Energy consumption of the injection molding 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 highly price-sensitive market requires production to be as efficient as possible, as differences of just a few cents can determine whether a manufacturer wins a contract.

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 molding machines was identified as a potential factor. A switch to all-electric injection molding machines would bring great advantages. But can these machines deliver the performance required for demanding thin-walled injection molding?

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 molding 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 mold to a six-cavity mold, the company considered changing the injection molding machine. A more energy-efficient model was considered. Certain all-electric injection molding 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 molding 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 molding machines in the packaging industry," emphasizes 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 knowledge and development in the electric drive system. The result is the current generation of the all-electric e-motion injection molding machine series.

The e-motion is a versatile high-performance machine designed for the high demands of the packaging industry. 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 molding 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 mold. The high precision and repeatability of the electric drives enables production by means of injection-compression molding. This ensures consistently high part quality for thin-wall injection molding. 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 molding machine at around 40% lower than the predecessor machine.

"The electric injection molding 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)