an all-electric high-performance e-motion injection molding machine 440H/160TWP combi M. This exhibit is an excellent example of a customized, fully integrated production cell designed for productivity, ease of operation, and minimal space requirements. The dual face mold, with 32 cavities each, comes from Hack Formenbau (Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany). In the combi M design, the indexing table divides the injection molding machine's mold closing area in the center to operate two mold faces in parallel. This makes combi M technology useful for integrating two-component injection molding and efficiently doubling the output. One injection unit is fitted on the stationary platen, and the second is on the moving platen. Two robots work in parallel to manufacture diagnostic cartridges. An ENGEL viper 20 linear robot removes the two-component parts and deposits them in trays. Finally, an ENGEL e-pic pick-and-place robot covers the fully populated trays with an intermediate layer to stack them in boxes and then discharges them via a tray server, which is also integrated.

5.    e-motion 50/30 TL
LSR micro injection molding of almost weightless and invisible parts 

Precision components with an individual weight of less than 0.001 grams reliably and accurately injected - ENGEL and ACH Solution (Fischlham, Austria) make it possible: The perfect interaction of the 32-cavity precision mold, the micro injection unit, and the tie-bar-less, all-electric ENGEL e-motion 30 TL injection molding machine produces silicone valves with a part weight of just 0.001 grams. The all-electric, tie-bar-less e-motion TL is designed for special applications with the highest demands in precision on both the injection and clamping sides. In addition, a viper 12 linear robot by ENGEL, in combination with an optical testing unit by ACH Solution, ensures precise handling and exact quality control of the micro components. ENGEL's smart software solution, iQ weight control, plays a key role in the production process: the self-optimizing program ensures highly consistent shot weights despite viscosity differences of the two-component LSR material from Wacker (Munich, Germany) and is used successfully in many cases, especially in the processing of elastomers.

6.    duo 5160/770 WP tech US
Decorated automotive front panel with high surface protection 

Demonstrating today’s possibilities in injection molding for tomorrow’s automotive applications: At the show, ENGEL will run a servo-hydraulic two-platen duo 770 WP tech US machine showcasing the production and decoration of components with high surface quality. The large mold area, equipped with a sliding table mold provided by Schöfer (Schwertberg, Austria), offers vast possibilities for extensive automation and technologies. The entire production operation is done with one single machine and in one single cycle using the two ENGEL application technologies, foilmelt and clearmelt, resulting in an efficient and easy-to-handle process of producing an automotive front panel. This exhibit pioneers new approaches in material combinations to address current trends in the automotive industry. It combines bio-renewable and translucent polypropylene from SABIC (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) with polyurethane from Ruehl (Friedrichsdorf, Germany), resulting in cost, weight, and sustainability advantages. This achievement is facilitated by an innovative IMD film from Kurz (Fürth, Germany), which simultaneously provides design and adhesion between the material partners, making energy-intensive surface treatment unnecessary. Furthermore, ENGEL introduces Cannon (Peschiera Borromeo, Italy) as an additional partner for dosing units. A streamlined process merges decoration and scratch-resistant surface creation through In-Mold Decoration (IMD) coupled with Polyurethane (PUR) coating. The part is ready for electromagnetic transparency, near-field screening with RADAR or LiDAR systems, and the option to integrate defrosting or capacitive films for additional features. It is a fully integrated production cell with easix automation, PUR dosing, and a temperature control unit.

7.    t-win 750/7800 
WINTEC t-win - The high-quality workhorse targeting single-component applications

WINTEC, a member of the ENGEL Group, will showcase a t-win 750/7800 (830 US tons), demonstrating its versatility by producing premium garage floor tiles molded from recycled ocean waste. An integrated ENGEL viper 40 linear robot completes the seam-less part take-out.

The servo-hydraulic WINTEC t-win is equipped with an electric screw drive for parallel movements and the highest energy efficiency.

Since its rollout to North America during NPE2018, the t-win has proven itself in the market, particularly in technical and automotive applications. The t-win offers reliable performance, shot consistency, and energy efficiency at the most compact footprint.

iQ weight control demonstrates how a software can significantly enhance the profitability of using recycled materials. By ensuring consistent quality and minimizing rejects, iQ weight control dynamically adjusts the injection profile within each cycle, shot by shot, to maintain a constant fill.

WINTEC's valued customer CH3 Solutions (Dalton/Georgia, USA), supplies the mold for this cell. The raw material is provided by its partner, Atando Cabos (San Bernardo, Chile), which tackles the global issue of ocean waste by recycling discarded fishing ropes in Patagonia, shaping industries, and empowering communities. 

Learn more about ENGEL’s show highlights, exhibits, and main topics: www.engelglobal.com/npe