Hybrid presses debut at IPF Show

The Jenius (JE) series combines the precision of the company's German-made, all-electric Zeres machines with the two-platen clamping design of its Jupiter II presses, which are made in China, said Glenn Frohring, president of Absolute Haitian.

JE machines use two platens instead of a toggle clamp, which allows them to accommodate larger molds. Machines in the series consume about 30 percent less energy than Jupiter II models.

Using servo drives for the primary machine movements results in faster injection speeds and better repeatability for more uniform part weights from shot to shot. Part weight varies no more than 0.1 percent from cycle to cycle, which compares with a part weight variance of 0.3 percent with Jupiter II machines, Frohring said.

The new product line has 15 models with clamping forces ranging from 495 to 3,630 tons. The range includes three wide-platen models, with clamping forces of 1,100 tons, 1,430 tons and 1,760 tons. Each comes with a choice of two sizes of injection unit, he said.

Machines in the JE series use a servo motor for screw rotation/recovery and a separate servo motor for injection. A servo-hydraulic pump drives the carriage movement. Injection speed is 160mm per second — twice as fast as the Jupiter II, Frohring said.

Both machine series allow for injection and clamping movements to be overlapped or run in parallel, shortening the overall cycle time. JE machines use a Sigmatek controller similar to the liquid crystal display HMI used with the Zeres series, he said.

Haitian has sold 30 JE machines in China. At IPF, a JE6500 model produced an automotive trim part that was removed by a beam robot from Star Automation. The company also showed a JE5500 model at the Fakuma show in Germany in October.

NISSEI SHOWS NEXT-GENERATION HYBRID press

Nissei unveiled the next generation of its FNX hydraulic-electric machine line. The press features a redesigned platen that allows it to accommodate molds typically installed in a machine that is one size larger, said Hidekuni Yamaguchi, assistant manager in the international sales department.

The FNX220IV-50A displayed at the show has 220 tons of clamping force but can handle molds typically used on machines with 330 tons of clamping force, Yamaguchi said. It incorporates Nissei's N-Sapli software that allows for low-pressure filling of the mold by operating the clamp as an injection-compression device.

With N-Sapli, there is a slight opening movement of the clamp when resin is injected into the mold, followed by a slight closing movement powered by hydraulic oil via the clamp as the material in the mold cavity cools. The machine controller monitors but does not control the movement.

The new model incorporates an updated controller, the Tact V, which is the same size as the Tact IV, but has Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. It can connect to another device through OPC-UA Euromap 77 or Euromap 83 protocols.

The FNX-IV is equipped with Nissei's X-Pump technology, in which a servo-motor drives a hydraulic pump. X-Pump allows for precise, responsive and highly repeatable operation of the injection unit and clamp, providing direct-pressure clamping. Injection and clamping remain stable to produce thick-walled parts requiring low-speed and sustained injection and holding pressure, or for high-speed production of thin-walled parts.

Other features of the press include injection speeds of up to 5.5 inches per second, a clamping stroke of 29.9 inches and tie-bar clearance of 26 inches by 24 inches.

At the show, the injection molding machine produced a PP container in a single cavity in a cycle time of 38 seconds, with about 10.5 seconds devoted to injection, 22 seconds for cooling and the remaining time taken up by mold movements and part takeout, Yamaguchi said.

Mikell Knights, senior staff reporter

[email protected]

For more information

Absolute Haitian Corp.,Parma, Ohio, 216-452-1000, www.absolutehaitian.com

Nissei America Inc.,Anaheim, Calif., 714-693-3000, www.nisseiamerica.com