Smart Molding International 1-2025

12 smart_molding international 1/2025 molding outlook Molding novelties in 2024 Throughout 2024, various companies, focussing on designing and manufacturing of machines, automation, auxiliary systems and tooling, were tirelessly launching their new developments for benefit of the injection molding sector. Many of these state-of-the-art novelties were demonstrated at the 29th edition of Fakuma - one of the world's leading plastics and rubber trade fairs, that was held in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from 15 to 19 October 2024. Innovative Shadowfree technology as module element eliminates shadow formations in valve gate systems In conventional injection moulding, undesirable, poorly flowing areas often occur in the hot runner due to roughness around the valve pin. This results in degradation reactions in the plastic melt and exceptionally long colour transitions. The innovative Shadowfree technology as module element eliminates the flow shadows in valve gate systems and enables a significantly faster colour change in the hot runner. Uniform flushing around the needle The 3D-printed, floating system effectively splits the material flow into streamlined channels to evenly flush around the needle and reunites them at the point where the valve pin enters the melt channel. Rigorous testing has shown that the system provides a rapid transition from black to white material in just 25 cycles, outperforming conventional valve gate systems by three to four times. In addition to the proven advantages of the Streamrunner®, such as the elimination of dead spots, a particularly gentle material flow and thus a noticeable reduction in pressure losses, the Shadowfree technology now also offers a solution for extremely sensitive materials in terms of heat stability in combination with valve gate systems. With the additively manufactured Streamrunner®, HASCO started a new era in the world of hot runner technology. It was developed with state-of-the-art technologies for innovative future-oriented solutions. The compact and perfectly balanced Streamrunner® ensures particularly gentle melt guidance in combination with excellent colour change characteristics. The leak-proof system is also particularly suitable for multi-cavity systems. Super-fast colour changes with valve gate systems The Streamrunner® Shadowfree is now well on its way to further revolutionising the manufacturing landscape. With up to 70% faster colour changes, the system enables material losses to be reduced and product quality to be increased. Cap and PET preform production molds: SACMI innovation and know-how make the difference on injection and compression moldings Know-how and innovation make SACMI the world’s stand- out provider of rigid packaging molds. Decades of experience, cutting-edge technological research and all-round expertise in the relative technologies and processes ensure SACMI is able to deliver complete, customized solutions, whatever the production requirement. Molds for compression and injection presses SACMI presses - whether compression or injection - feature molds that are precision-designed to maximize efficiency, reliability and finished product quality. Our team of experts works in close contact with customers to develop tailor- made solutions, optimize production processes and reduce cycle times. Picture: HASCO Picture: SACMI