Smart Molding International 3-2022

39 molding technologies www.smart-molding.com unit of the injection molding ma- chine without interruption and with- out heat loss. This one-step process conserves energy, reduces the CO 2 footprint and is gentle on the mate- rial since degradation of the polymer is reduced. Sustainable transport crates made of three different recycled materials At the trade show booth, the new polyolefin plastic created in this way is turned into practical five-piece col- lapsible crates, like the kind used for transporting fresh fish. The cycle time of the GX 1100-4300 DCIM is about 35 seconds, so it is perfect for DCIM because, starting from about 20 sec- onds, the additional material pro- cessing has no impact on cycle time. Most of the technical parts that come into question for direct com- pounding are above this limit. At K, an LRX 350 linear robot removes the five individual parts from the mold (SCS moldmaking) and transfers them to an automation system from Campe- tella, which takes over the insertion, clipping and stacking of the crates. Taking responsibility for the materials and controlling the formulations No doubt the cost benefits of di- rect compounding (about 30 to 50 percent) are in the foreground for the price-driven packaging and logis- tics industry, but for manufacturers of technical parts another motive can come into play: product steward- ship. Companies — such as manufac- turers in the area of safety-related components - that are in a dispute and have to prove that the articles they delivered were absolutely OK might also want to have control over the materials and not rely on an ex- ternal compounder. Then in case of new projects or modified mechani- cal requirements, they will also be able to develop their own new for- mulations and propose them to the customer. Economically attractive, particularly for part weights from 50 to 2000 g Since the concept is based on a standard machine, the additional costs for DCIM equipment are low and pay for themselves in a short time. If no compound is needed at the moment, the machine can also be used in standard injection mold- ing mode without any elaborate conversion work. This gives the user maximum flexibility, and they are equipped for further developments within the circular economy. KraussMaffei – Pioneering Plastics KraussMaffei is among the world’s leading manufacturers of machinery and systems for the production and processing of plastics and rubber. Its brand stands for cutting-edge tech- nologies – for more than 180 years. Its range of services covers all areas of injection molding machinery, extru- sion technology and reaction process machinery. This gives KraussMaffei a unique selling point in the industry. With the high innovative power of its standardized and individual product, process, digital and service solutions, KraussMaffei can guarantee custom- ers sustained additional value over the entire value-adding chain. The range of products and services allows the company to serve customers in many sectors including the automotive, packaging, medical and construction industries, as well as manufacturers of electrical and electronic products and household appliances. KraussMaffei www.kraussmaffei.com The DCIM process from KraussMaffei uses a single-screw extruder Production in one heat: DCIM technology from KraussMaffei saves valuable cycle time and reduces material costs by up to 50 percent