Manufacturers of large, complex plastic parts and toolmakers can now test feasibility and implementation at an early project stage. This significantly shortens time to market and avoids costly subsequent errors by identifying and eliminating sources of error early on. Initial customer trials are scheduled to begin shortly.

The acquisition follows expansions of GW Plastics’ facilities in San Antonio, TX; Tucson, AZ; and Dongguan, China, as well as its thermoplastics and silicones manufacturing and mold-building facilities in Royalton, VT, all within the last two years.

The duo 5500 combi M represents the latest technology in injection molding, said Engel in the announcement. It features two movable (combined and individually operable) horizontal injection units and a combi M injection unit. It is also equipped with two six-axis Engel easix articulated robots for flexible and efficient automation.

GW Plastics (Bethel, VT) announced today the purchase of Avenue Mould Solutions, a precision mold building, machining and injection molding company based in Sligo, Ireland. Noting growing demand for its services from medical device OEMs, GW Plastics said that the acquisition of Avenue Mould Solutions will bring into the fold “unparalleled global precision moldmaking and advanced manufacturing capability to support customers on three continents.”

The automotive industry increasingly uses larger plastic parts to reduce vehicle weight, improve fuel efficiency, and lower production costs. Plastics offer design flexibility, enhance corrosion resistance, and contribute to the longevity and safety of vehicles. They also allow for the integration of functional elements and reduce the number of individual parts needed. Engel’s new facility supports this trend by enabling the production of larger plastic components.

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and a proud dachshund owner.

The company aims to use this machine to explore technologies and mold components in completely new dimensions in collaboration with its customers and partners. The extra-large mold space accommodates molds weighing up to 150 tonnes, with possible shot weights up to a massive 42 kg. The state-of-the-art machine was developed to meet the demands of the automotive industry and technical injection molding and is now available for customer trials.

Engel reports that it has expanded its technical center in St. Valentin, Austria, with one of the largest injection molding machines from its standard portfolio — the duo 5500 combi M. With a clamping force of 55,000 kN and measuring 32 meters long, 13 meters wide, 6.8 meters high, and weighing 545 tonnes, it is by far the largest technical center machine in the world, according to Engel.

Avenue Mould Solutions Managing Director Felim McNeela stressed that Avenue will continue to serve its existing customers and offer mold-building for customers who wish to do their own injection molding. “GW Plastics does not wish to change Avenue’s successful history of supplying tooling to our injection molding and contract manufacturing customers,” said McNeela.

This acquisition will give GW Plastics precision mold-building facilities in North America, Asia and Europe, in addition to injection molding and contract manufacturing. Avenue Mould Solutions has particular expertise in building ultra-high-cavitation tooling for the medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical markets.

All digital assistance systems from Engel are integrated into the machine control, enabling energy-efficient, sustainable production while optimizing processes.

Initially developed to mold large parts for the automotive sector, the press is now available for customer trials at the St. Valentin, Austria, technical center.

For PU applications, two Cannon systems are available — one for small-volume applications and another for high-volume output. A corresponding dosing unit allows for coloring the polyurethane.

The new Engel technical center facility covers all application areas for the automotive sector and technical injection molding.

With the introduction of the duo 5500 combi M, Engel said it has reinforced its role as a leading hub for testing new technologies and collaborating closely with the industry to promote new injection molding possibilities. The machine allows for the testing and development of existing and new customer projects under real conditions and on neutral ground. This includes tool and material tests as well as the development of new manufacturing technologies.

“Avenue Mould Solutions brings to GW Plastics an experienced and highly skilled advanced manufacturing workforce, an award-winning mold-building company and a growing medical device contract manufacturing business that has been successfully serving Ireland and other markets for 30 years,” said Brenan Riehl, GW Plastics President and CEO, in a prepared statement. “We are pleased that Avenue has decided to join GW Plastics and help us continue to expand our capabilities to better meet our customers’ needs on a global basis.”

Until now, large plastic parts have often been manufactured using various processes other than injection molding, which have significant limitations. With the availability of an injection molding machine as large as the duo 5500 combi M in a technical center, extensive possibilities for part and technology development and sampling are now available. This offering reinforces Engel's role as an enabler of new technologies, allowing customers and partners to actively pursue developments in new dimensions and expand injection molding capabilities.

Avenue Mould Solutions (Sligo, Ireland) brings to GW Plastics expertise in building ultra-high-cavitation tooling for the medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical markets.