A new clamping unit has two vertically arranged pressure bars instead of the traditional toggle mechanism for building up clamping force, ensuring uniform force distribution across the mold mounting platen. An integrated deformation compensation system keeps the platen parallelism stable and precise, even with complex or large-area mold geometries.
The moving platen has also been redesigned to perform functions such as centering and force transmission, shrinking the machine’s footprint.
All main movements are powered electrically via a servo motor with ball screw. Integrated recovery of braking energy reduces overall energy consumption.
The fully automated victory electric 220 work cell at the show is set up to produce four fittings in a single shot: two with a 90-degree elbow and two with a 45-degree elbow. It is equipped with a family mold from toolmaker IFW Mould Tec GmbH, Micheldorf, Austria, and uses PP from Borealis GmbH.
Once they’re molded, the fittings fall onto a conveyor belt, where they’re detected by a camera system. An Engel Easix robot then picks up the parts and hands them over to a second Easix robot, which feeds them to an automated ring insertion unit.
The display model is equipped with several digital assistance systems from Engel, including:
- iQ hold control digital assistance system, which automatically optimizes holding pressure time, which can increase the number of parts produced by over 10 percent
- New iQ weight control plus system, which automatically compensates for viscosity fluctuations in every shot, potentially cutting scrap in half
- iQ process observer, which analyzes up to 1,000 process parameters with every shot, and provides AI-based recommendations for optimising the process
- Set-up assistant, designed to walk operators — even newbies — through mold changes and setup, reducing setup time by up to 80 percent.
In addition to the new electric machines within the line, Engel also continues to offer Victory hydraulics and hybrids. At the show, a second Victory 1560/180 with about 200 tons of clamping force is using Engel’s Fluidmelt process to make polyamide bicycle handlebars.
Engel's Inject AI leverages artificial intelligence for better processing
Also at the show, Engel is showing off the newest ways it’s responding to processors’ concerns about labor availability, by continuing to build off its Inject 4.0 collection of digital tools to automate the molding process. Ten years after launching the platform, officials introduced Wednesday the next generation of the system — Inject AI, which leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to make work easier, reduce scrap and man-hours, and improve quality control.
“We are showcasing the world’s first industrial solution for an autonomous, self-regulating injection molding cell at K 2025. The machine autonomously produces high-quality parts with AI support,” Engel Group CEO Stefan Engleder said in a press release.
With Inject AI, once an operator specifies the desired part characteristics, the machine does the rest. According to the press release, “Thanks to AI-supported initialization, it will soon be possible to deduce quality features directly. Manual trials to optimize quality will thus become a thing of the past.”
In addition to completely eliminating scrap that would have been produced in trials, the system makes possible material savings of up to 5 percent in full production, due to its ability to precisely set lower tolerance limits. For manufacturers that handle annual volumes of 1 million parts, this can result in thousands of dollars in savings per year, according to Engel.
The system also slashes setup times, from hours to minutes, and individual features can address particular issues processors might encounter. For example, the system helps workers walk through maintenance issues quickly, and it can automatically compensate for material fluctuations, making possible stable production, even when processing 100 percent recycled material.
Specific AI-assisted features include:
- iQ process observer with AI functions. It automatically analyzes over 1,000 parameters in real time, detects deviations and provides suggestions for action.
- The new Engel Virtual Assistant (EVA), shown for the first time at the K show. This always-available AI assistant provides answers to technical questions in seconds, automatically generating checklists and instructions tailored to each production cell.
- The part finder app. With this interface, users can order spare parts based on photographs they submit.
Editor Ron Shinn contributed reporting from K 2025.
