On roads where the injection patcher has been identified as suitable for use, the repairs are completed in just three steps, beginning with air pumped at speed into the pothole to remove dirt and debris.

At the upcoming Fakuma trade show in Friedrichshafen (Germany), Swiss injection molding machine manufacturer Netstal will be presenting what the company says is a “world first”: injection compression molding on a stack mold. Netstal will be demonstrating the new technology at its booth in hall A7 (7303/7304), where a 15oz (425g) margarine tub made from PP and weighing only 10.7 g will be molded on a hybrid Elion injection press equipped with a four-by-four stack mold.The innovative technology is the result of a collaboration between mold manufacturer Plastisud, automation specialist Machines Pagès and Netstal. While the stack mold with 4+4 cavities is impressive enough, turning out standard-sized margarine with IML decoration in a cycle time of five seconds, the truly revolutionary aspect of the whole process is hidden from view, according to Markus Dal Pian, Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Netstal.“The polypropylene packaging is not injection molded but manufactured in an injection compression molding process," he explained. "This combination of injection compression molding and stack mold is a complete novelty in the industrial production of packaging."The cavities are partially filled in only 100 ms with extremely even results and the process is performed at a low pressure to prevent tension in the material. The high quality of the platen parallelism guarantees a synchronicity of 99.98 % between the mold, machine and automation system.The stack mold, especially adapted to the requirements of the new production process, was developed in a few short months by Plastisud.  The unique injection compression molding technology guarantees perfectly balanced parting planes with an extremely low dispersion rate."The special design of the stack mold developed by Plastisud plays a key role in this application,” Thomas Iten, PAC Application Engineer at Netstal emphasized. Machines Pagès provided specific know-how in the area of handling systems for in-mold labeling (IML) to ensure that the automation process has been adapted perfectly to the machine and mold.According to Iten, this configuration, in which the injection compression molding process is combined with a specially balanced stack mold, is “a genuine innovative leap." The fundamental benefits of injection compression molding include narrow wall thicknesses and a lighter product resulting in lower unit costs. Furthermore, the end product (lids in particular) shows fewer signs of distortion and has a greater dimensional accuracy due to the lower stresses placed on the material.

Not only is the process faster, enabling more pothole repairs in a day compared with conventional methods, it’s also greener as there is no excavation, waste or heat involved – leaving a significantly lower carbon footprint on the borough.

Seconds later the pothole is sprayed and coated with cold bitumen to cover and seal any cracks, followed by a final layer of aggregate applied at high speed – the whole repair taking just a couple of minutes to finish.

This was alongside the Council’s resurfacing programme and traditional pothole repairs being undertaken across the borough.

Moreover, using a stack mold significantly increase productivity, while the technology reduces material costs by up to 20%, in addition to providing total flexibility in terms of shape, appearance and decoration of the manufactured part.

The Injection Patcher machine, made by road repair specialists Velocity, has already notched up some impressive results with a record breaking 120 repairs in one day, and more than 1500 pothole repairs completed within 11 weeks of the machine becoming operational.

At the upcoming Fakuma trade show in Friedrichshafen (Germany), Swiss injection molding machine manufacturer Netstal will be presenting what the company says is a “world first”: injection compression molding on a stack mold. Netstal will be demonstrating the new technology at its booth in hall A7 (7303/7304), where a 15oz (425g) margarine tub made from PP and weighing only 10.7 g will be molded on a hybrid Elion injection press equipped with a four-by-four stack mold.

An innovative machine that can fix potholes in as little as two minutes is being trialled by Redbridge Council to give road users a smoother journey.

In a further boost for the borough’s roads, the rapid repairs can be carried out with minimal traffic disruption, often not even requiring road closures, with pothole fixes ready to be driven over almost immediately following repair.

The first of its kind to be deployed in the borough, the Injection Patcher carries out rapid pothole repairs using a pioneering technique known as Injection Spray Patching.

Redbridge Council Leader, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: “Potholes are a nuisance and a danger to road users and we understand how difficult they can make journeys around the borough. We’re working hard to find innovative and cost-effective ways to improve road surfaces for local people. The Injection Patcher is helping pave the way, and where suitable we hope to continue using it on our roads, alongside our resurfacing programme and traditional repairs, enabling a greater number of potholes repairs to be completed faster across the borough, with fewer carbon emissions.”