Energy consumption of the injection moulding machine down, output up

W.u.H. Fernholz GmbH und Co. KG produces mainly packaging for the food industry in Meinerzhagen (Germany). In particular, cups, trays and lids for dairy products made of materials such as polystyrene, polypropylene and APET. The particularly price-sensitive market requires production to be as efficient as possible, as amounts in the cent range already decide whether a manufacturer wins an order.

The enormous increases in energy prices are therefore a particular challenge for companies like Fernholz. In the search for potential savings, the energy consumption of the injection moulding machines was identified as a potential factor. A switch to all-electric injection moulding machines would bring great advantages. But can these machines deliver the performance required for demanding thin-walled injection moulding?

Fernholz produces packaging for a dairy product consisting of a cup and lid. The lid is produced with IML from a highly transparent copolymer. The trend towards extreme flow path wall thickness ratios in thin-walled injection moulding places particularly high demands on the performance and dynamics of the injection unit - and this application is no exception. When switching from a four-cavity mould to a six-cavity mould, the company considered changing the injection moulding machine. A more energy-efficient model was considered. Certain all-electric injection moulding machines where the injection process is also electrically driven quickly reach their limits. Due to the low energy consumption, Fernholz was nevertheless convinced they needed an all-electric injection moulding machine. In their search for a suitable machine that would deliver the required performance, they contacted ENGEL.

"ENGEL was an early adopter of all-electric injection moulding machines in the packaging sector," emphasises Christoph Lhota, Vice President of ENGEL's Packaging and Medical Business Unit. As a pioneer in this field, ENGEL has invested over ten years of know-how and development in the electric drive train. The result is the current generation of the all-electric e-motion injection moulding machine series.
The e-motion is a versatile high-performance machine designed for the high demands of the packaging sector. Powerful motors, efficient recirculating ball screws and additional servo drives ensure the necessary high speeds. In this way, the packaging industry also benefits from the low energy consumption of all-electric injection moulding machines.

ENGEL laid out an e-motion 740/280 for the production of the lids with IML. The machine was equipped with the PAC package. This includes, among other things, reinforced platens and a powerful, electric direct drive for injection. Reinforced platens ensure uniform clamping force distribution across all six cavities of the mould. The high precision and repeatability of the electric drives enables production by means of injection-compression moulding. This ensures consistently high part quality for thin-wall injection moulding. The cycle time could be reduced compared to the previous system. "ENGEL technology has brought about considerable improvements in terms of productivity, stability and quality," sums up Stefan Witt, packaging specialist at ENGEL Hannover, who has been in charge of the project from the very beginning. Fernholz puts the energy consumption of the all-electric injection moulding machine at around 40% lower than the predecessor machine.

"The electric injection moulding machines from ENGEL are much more precise and accurate. But the main focus for us was the significant power savings." (Til Fernholz, Operations Manager at Fernholz)