One year after being launched at K 2010, the new El-Exis SP series is continuing to conquer the quick run applications field in the packaging sector.
The El-Exis SP, with its hybrid drive, impresses all those who use it in the high speed production of thin-walled food packaging, closures for beverages, cartridges, plant pots and buckets. In the new series, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has brought together its long years of experience in the packaging market and has once again successfully launched a machine which will set the pace for the demanding production of parts for food and technical packaging.
The El-Exis SP enables the user to move ahead using stable processes, even in areas which are at the edge of packaging production. The machine design thus opens up completely new application areas for injection moulding, which were reserved for thermoforming in the past as a quicker and cheaper procedure. Even thin-walled throw-away cups can now be manufactured economically using the injection moulding procedure with the El-Exis SP.
Full Cover Labelling provides all-over coverage
The high-performance El-Exis SP series with hybrid drive will be demonstrating its performance capability at Equiplast 2011 with an innovative feature in process technology. Together with Marbach moulds & automation GmbH based in Bad Urach, Mecman Industrial will be demonstrating the manufacture of thin-walled bowls at its stand, with the feature of full-cover labelling.
A special feature of this new in-mould labelling process is that the banner label and the base label are inserted overlapping around a radius, thereby providing complete coverage of the plastic surface with the label up to a high level on the sealing edge. In this way, barrier functions which may be required can be integrated into the packaging by means of labels. For full labelling, Marbach has developed a procedure, in which a "Full Cover Label Placer" inserts the banner and base label in one stroke. Previous IML solutions required a partition on the container base, meaning all-over coverage with the label in the injection mould was not possible.
Machine, automation and controls render the process highly efficient
The new development in in-mould labelling runs on a high-speed El-Exis SP 200 machine (2,000 kN) equipped with a double IML hot channel mould from Marbach. The compact production cell manufactures the 250 g bowls from PP (shot weight 14.2 g) in a cycle period of approx. 3 s. In this process, the Full Cover Label Placer from Marbach ensures the highly efficient insertion of the banner and base labels in one stroke. The high precision mould stop position of the El-Exis SP ensures the exact positioning of the labels despite the high production speed.
The new NC5 plus control version also demonstrates its advantages with this exhibit as well: as part of the activeEcon function, it is possible to produce a detailed energy consumption analysis of all machine movements for each individual shot and for this to be optimised. Through activeAdjust, the machine dynamics are utilised to the full over the range of controls, which can be adjusted individually. The extended activeQ+ active mould protection means that the valuable means of production of the mould is moved and monitored in a controlled manner not only while being closed, but also opened.
