Several suppliers of injection molding machinery demonstrated liquid silicone rubber (LSR) molding in their K show booths. Here are a few of the applications.
Arburg GmbH + Co. KG
Arburg GmbH + Co. KG, Lossburg, Germany, enlisted its Allrounder 570 A electric injection press in a two-component configuration to produce two, 16.5-gram, multicomponent watch bands in a single, 60-second cycle. Two grades and two colors of LSR were injected in one shot to produce the bands in a 2+2 cavity mold.
Arburg's Multilift V 15 linear robotic system handled part demolding and placement into a cooling station of its own design. The robotic system transported the straps to an assembly station, where the watch housing and straps were assembled automatically into a wristwatch as a giveaway item. Arburg's Selogica control managed the production cell.
Engel
Engel Austria GmbH, Schwertberg, produced a two-component pressure-reservoir diaphragm made from PBT and LSR. The flash-free part was produced in a 2+2 cavity mold on a victory 160 combi unit with 200 tons of clamping force in a 35-second cycle.
The part is composed of 28.4 grams of thermoplastic and 8 grams of LSR. The molding cell featured equipment from Elmet and Piovan SpA, Santa Maria di Sala, Italy. Engel said its patented force divider ensured even distribution of the clamping force.
Wittmann Battenfeld
Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH & Co. KG, Kottingbrunn, Austria, demonstrated multicomponent molding, making drinking closures from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and LSR in eight cavities.
The part was molded on a SmartPower 180 servo hydraulic press using the firm's Combimould process. The LSR injection unit was mounted in the 'L' position, perpendicular to the parting line of the Hefner mold from ACH Solution GmbH, Fischlham, Austria.
Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG
Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG, Neustadt-Fernthal, Germany, made a screwdriver handle from LSR in its 2C XS injection machine with a two-component metering pump. The handle had a shot weight of 12 grams. It was made in a cycle time of 54 seconds. Boy also made a cover for a medical part from LSR on a Boy 80 E unit, with a shot weight of 6.6 grams, in a cycle time of 18.5 seconds. It used dosing and metering equipment from Elmet Elastomere Produktions und Dienstleistungs GmbH, Oftering, Austria, and production-data-acquisition software from ProSeS BDE GmbH, Pforzheim, Germany.
KraussMaffei
KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH, Munich, molded a membrane from LSR on its new PX series of all-electric presses that it unveiled at the show. This system employed the company's SilcoSet technology for LSR part production. In its demonstration, the company partnered with Trelleborg Sealing Solutions AB of Trelleborg, Sweden; Reinhardt Technik GmbH of Kierspe, Germany; and SensoPart Industriesensorik GmbH, of Gottenheim, Germany, to produce parts in a cycle time of 13.9 seconds with a shot weight of 0.96 grams.
Mikell Knights, senior staff reporter
Contact:
Arburg Inc., 860-667-6500, www.arburg.com
Boy Machines Inc., 610-363-9121, www.boymachines.com
Engel Machinery Inc., 717-764-6818, www.engelglobal.com
KraussMaffei Corp., 859-283-0200, www.kraussmaffei.com
Wittmann Battenfeld Inc., 860-496-9603, www.wittmann-group.com
