PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2017

PREFORM PRODUCTION PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 06/17 www.petpla.net 16 Sipa claims to break through barriers of preform mould design with advanced hot runner technology Non-standard cavity raises output PET processing technology specialist Sipa is using its expertise in hot runners with the intention of creating new preform moulds that exploits the potential of existing injection moulding machines beyond current limits. A new hot runner design concept allowed the engineers to manufacture the first 180-cavity preform tooling in the world. “We all know that there are more- or-less standard levels of cavitation for PET preform moulds running on regular injection moulding machines: 72, 96, 128, 144,” says Sipa’s Stefano Baldassar, Global Sales Manager – Preform Systems & Tooling. “These numbers were arrived at in order to stay within the design limitations of traditional hot runners. In fact, when- ever anybody has tried to introduce moulds with different levels of cavita- tion – 56, 64 or 112 for example – they have failed. The moulds simply do not perform well enough.” That is why Sipa developed the new GEN4 hot runner design concept. It is said to overcome those limitations and to provide best-in-class balance, long maintenance intervals, and good ease of access when intervention is finally required. This new GEN4 hot runner design allowed Sipa to engi- neer and manufacture the first 180- cavity preform tooling in the world. “The geometry of the new mould provides excellent balance in melt flow,” says Stefano Baldassar. “No, it’s not the biggest preform mould in the world, but the filling characteristics are excellent, so the customer isn’t gain- ing quantity at the expense of quality. There are no penalties to pay in terms of cycle time and weight distribution.” Preform producers can now use moulds with non-standard cavity lay-outs to substantially raise output without putting extra stress on their machines. Sipa has just produced this 180-cavity mould that fits on a regular 500t machine that would normally run with moulds having no more than 144 cavities – providing the potential to raise productivity by 25%. More non- standard moulds are in the pipeline, for use on smaller machines. Users of this new tooling can choose to increase output from their 500t machine, rather than running a smaller-cavitation mould at fast cycle times that stresses the machine, increasing maintenance costs and reducing its lifetime. Sipa achieved this while making no compromises on mould robustness: in fact, thanks to features like the SmartLock stack design (intended to deliver good com- ponent life), XGuidance (intended to guarantee good mould alignment) and its LongLife treatment, the expected life of this mould is expected to exceed industry standards. “We are using open and avail- able technology that can be mounted not only on Sipa XForm GEN3 500t production systems but also on other compatible platforms on the market, as long as they do not incorporate special protective software,” says Bal- dassar. Sipa expects a high level of interest from key advanced markets, especially from North America and China. www.sipa.it PREFORM special