Customer Reduces Cycle Times
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IPEX, the North American leader in thermoplastic piping systems, partnered with Dynamic Conveyor Corporation to reduce cycle times in the manufacture of its injection molded municipal pressure and gravity piping systems. |
As a leader in thermoplastic piping for more than 50 years, IPEX manufactures pipes, valves and fittings from a diverse range of materials including PVC, CPVC, ABS, PP, PVDF, PEX, PE and their innovative plastic and metal composites. IPEX products are engineered to handle the full range of today’s municipal, industrial, commercial and residential applications.
The cycle time for molding IPEX’s heavy wall fittings was very long due to the time needed to cool the parts. The parts were cooled inside the mold during the molding cycle. If IPEX were to speed up the cycle of the molding machine, by reducing the cooling time, the parts would deform while cooling and be unusable.
IPEX approached Dynamic Conveyor with a request to develop a water cooling conveyance system. “After searching the Internet for a supplier, we found only one supplier that offered a conveyor made of plastic that would not deteriorate due to long periods of running water” said Ric Atchison, Technical Manager of IPEX in London, Ontario.
Dynamic Conveyor worked with IPEX to develop a system that places the molded fittings onto a conveyor that is immersed into a water bath tank allowing the parts to cool. After the parts are cooled, the conveyor takes them out of the water tank and dries them. “By cooling the parts with the DynaCon waterbath conveying solution, we have been able to reduce cycle times by up to 40%” explained Atchinson. The water cooled parts pass all dimensional and functional testing.
The water bath cooling system provided by Dynamic Conveyor consists of a plastic modular conveyor with drive flights. The drive flights carry the fittings through the water cooling tank and bring them out of the water to be dried by air amplifiers, an accessory item provided by Dynamic Conveyor. The DynaCon process reduces the total time needed to manufacture the parts.
IPEX installed the system in the fall of 2007 and foresees regaining the cost of the conveying system within 10 months of its purchase. “Following that our expectation is to enjoy annual cost savings of around $65,000 per year” said Atchinson.
“We like the modularity that the DynaCon conveyor system offers,” said Atchinson. “We are very satisfied with the solution provided by Dynamic Conveyor. The after the sale support has been great. Dynamic Conveyor is an easy company to work with”.
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PRESS RELEASE
July 7, 2008
New High-Speed Double-Shot SEHS-CI Series
All-Electric Machines
[Norcross, GA] … Sumitomo (SHI) Plastics Machinery (America) LLC is pleased to introduce the new, high-speed double-shot SEHS-CI Series of all-electric injection molding machines to the North American market.
Available in two model sizes, the SE230HS-CI (253 US tons) and the SE280HS-CI (308 US tons), the Series sets a new standard for high-profitability double-shot molding with high speeds and exceptional precision, energy efficiency, versatility and ease of use. It combines Sumitomo’s advanced all-electric motor technology found on the high-speed SE-HS Series with two injection units and a high-speed, high-accuracy rotating plate.
Cycle-time enhancements for the Series include:
- 180° mold plate rotation in 0.8 seconds (compared with a typical 2.0 seconds, this achieves a 1.2 second reduction in cycle time)
- Faster mold open and close speeds of 1300 mm/sec (51.2 in./sec)
- Reduced cooling times through optional 4-circuit temperature control piping
Designed with flexibility for diverse double-shot applications, the SEHS-CI:
- Has a wide mold space that accommodates existing single-shot molds or integrated double-shot molds
- Is available with a choice of injection units, screw diameters and screw types for shot sizes ranging from 2.9 to 10.7 ounces
- Delivers high injection speeds (300mm/sec) and high pressures (up to 41,248 psi)
“This new series of high-speed double-shot machines is an excellent example of how Sumitomo’s expertise in motor technology, patented engineering advancements and all-electric platform approach are providing molders with the best choices in energy-efficient, high productivity machines for diverse applications,” said Jeff Hicks, Vice President Technical Services for Sumitomo’s North American operations. “The SEHS-CI combines many of the advancements made in the high-speed SE-HS with double-shot capabilities and a new, faster rotating mold plate.”
For example, the SEHS-CI’s Double Center Press Platen design was introduced on the SE-HS and SE-HD Series. For the SEHS-CI, this important design feature ensures superior surface pressure balance throughout the central surface area of the double-shot mold(s). It also:
- Can reduce clamp force requirements by 20-30%, which combined with the wide mold space often allows molds to be run on smaller machines
- Reduces platen deflection and provides improved mold and core-pin protection
- Prevents flash and short-shot molding
Other features of the SEHS-CI that are common to the SE-HS include:
- Sumitomo’s advanced direct-drive motor technology for both injection and clamping
- The patent-pending, closed-loop clamp-force correcting system that uses a tie-bar mounted clamp-force sensor
- Synchronized Plasticizing Mode, for resins with low viscosity or uneven pellet size, which provides optimized control of both screw position and back pressure, ensuring plasticizing stability
- Flash Speed Mode, which is automatically initiated at high injection speeds. This feature provides fast response control of velocity and pressure, before and after V/P switchover, to prevent short shots and warp from over-packing.
Sumitomo’s popular PC-based N-9 control offers both advanced capabilities and user-friendly operation. It features easy one-touch access to the most commonly used screens, a 12.1-inch, full-color, TFT flat display with touch-screen capability, plus a USB port, serial port and parallel port and five independent machine status signals (selectable from 24) that are available for output.
“Together with our SED-CI Series of all-electric double-shot machines, we now have all-electric solutions for double-shot applications from 83 to 308 tons,” said Hicks. “The Double Center Press Platen design and extra wide platens can expand that range even higher in many instances.”
Sumitomo (SHI) Plastics Machinery and Demag Plastics Group are global manufacturers of injection molding machines with manufacturing plants in Japan, China, India (joint venture), Germany (two) and the United States. The
company has the world’s widest platform of all-electric machines which spans from 8 to 660 US tons including micro to mid-sized, high-speed, high-duty, vertical, insert, multi-shot and disc molding machine series. Ultra-high-speed hybrid machines are offered for packaging and other thin-wall applications, plus high-flexibility, configurable hydraulic and toggle machines are offered up to 2200 US tons
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