Krones AG has been a long-standing NETSTAL customer that manufactures machines for filling and packaging beverages and liquid foods. Additionally, Krones is also acquiring Netstal Deutschland GmbH, a sales and service subsidiary based in Stuttgart, along with eleven other sales and service units across US, South America, Europe and Asia.

The fully automated, large-scale production system solution supplied by injection machine builder Engel consists of a duo 1700 injection moulding machine with 17,000 kN clamping force, three easix articulated robots for the preparation of multiple metal inserts as well as for the handling of the organic sheet, a viper 90 linear take-out robot and a size 5 IR oven. Engel provides this cell as a system solution all from a single source.

The consolidation press can be seamlessly integrated into the overall process, which significantly increases efficiency in the production of tailor-made tape solutions.

To be cost-effective in large-scale production, the stacks must be made and consolidated inline and within the cycle of the injection molding process. As a system supplier, Engel is in a position to offer integrated and fully automated solutions for the entire process – from individual tapes through to functionalisation in the injection moulding process – from a single source.

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 is a proud dachshund owner.

The processing and functionalization of thermoplastic continuous fiber-reinforced semi-finished products, such as thermoplastic fabrics or UD tapes, using the Engel organomelt process will be one key focus at Engel's trade fair stand this year at Composites Europe 2018. The world's first large-scale application has been launched in the US. Valeo Front End Modules manufactures front-end carriers with integrated air ducts for a renowned German OEM in Smyrna, Tennessee, believed to be Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In July of this year, the structural components won an Automotive Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) for their innovative production based on organic sheets and its outstanding properties. The parts contain a high organic sheet fraction, resulting in significant weight savings and improved crash performance. In addition, it was possible to integrate the air ducts directly into the support using a double-shell structure.

KraussMaffei CEO Chi Zhang said: "The sale of NETSTAL is part of our long-term plan to realign KraussMaffei strategically, organisationally and on the global market. In future, we want to concentrate fully on our core business and new growth markets, strengthen the KraussMaffei core brand and focus the Group accordingly. At the same time, the sale of NETSTAL gives us the leeway to make further investments, for example in digitisation and the development of new machines."

Two systems are used for the production of the blanks. A pick-and-place tape stacking cell with optical image processing and a consolidation press, which Engel will be presenting for the first time at Composites Europe. "With this new development, we have succeeded in consolidating stacks of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes in the injection moulding cycle," says Dr. Norbert Müller, head of Engel’s center for lightweight composite technologies. "The consolidation press can be seamlessly integrated into the overall process, which significantly increases efficiency in the production of tailor-made tape solutions."

Mechanical engineering specialist Krones AG has finalised the acquisition of NETSTAL Maschinen AG, Swiss-based provider of injection moulding solutions, from KraussMaffei for €170 million.

Krones sees significant potential in integrating NETSTAL's technology and market reach, allowing them to offer more specific solutions to customers across the entire beverage and liquid food value chain.

Pick-and-place stacking technology with optical image processing offers highly flexible use. The tapes can have almost arbitrary widths and contours. Because the stacks obtain their shape required for the component during stacking, consolidation can be followed by forming and functionalisation in the injection moulding step without the need for intermediate trimming. Engel is already using this kind of solution for the manufacturing of its own products. The rotation arm of the e-pic robot consists of carbon fiber reinforced tapes.

“This transaction is a milestone in the long history of Netstal. Krones opens up strategic perspectives that were previously not possible. The potential for more customer benefits and growth in the beverage sector is obvious. The opportunities in the medical and thin-wall packaging applications are equally exciting. It is a pleasure for me to continue the strategic direction we have taken together with Krones to an even greater extent," added Renzo Davatz, CEO Netstal.

Headquartered in Näfels, Switzerland, NETSTAL provides injection moulding machines in the beverage (PET preforms and caps), medical, and thin-wall packaging markets.

The two half-shells are produced in the same mold in a one-shot process. For this purpose, the two organic sheets are simultaneously heated in the IR oven, inserted into the mold, shaped there and directly “functionalized” by means of an injection molding process taking place in the same mold. The Tepex dynalite type organic sheets provided by Bond Laminates are based on glass fibers in a polypropylene matrix. Glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene is also used for overmolding.

The purchase deal was first announced on 29 January 2024 and signed on February 6, strengthening Krones' position in the beverage, medical, and thin-wall packaging markets.

The tape-stacking cell was developed by Engel. In order to achieve the shortest possible cycle times here too, it relies on the pick-and-place principle. This means that tapes can be deposited and spot-welded together at three-second intervals. Since the quality of the stack depends on the accuracy of the tape positioning, Engel has equipped the stacking cell with a measuring system comprising high-resolution camera technology. The measuring system delivers data that is used for actively intervening in the depositing process, thus guaranteeing the greatest possible depositing accuracy.

Although NETSTAL's current revenue sits below Krones' group level at just over €200m in the 2023 fiscal year, the company projects to close this gap in the coming years. Notably, NETSTAL contributed nearly 20% to the KraussMaffei Group's 2023 total sales.

This reproducible thermoplastic approach enables integration of the forming process and functionalization, and to merge the supporting structure and functional elements in an adhesive manner. "The fully automated one-shot process contributes considerably to the low unit costs required by the automotive industry," emphasizes Christian Wolfsberger, Business Development Manager Composite Technologies at Engel's headquarters in Schwertberg, Austria. A further benefit: the exclusive use of thermoplastic polymers simplifies the development of recycling strategies with the aim of returning the components to the material cycles at the end of their service life. "We can see that thermoplastic-based composite lightweight design is increasingly becoming the focus of product developers, both in the automotive and aircraft industries," stresses Wolfsberger.

As part of the agreement, around 530 NETSTAL employees will join Krones from KraussMaffei, ensuring both continuity and valuable expertise. All existing NETSTAL jobs will be retained. NETSTAL will operate as a separate, independent entity within the Krones Group, led by CEO Renzo Davatz.

The tape stacking cell developed by Engel uses high-resolution camera technology to produce precise stacks from tape blanks.

The consolidation press developed by Engel in cooperation with its partner Fill (Gurten, Austria) can be used to consolidate fiber stacks with deliberate fiber orientation and different wall thicknesses. All process steps are automated. All told, the consolidation process integrates inserting the fiber stack into the mould, transferring the closed mold to the heating press, heating, transferring the mold to the cooling press, consolidation, cooling and transferring to the initial station, where the mold is opened, the consolidated semi-finished product (blank) removed and a new fiber stack inserted so that the cycle can start again.

At Composites Europe 2018, Engel is setting a further milestone on the road to economical production of thermoplastic composites: The Engel organomelt process is being used for the first time world-wide in the large-scale production of front-end carriers with integrated air ducts.

Besides organic sheets, Engel’s organomelt technology is also suitable for unidirectional (UD) glass and/or carbon fiber reinforced tapes with thermoplastic matrixes. Tapes make it possible to design semi-finished products in line with requirements and thus make even better use of the components' lightweight design potential. The components are either partially reinforced with just a few tapes or are produced from tape stacks several millimeters thick.