trendgineering
As beautiful as wood - as durable as plastic
| Petra Rehmet
Foamed raised beds with MuCell
They are weatherproof and can be enhanced in many different ways. The raised beds with a premium faux wood design are made by Juwel, based in Imst in Austria's Tyrol region. The foamed wall structure ensures a high level of thermal insulation and optimal material consumption. They are produced in the MuCell process on an MX 1000-24500 from KraussMaffei.
Raised beds have had a real boom in the coronavirus era. Whether in rural gardens or on balconies in the city, many people have spent more time outdoors and in the garden than before as a result of pandemic-related restrictions. Urban gardening is trendy—including in the US, where Juwel sells 10 percent of its products.
Foamed products delight gardeners: The plug elements for raised beds manufactured in the MuCell process can be expanded flexibly and are weatherproof and thermally insulating at the same time
For five years now, Juwel has been successfully running the MuCell process on the KraussMaffei MX 1000-24500 with a compatible LRX 350 linear robot. Physical foaming with MuCell offers clear advantages compared to chemical foaming, because no unwanted byproducts such as heavy metals are used in the additives of the blowing agents.
These are nearly impossible to control and are being viewed increasingly critically in the framework of the REACH regulation. For contact with foodstuffs — which is the case for raised beds — physical foaming is completely non-toxic compared to the chemical version.
Raised bed, composter, hotbed and others: A wide variety of foamed parts are produced by Juwel on the MX 1000-24500 with 150 mm MuCell screw and LRX 350 handling system
Eleven percent material savings with MuCell
During the physical foaming with MuCell, nitrogen is dosed directly in the screw and then creates the desired foam structure in the component. Compared to compact injection molding, around eleven percent of material can now be saved and with the higher drive energy, an advantage of seven percent over chemical foaming results.
Of course, processors are happy about this in an era of rising material prices. Heinz Wüster, Senior Managing Director at Juwel, is enthused by the advantages of MuCell: "Because of the better flow capacity, MuCell offers fantastic options for thin wall thicknesses. The thinner walls are also considerably lighter thanks to the foam structure."
Looking into the mold of the new CX 350: The gripper removes the finished components.
The MuCell process is a clear win for the garden specialist and demonstrates the family-run company's innovative ability. In addition to the foamed elements for the raised bed, Juwel is using the KraussMaffei MuCell system for other products as well, such as the Aeroplus 6000 three-phase composter, which won the red dot design award.
The expertise and the previous tests at the KraussMaffei TechCenter have persuaded us from the beginning to get started with the MuCell process. The service and on-site support since we have been running the MuCell application is fast and professional—simply an all-inclusive no-worries package.Heinz Wüster
Senior Managing Director Juwel
Unstoppable innovative spirit – new product Twist 140
The research and development work at Juwel keeps moving, as is demonstrated by the latest product in its portfolio: the Twist 140, a practical and space-saving clothes dryer for indoor and outdoor use.
To produce the various accessory parts such as base and frame components, Juwel recently invested in a CX 350 with compatible LRX 150 linear robot from KraussMaffei.
Investment for the future: The new CX 350 with compatible LRX 150 linear robot is used to produce components for the innovative new Twist 140 clothes dryer.
Juwel already operates multiple CX series machines and deliberately chose the hydraulic series due to its compact two-platen design and very good plasticizing unit, with which all requirements for mixing properties and homogenization can be fulfilled.
After all, the components manufactured in different colors must endure many years of weathering. Here, too, the APCplus machine function controls the changeover and holding pressure phase from shot to shot and thus ensures high shot weight consistency for the components.
To produce even more efficiently, Juwel uses automated manufacturing. A LRX linear robot with three-level conveyor belt enables the operator to use all necessary molds for the clothes dryer, while at the same time requiring minimal effort in the production changeover.
In addition to the different storage belts, the conveyor belt also provides good buffer storage, which thus significantly extends the autonomous production times of the manufacturing cell.
Fully automated: The LRX 150 linear robot with three-level conveyor belt enables the operator to use all necessary molds quickly and saves valuable cycle time.
Another CX with a clamping force of 800 kN is on order. With it, Juwel primarily wants to achieve further optimizations in the selection of smaller production parts in order to automate tasks that had previously been carried out manually.
Partners in trusted mutual collaboration: Injection molding team leader Christian Maurer, Irene Wüster, Heinz Wüster (all of Juwel) and KraussMaffei Regional Sales Manager Holger Röttger stand in front of the new CX 350 in production
The future is green
Function, design and quality are the supreme guiding principles of all Juwel products. This guarantees the success of the Austrian family-run company with approximately 85 employees. Heinz Wüster, the company's cornerstone and managing director until the middle of this year, increased the export share to 85 percent during his tenure and earned 30 patents and numerous product awards.
Since mid-2023, his daughter, Irene Wüster, has held the reins at the company. In the years to come, Juwel will continue to concentrate on continuous new development of products and their efficient manufacturing. This strategy provides the best possible assurance for the future.
