By Ron Shinn
A process involving dosing PP and glass fibers directly into an injection molding machine — skipping pre-compounding of the long glass fiber granulate — drew plenty of attention at the KraussMaffei Group’s booth at K 2025.
The new in-line compounding process, named Chopped Fiber Processing (CFP), can save processors up to 30 percent in material costs, said CEO Jörg Stech at a K show press conference.
It also allows processors to develop their own formulations for components and build material expertise.
CFP works because of patented screw geometry developed by KraussMaffei. The glass fibers are added to the PP pellets at the infeed of the plasticizing unit by an additional metering system. The materials are homogenized in the cylinder and gently processed by the screw. No fiber clusters are formed.
The screw is designed to avoid significant cutting of the glass fibers. This results in components with fiber lengths up to the long fiber range and greater homogeneity. The process also orients the glass fibers perpendicular to the melt flow for better dispersion in the PP matrix.
Gravimetric dosing is used for all components. CFP is integrated into the molding machine’s control system.
The CFP unit can be ordered on new KraussMaffei machines or retrofitted on all standard, older KraussMaffei models. The company estimated return on investment in less than one year.
At the K show, KraussMaffei demonstrated CFP on a GX 650-4300 press with 660 tons of clamping force, paired with an LRXplus 350 linear robot. It produced an automotive tailgate component with 3D geometry and functional integration. The part was ready for assembly straight from the molding machine.
The process works well with structural and support components, as well as reinforcement parts, the company said. Targeted markets include the automotive, aerospace and energy industries.
Contact:
KraussMaffei Corp., Florence, Ky., 859-283-0200, www.kraussmaffei.com
