Italian IMM maker OiMA (Sacmi Group) recently installed near Frosinone (Rome) a injection cell for stamping and labeling inside of a mold for containers used for ice cream.The plant, based on the Packaging Stratos 2220.300 KP press wich has a clamp force of 300 tons. is capable of simultaneously producing ice cream containers and lids, in sizes from 570 ml, 1,000 ml to 2,000 ml with a production cycle time, for their largest containers, of approximately 6 seconds, ensuring an hourly productivity of 600 containers complete with lids.
The press works with IML (In Mold Labeling): the robot at the side entrance insters labels both in the cavity of the container as well as the lid along with simultaneously sampling the printed pieces.
The group mold has two cavities (container and lid) that consist of two separate molds, coupled with a 'hotrunner’ plate for distribution and balance. The mold can be quickly converted for the production of two containers or two lids according to various production needs.
The labels are loaded electro statically before they are positioned within the mold and continues to maintain the correct position in the cavity during the stage of releasing the pads. Another advantage – said OiMA - is the fact that the labels used can have different characteristics between them, for example the label of a transparent lid has a thickness of 0,055 mm and density of 0,92 g / cm 3, while the label for the container can be in polypropylene opaque foam, with an "orange peel" effect, with 0,075 mm thickness and 0.57 g / cm 3 density.
