Industry competence in action

At the Fakuma 2017 from October 17 - October 21 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, ENGEL will be opening up new horizons for the injection moulding industry. The highly integrated manufacturing solutions at the ENGEL exhibition booth in Hall A5 achieve an even higher degree of quality, efficiency and profitability – respectively tailored to the specific requirements of the various application industries. Also there: the all-electric e-mac injection moulding machine in a new clamping force class, the first clearmelt exterior component, the new compact pipe distributor for the cleanroom, and an even higher degree of precision for LSR processing.

Automotive: Extremely scratch-proof in a single step

At the Fakuma, ENGEL and its clearmelt technology will be opening the door to a new application area. The focus so far has been on decorative elements and electronic functional components for the interior of the vehicle; at this time, automobile manufacturers are also becoming interested in using the technology to produce exterior components. At its exhibition booth, ENGEL will present a first applications in this regard.

High gloss exterior panels will be produced on an ENGEL duo 2460/500 injection moulding machine. In addition to the extremely high quality appearance of the components and the outstanding efficiency of the highly integrated process, extremely scratch-proof surfaces are another advantage that clearmelt technology provides for the exterior area. Testing in a car wash has shown the initial sample parts to be very robust.

In the clearmelt process, at first a thermoplastic base carrier is produced in the injection moulding machine, then coated with polyurethane in a second cavity. The process can be easily combined with IML, allowing for the use of decorative and capacitive foils as well as wood veneers. In a single step, clearmelt technology thus provides pre-finished vehicle components that do not need to be varnished or post-processed in any way. The polyurethane coating provides the high-gloss, scratch-proof surface.

ENGEL developed the clearmelt technology in collaboration with partner companies. The exclusive partner for polyurethane processing is Hennecke in St. Augustin, Germany.

Teletronics: Economic precision for even larger moulds

ENGEL will be going all-electric at the Fakuma in the teletronics exhibition area. Sophisticated connector housings for vehicle doors will be produced on an ENGEL e-mac 940/280. Until now, the e-mac series has been available with clamping forces of up to 1800 kN. In time for the Fakuma, ENGEL has expanded the line with a 2800 kN version.

e-mac machines are distinguished by their speed and precision, extremely energy efficient operation and a high degree of flexibility. They have proven themselves to be extremely reliable in continuous operation, and guarantee stable production around the clock. They are also less expensive to purchase than all-electric high-performance machines. This spectrum of characteristics predestines the series for the production of technical parts and electronic components. In both application areas, the trend is moving towards larger moulds with higher cavitation. With the expansion of the series, ENGEL has taken this trend into account.