Smart Molding International 2-2020

30 smart_molding international 2/2020 machinery E NGEL set new standards with the presentation of the first all- electric e-cap injection mould - ing machine at K 2010. Until then, hy - draulic machines using accumulators for the injection movement were the standard for the production of caps. The all-electric drive technology in this field of application was a revolution at the time. To date, the e-cap is the most energy-efficient cap machine on the market and at the same time the only high-performance machine tailored to the requirements of the caps and closures industry providing all-electric operation even with a clamping force range as high as 4,200 kN. With an av - erage ROI of less than two years, the e-cap has quickly established itself worldwide since its market launch. Highest dynamic performance with frequent load changes “Since 2010, the requirements for beverage caps have changed substan - tially”, as Friedrich Mairhofer, Prod - uct Manager for all-electric injection moulding machines at ENGEL, explains. This is why the continuous further de - velopment of e-cap now is being inte - grated into a next generation machine. Continuous part weight reductions play a central role. “For still water, caps with a weight of significantly less than one gram are produced today,” says Mairhofer. “As a result, the cool - ing and cycle times have continued to drop. Where the cycle times ten years ago were still 2.5 seconds, today's cap machines need to be able to produce at 2-second intervals and faster.” When developing the new generation of ma - chines, the main focus was therefore both on performance and on stability. The new e-cap achieves even faster mould opening and closing move - ments and is designed with an even more stable machine bed for more frequent load cycles. Ejector drives amplified with booster An e-cap 2440/380 is demonstrating the series' new performance achieve - ments by producing 29/25 caps in a 96-cavity mould by Plastisud. The shot weight is 1.3 grams per cavity with a cycle time of less than 2 seconds. An HDPE from Borealis/Borouge is pro - cessed. The system is equipped with camera-supported 100 percent qual - ity inspection by IMDvista and a dry air system by Eisbär. Further system partners are Piovan, PackSys Global and PSG. The reinforced frame and the rein - forced mould mounting platens on the new e-cap ensure excellent stability of the machine movements even with extremely short cycles and very small shot volumes. The result is outstand - ing reproduction of surface detail and a maximum number of good parts. The fast dry cycle times of 1.3 sec - onds with the e-cap 380, for example, and the parallel movements included in the standard right from the outset make an important contribution to achieving cycle times of less than 2 seconds. Ejection occurs parallel to the mould opening. What is new is that the ejectors can be amplified by a switch - Even faster, even more stable, even more efficient: ENGEL presents the next generation of the all-electric e-cap injection moulding machine series for beverage caps. The production of 29/25 lightweight caps on a new e-cap 380 machine makes it clear how continuously increasing requirements can be combined with the shortest cycle times, the highest precision and lowest energy consumption. ENGEL presents the next generation e-cap