In 2015, WITTMANN BATTENFELD established itself as a supplier to the Oldrati group with the delivery of injection molding machines, an AIRMOULD® system and WITTMANN robots. Eight of the delivered injection molding machines are equipped with LSR technology.
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SmartPower 120/525 |
The Oldrati group based in Villongo, Italy, founded by Vanni Oldrati in 1964, is engaged in manufacturing products made of rubber, silicone and thermoplastic resins. The range also includes multi-component products, such as composite parts consisting of metal and rubber, thermoplastic resins combined with silicone or components made of metal, plastic and rubber, and many others. The Oldrati group, which currently employs more than 1,300 associates and realized 119 million EUR in sales in 2015, supplies its products to many different branches of industry, such as the automobile industry, the household appliances industry, the oil and gas sector and the heating industry.
Rubber seals for a wide range of applications are the main product line in the portfolio of the Oldrati group, which, in addition to its Italian facilities, operates one plant in Slovakia and one plant in Turkey. In 2007, Oldrati acquired Silital Europe, one of the leading Italian manufacturers of liquid and solid silicone products, thus expanding substantially its capacity in the area of silicone processing.
Oldrati sees its main strength in its high vertical diversification. The supply chain includes material development and production, mold making, product development and manufacturing, as well as packaging and logistics.
To manufacture its products, the Oldrati group uses a total of more than 400 injection molding machines with clamping forces ranging from 500 to 40,000 kN. In buying new machines, Oldrati’s main considerations are energy efficiency and a good price/performance ratio, as well as good service.
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SmartPower in operation at Oldrati |
In the previous year, WITTMANN BATTENFELD Italia was able to establish its first business relationship with Oldrati with the delivery of WITTMANN robots. The company’s interest in machines from the WITTMANN group was sparked off at the Fakuma 2014. There, Oldrati associates saw the servo hydraulic SmartPower adapted for LSR processing from WITTMANN BATTENFELD and were impressed by its machine technology. WITTMANN BATTENFELD subsequently provided a machine to Oldrati for test purposes. In addition to this SmartPower 120/525, Oldrati and Silital have now acquired more machines of the same model as well as a machine from the all-electric EcoPower series, an EcoPower 110/350, and machines from the hydraulic HM series with 1,800 kN clamping force and equipped with energy-saving servo motors. Oldrati has also installed an AIRMOULD® system to use the WITTMANN BATTENFELD injection molding process with internal gas pressure.
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Production at Oldrati |
The machines from the SmartPower series, which make up the majority of the machines purchased by Oldrati and Silital, stand out by their high degree of energy efficiency, precision, user-friendliness and compact design, combined with generous mold fixing dimensions, high speed and cleanness. They come with a highly efficient servo hydraulic drive as standard, and use, the released deceleration energy via the KERS system similar to that of the EcoPower for barrel heating, which provides optimal energy efficiency.
Eight of the machines supplied to the Oldrati group are adapted for liquid silicone processing, which means that they are equipped with cooled barrels and a cooling plate mounted on the moving platen, as well as a dosing pump. What is more, the SmartPower already offers excellent attributes for liquid silicone processing in its standard version, due to its extremely clean and generously dimensioned mold fixing area.
To facilitate handling of the WITTMANN BATTENFELD machines for operators on the production floor and for maintenance staff, and to ensure optimal utilization of the machines’ features, WITTMANN BATTENFELD Italia organized a training program on the machines with operators and maintenance engineers, a service which Oldrati found very valuable and helpful.
What Oldrati appreciates about the machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD apart from their special suitability for LSR processing and excellent energy efficiency, is primarily their high precision and repeatability, as well as their user-friendliness. The machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD meet in every respect their stringent requirements for technical perfection, environmental friendliness and easy operation. These aspects, combined with the option of acquiring both machines and automation from a single source, and the excellent service provided by WITTMANN BATTENFELD Italia, are for Oldrati a good starting point for further fruitful cooperation.
