Processes & Products
Smaller than ever before: The new PX 25
| Petra Rehmet
Injection molding machine for medial technology and precision components
With the PX 25, KraussMaffei was exhibiting a machine with only 250 kN clamping force for the first time and with it, is targeting products with low shot weight for use in medical technology, for example, or for precision components such as clocks, gears or gearbox elements. The new injection molding machine PX 25 debuting at the Competence Forum was producing sealing rings made from LSR by micro-injection molding.
The application could impress with cycle times of just 14 seconds. A radial seal made from LSR with an intricate undercut and a weight of only 0.15 grams - a product in the micro-injection molding business area - was being produced. Specifically for the project, a new plasticizing unit with an especially small screw (12 millimeters in diameter) was developed. A servomotor-controlled SPX 10 sprue picker completes the system.
Competence Forum visitors could delve into the application virtually with a HoloLens, which visualized all of the important customizing functions on the machine and the mold. Truly, this was a live performance of Industry 4.0. Partners in this exhibit were Dow Silicones (material), ACH Solution GmbH (mold), AVR Tech Innovations GmbH (HoloLens) and gwk Gesellschaft Wärme Kältetechnik GmbH.
Micro-injection molding at its finest:
Sealing ring made from liquid silicone (LSR) with intricate undercut and weighing only 0.15 grams
High stability thanks to APC plus
The APC plus function from KraussMaffei assumed a special task with this application. It compensates for the batch fluctuations commonly encountered in LSR processing. As the process progresses, APC plus monitors the viscosity of the material and corrects the filling volume even in the shot. The process as a whole is made even more precise, while the part weight remains constant. The APC plus is even able to reliably compensate for any potential preliminary cross-linking of the silicone.