PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2012

CAPPING / CLOSURES 41 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 09/12 www.petpla.net Sustainable technology The elimination of secondary oper- ations to insert or mould a liner results in a simpler, cost effective, robust cap design. The precise operation and con- trol of the hot runner system produces a cap with the barrier only where it is needed. The barrier covers the top of the closure but does not extend into the threads. Tight integration of valve gate function, manifold heating and both injection units creates unprece- dented precision and control of the bar- rier. To ensure that 100% of the caps have barrier all across the bottom an innovative barrier verification system is available to be integrated into the parts handling system. This coordinated design approach allows the closure systems to be optimised for lighter weight, fast cycles, quality and higher function. With the new technology, Mold- Masters provides an alternative to multiple injection systems and post- injection application of barrier liners in closures by secondary processing equipment. It also eliminates the need to use thermoformed five- or seven- layer structures that require tie layers and glues in thin-wall containers. The Iris co-injection system produces a Iris co-injection is achieved via the combination and integration of five key technology elements supplied by Mold- Masters: Iris compact co-injection nozzle iFlow manifold technology that combines melt streams and provides balanced fill E-Drive valve-gate control of the opening and closing movements of the servo-actuated valve-gate pins to achieve fast cycle times and precise cavity fill TempMaster M2 hot runner temperature control Mould mounted E-Multi auxiliary injection unit located close to the gates net-shape part with no web scrap. The advancement represents true simul- taneous co-injection, different from sequential injection or multi-material injection. The combination of using the barrier technology with the efficient cooling technology makes it possible to have a greener production line, using less plastic, energy and water. Other typical co-injection applica- tion for the Iris technology include thin-wall, deep draw food containers with integrated barrier. Advantages over typical thermoformed thin-walled parts that have foil or label barriers is that with an injection moulded part and EVOH barrier the implementation is offering 30 times the protection against oxygen or other gases. The recyclabil- ity of the part is also improved due to elimination of tie layers and the low percentage of barrier (<5%). The con- tainers can be deposited into existing higher value recycling waste streams. Market potential The co-injection technology is well suited to producing hot filled bever- age closures, packaging for food such as diced fruit and pudding, pet-food packaging, baby food, coffee beans, canned goods, and as a replace- ment for current packaging used for medical parts and other high-tech components. The Iris technology was introduced at the NPE show in early April this year. Moulders can now take their existing machinery capital and re-purpose it for much higher value applications. By combining five key technologies (melt distribution, nozzle design, portable auxiliary injection unit, temperature control and precise valve gate movement), the system provides the entire melt distribution and control system to implement co-injection on any modern injection- moulding machine. Mold-Masters has also set a new pace by purpose engineering a beverage closures hot runner system for cycles between 3 and 6s. The Sprint system uses a unique nozzle tip design coupled with Mold-Masters iFlow manifold technologies. Sprint systems have 10% lower pressure drops, greater than 90% fill balance and 25% faster colour changes than comparable systems in the field. This allows moulders to reduce part weights and bring moulding costs down to new thresholds. www.moldmasters.com 1. System overview 2. E-Multi and E-Drive Integrated Control 3. Two melt streams 4. iFlow manifolds 5. Advanced cooling 6. Part improvements 7. Resin cost savings