PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2012

CAPPING / CLOSURES 19 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 04/12 www.petpla.net Doubled output MHS’ new stack mould technology allows plastic closure manufacturers to double production of valve-gated parts, without having to run additional or larger injection moulding machines. This advance in technology exploits the untapped potential of smaller, more efficient machines by adding a second parting line to the closure mould. The patented internal valve- gate design of the new Rheo-Pro iVG hot runner system is what allows MHS to build back-to-back “short stacks”, which are compact enough to fit into smaller 180-300t machines. A standard 48+48 iVG stack mould running in a small 200t machine can produce 96 lightweight bottle closures every 3s, or almost 3 million parts per day, making it 30% more cost- effective than a conventional 96-cavity single-face hot runner system. Easier maintenance Stack moulds that inject parts in both directions using two parting lines are being used by a number of mould- ers to increase output of their exist- ing equipment: there are no new or unknown processing factors. iVG hot runner systems do not require larger injection moulding machines, because of their extremely compact size. They have also been made maintenance- free by doing away with wear items such as seals and lubricants. Moulds can run millions of cycles and parts continuously, without interruption. Valve-gating delivers better part qual- ity and consistency, compared to hot- tip or thermal gate systems, as well as significantly increasing mould uptime. This consideration is particularly important when moulding stronger parts with thinner walls, using high- viscosity polyolefins. Over 50% energy savings Rheo-Pro internal valve-gates offer a reduced carbon footprint of the moulding cell, through increased energy efficiency in the heating of the hot runner system, as well as the operation and production of smaller moulds and machines. For example, reduced energy consumption in a 48+48 iVG closure stack mould has resulted in total cost savings of over $23,000 annually, or 56%, compared to a single-face mould with the same number of cavities. This does not include the additional savings in pro- ductivity gains and capital equipment; altogether, up to 30% lower produc- tion costs can be achieved. www.moldhotrunnersolutions.com Standard 48 + 48 Rheo- Pro iVG stack hot half New iVG internal valve gate hot runner nozzles in back-to-back formation CCT Creative Competence Technology GmbH Idsteiner Strasse 74 D-65527 Niedernhausen, Germany r.steinmetz@cct-systems.com www.cct-systems.com PET Molds Design and Patents Closure Molds Developments PET Systems Closure Systems Price: from 830.000 € Closure Systems + Y + Z + Y + Z f 72 Cav. Turn Key System consisting of: O Injection MC (Hybrid or Full-E) O 72 Cav. Closure Mold CCTsystems ® 1881 SST O Conveyer System Unit O Cap Cooler Unit O Video Inspection Unit O Dehumidification Unit O Vacuum Packaging Unit O Installation O Training O Start Up Support O Product Development O All equipment made in Europe