Innotech’s goal was to automate the cell as much as possible, with one operator loading metal inserts into a nest for the robot. That same operator inspects and packs good parts within the cycle time with ample time for all three tasks.

As a natural evolution of “toy-technology”, instead of the rigid wire used in the original toy, though, 40501 The Wooden Duck uses a combination of LEGO Technic elements to achieve its internal mechanism. As the next logical evolution, the tiny LEGO 3D printed duck handed out to LEGO House visitors recreates all the same functions of its bigger siblings on a much (much) smaller, fully integrated, scale, as a single piece 3D printed by polymer powder bed fusion.

The set was made available as part of the “Inside Tour” goodie bag distributed during one of the very exclusive events accessible to a small group of fans, with tickets selling out almost instantly. The lucky participants are given behind-the-scenes access to LEGO HQ, hang out with designers and receive all manner of goodies. The 2019 set is especially contained the drafting machine arm. It even has an ID number: Element ID 6286866|Design ID 66237.

In a time where sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, the food and beverage packaging industry is required to be at the forefront of this innovation. By adopting circular packaging processes and solutions, producers can meet regulatory requirements while also satisfying consumer demand and enhancing brand reputation. Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy — as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility and boost product differentiation. Agenda: The cost and operational benefits of embracing circularity Key materials in circular packaging — including rPET and emerging bioplastics How to design a circular food and beverage package Strategies for selecting sustainable closures to future-proof packaging solutions Optimization and streamlining of production processes for enhanced efficiency How Husky Technologies can enable your sustainable success

An injection molder of trash cans, pallets, totes and other plus-size components, Rehrig Pacific’s machine fleet is composed of larger tonnage presses whose size makes material changes at the feed throat a potentially dizzying exercise.

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

The Mold-Masters e-multi auxiliary injection unit was installed on a new 500-ton all-electric Toshiba (now Shibaura) injection molding machine (left in photo).

Sustainability continues to dominate new additives technology, but upping performance is also evident. Most of the new additives have been targeted to commodity resins and particularly polyolefins.

Join KraussMaffei for an insightful webinar designed for industry professionals, engineers and anyone interested in the manufacturing processes of PVC pipes. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the production of high-quality PVC pipes: from raw material preparation to final product testing. Agenda: Introduction to PVC extrusion: overview of the basic principles of PVC pipe extrusion — including the process of melting and shaping PVC resin into pipe forms Equipment and machinery: detailed explanation of the key equipment involved — such as extruders, dies and cooling systems — and their roles in the extrusion process Process parameters: insight into the critical process parameters like temperature, pressure and cooling rates that influence the quality and consistency of the final PVC pipes Energy efficiency: examination of ways to save material and energy use when extruding PVC pipe products

Discover how artifical intelligence is revolutionizing plastics processing. Hear from industry experts on the future impact of AI on your operations and envision a fully interconnected plant.

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

Plastics Technology covers technical and business Information for Plastics Processors in Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, Plastic Additives, Compounding, Plastic Materials, and Resin Pricing. About Us

The class A trim component Innotech has been molding since mid-2020 is positioned at the front edge of the truck’s front door. Apart from the molded plastic, it comprises a stamped decorative metal element and a steel reinforcement.

In this collection, which is part one of a series representing some of John’s finest work, we present you with five articles that we think you will refer to time and again as you look to solve problems, cut cycle times and improve the quality of the parts you mold.

The new process has led to lower inventory, less labor, lower scrap and greater product quality. “When we do insert transfer molding,” Jones says, “we create work in process, and this totally eliminates that. The quality is a lot better. With transfer, you get into mold-fit issues with first shot into the second shot, and a lot of quality concerns. So there’s a lot of advantages to doing it this way in one machine.”

Designed to form a component that would hold headlights in place, the mold was intended to produce a front-end automobile bracket. Instead of parts however, the tool’s real output was problems.

Say “manufacturing automation” and thoughts immediately go to the shop floor and specialized production equipment, robotics and material handling systems. But there is another realm of possible automation — the front office.

Join Engel in exploring the future of battery molding technology. Discover advancements in thermoplastic composites for battery housings, innovative automation solutions and the latest in large-tonnage equipment designed for e-mobility — all with a focus on cost-efficient solutions. Agenda: Learn about cutting-edge thermoplastic composites for durable, sustainable and cost-efficient battery housings Explore advanced automation concepts for efficient and scalable production See the latest large-tonnage equipment and technology innovations for e-mobility solutions

The first shot of talc-filled PP from the main barrel encases the inserted steel reinforcement, which is located in a high-stress area of the assembly. Next, instead of a rotary table spinning the mold for the second shot, the mold has a rotating core built into it. When the platens open, the mold’s core rises out of the base and rotates 180°. The trim parts are right- and left-hand, and in the four cavity mold, the two lower cavities are filled with the first PP shot, and spun into the upper position, where the TPV seal is overmolded using the e-Multi mounted on the stationary platen.

Rudy Koehler, Innotech president, considered the project at hand as he weighed what technology the company would utilize, including the alternatives of new two-shot molding machine or a standard press with an auxiliary injection unit. “Let’s say we have a two-shot application seven years from now, and the one that we have now goes away,” Koehler says, “and we don’t know if we’ve got the replacement work. We can take the e-Multi off; we can sell it; or we can put it on another machine.”

Six-axis robot delivers inserts and removed finished parts from the two-shot mold with cores that advance and rotate between shots.

Productive Plastics has created an extensive collection of 3D printed manufacturing aids that sharply reduce lead times.

In this three-part collection, veteran molder and moldmaker Jim Fattori brings to bear his 40+ years of on-the-job experience and provides molders his “from the trenches” perspective on on the why, where and how of venting injection molds. Take the trial-and-error out of the molding venting process.

Although surface quality is lower than injection molded parts, the use of 3D printing made sense for LEGO as this is an extremely rare piece produced in very low numbers (whereas the duck shows integrated functional capabilities that are just not possible with injection molding). It is particularly appropriate that LEGO used 3D printing on this part as a drafting machine is a device for producing technical drawings that engineers, product designers and architects use before the advent of computer-aided design (CAD).

Across the show, sustainability ruled in new materials technology, from polyolefins and engineering resins to biobased materials.

Inject a substrate, insert it into a different tool and overmold—lather, rinse, repeat. For most of its 25 years, that’s how Innotech Precision Inc. in Toronto handled overmolding, using a transfer method requiring two molds, two machines and a good bit of labor input.

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

The bigger investment and lead time on a dedicated two-shot machine would be a different story. “Maybe a pure two-shot machine has some features that we’re giving up on,” Koehler says, “but there’s enough pros to the approach we took that with 20/20 hindsight I’m still pretty comfortable with the decision.”

Plastics Technology’s Tech Days is back! Every Tuesday in October, a series of five online presentations will be given by industry supplier around the following topics:  Injection Molding — New Technologies, Efficiencies Film Extrusion — New Technologies, Efficiencies Upstream/Downstream Operations Injection Molding — Sustainability Extrusion — Compounding Coming out of NPE2024, PT identified a variety of topics, technologies and trends that are driving and shaping the evolution of plastic products manufacturing — from recycling/recyclability and energy optimization to AI-based process control and automation implementation. PT Tech Days is designed to provide a robust, curated, accessible platform through which plastics professionals can explore these trends, have direct access to subject-matter experts and develop strategies for applying solutions in their operations.

Second quarter started with price hikes in PE and the four volume engineering resins, but relatively stable pricing was largely expected by the quarter’s end.

When, how, what and why to automate — leading robotics suppliers and forward-thinking moldmakers will share their insights on automating manufacturing at collocated event.

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

An articulating mold and versatile auxiliary injection unit helped this molder rethink its tried-and-true approach to insert molding.

Thanks to a tip from Anna Chase, Senior Additive Manufacturing Engineer at the LEGO Group, pointing to an entry on the New Elementary LEGO fan blog, we learned that the duck is actually the second official LEGO 3D printed piece. The very first one, released in 2019, was perhaps even more appropriately, the arm of a drafting machine. It was found inside – and probably never made it out of – a very unique LEGO set that represented the opening ceremony of the System House, a flagship office in Billund built in 1958.

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

Join Wittmann for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in the plastic injection molding industry. Discover how MES enhances production efficiency, quality control and real-time monitoring while also reducing downtime. It will explore the integration of MES with existing systems, emphasizing compliance and traceability for automotive and medical sectors. Learn about the latest advancements in IoT and AI technologies and how they drive innovation and continuous improvement in MES. Agenda: Overview of MES benefits What is MES? Definition, role and brief history Historical perspective and evolution Longevity and analytics Connectivity: importance, standards and integration Advantages of MES: efficiency, real-time data, traceability and cost savings Emerging technologies: IoT and AI in MES

Mold maintenance is critical, and with this collection of content we’ve bundled some of the very best advice we’ve published on repairing, maintaining, evaluating and even hanging molds on injection molding machines.

Visitors to the LEGO House’s adult fan event were gifted a LEGO 3D printed duck, which was an ongoing AFOL (Adult Fan Of LEGO) project at the LEGO House development studio. Ronen Hadar, LEGO’s Senior Director Additive Design and Manufacturing proudly shared the project on his LinkedIn feed adding that “the team has been working hard to develop, approve and manufacture this super cool element, in collaboration with our talented designers. This is an important milestone for the team. We are looking forward to share more news with you in the coming future.”

Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.

In the Innotech molding cell, a six-axis Kuka robot inserts the metal components to be overmolded using electromagnets in the robot tooling—in the mold, pins hold them in place. Before the mold closes, cameras inspect the inserts, ensuring they’re in position and halting the cycle if they’re not.

Resin drying is a crucial, but often-misunderstood area. This collection includes details on why and what you need to dry, how to specify a dryer, and best practices.

After successfully introducing a combined conference for moldmakers and injection molders in 2022, Plastics Technology and MoldMaking Technology are once again joining forces for a tooling/molding two-for-one.

technotrans says climate protection, energy efficiency and customization will be key discussion topics at PTXPO as it displays its protemp flow 6 ultrasonic eco and the teco cs 90t 9.1 TCUs.

Introduced by Zeiger and Spark Industries at the PTXPO, the nozzle is designed for maximum heat transfer and uniformity with a continuous taper for self cleaning.

“Buying a pure two-barrel or two-shot machine, you’re getting into a very specific, very custom piece of equipment that might not have the versatility to run another mold in the future or be able to be reconfigured,” adds Scott Jones, Innotech’s v.p. of engineering.

When a class A trim-component program for full-sized GM trucks came up in 2018, the job was not unlike many other multi-material jobs Innotech had fulfilled with transfer molding. This time, however, an advanced tool technology from a Quebec-based moldmaker and the potential to apply an e-Multi auxiliary injection unit from Mold-Masters led the company to a new overmolding strategy.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

Join this webinar to explore the transformative benefits of retrofitting your existing injection molding machines (IMMs). Engel will guide you through upgrading your equipment to enhance monitoring, control and adaptability — all while integrating digital technologies. You'll learn about the latest trends in IMM retrofitting (including Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits) and discover how to future-proof your machines for a competitive edge. With insights from industry experts, it'll walk you through the decision-making process, ensuring you make informed choices that drive your business forward. Agenda: Maximize the value of your current IMMs through strategic retrofitting Learn how to integrate digital technologies to enhance monitoring and control Explore the benefits of Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits Understand how retrofitting can help meet new product demands and improve adaptability Discover how Engel can support your retrofitting needs, from free consultations to execution

A drafting machine comprises a counterbalanced arm leading to a protractor head with a right-angled ruler attached. This enables the draughtsman to draw lines accurately at any angle from anywhere on the page, and it can also be locked to either the horizontal or vertical axis. The LEGO version isn’t quite that flexible but it can move more than an injection molded part would be able to.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

While the major correction in PP prices was finally underway, generally stable pricing was anticipated for the other four commodity resins.

The approach Innotech took was to purchase an e-Multi and a new 500-ton all-electric Toshiba press (now supplied by Shibaura Machine Co.), pairing them with a specialized multi-material mold that puts a spin on traditional 2K designs that use a rotary table.

Additive technology creates air pockets in film during orientation, cutting down on the amount of resin needed while boosting opacity, mechanical properties and recyclability.

Showing the capabilities of PBF technology, the diminutive red duck is smaller than a LEGO minifigure, but still manages to pack in all the same functionality of turning wheels and snapping beak when pushed along. According to one Instagram user who got their hands on one, the duck is the ‘first ever official 3D printed LEGO element’, but its availability beyond yesterday’s LEGO House AFOL Day is uncertain. In all likelihood, it’ll probably be exclusive to attendees.

August 29-30 in Minneapolis all things injection molding and moldmaking will be happening at the Hyatt Regency — check out who’s speaking on what topics today.

Core Technology Molding turned to Mold-Masters E-Multi auxiliary injection unit to help it win a job and dramatically change its process.

Ultradent's entry of its Umbrella cheek retractor took home the awards for Technical Sophistication and Achievement in Economics and Efficiency at PTXPO.

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankand and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.

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This Knowledge Center provides an overview of the considerations needed to understand the purchase, operation, and maintenance of a process cooling system.

In this collection of content, we provide expert advice on welding from some of the leading authorities in the field, with tips on such matters as controls, as well as insights on how to solve common problems in welding.

Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.

Spectrum Plastics Group offers customers two technology hubs — one for extrusion, the other for additive manufacturing — to help bring ground-breaking products to market faster.

Multiple speakers at Molding 2023 will address the ways simulation can impact material substitution decisions, process profitability and simplification of mold design.

1,346 polymer and metal AM companies and 143 end-users. Consumer products AM generated $2.6 billion in 2023. Segment expected to grow to $28 billion by 2033 at 26.8% CAGR. This new market study fro...

The aim of this presentation is to guide you through the factors and the numbers that will help you determine if a robot is a smart investment for your application. Agenda:  Why are you considering automation? What problems are you trying to solve? How and why automation can help Crunch the numbers and determine the ROI

Learn about sustainable scrap reprocessing—this resource offers a deep dive into everything from granulator types and options, to service tips, videos and technical articles.

As explained in a story by Brickfanatics.com, the classic wooden duck is a piece of LEGO history, recreated in modern bricks for 2020s 40501 The Wooden Duck, which is available exclusively at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. While that 621-piece set includes a display stand, the real magic happens when you lift it off and pop it on a flat surface: pulling the string turns the wheels and snaps the beak, just like the wooden duck from 1935.

A customer request for multi-material molding presented a market opportunity and potential financial peril: How do you add two-shot without also overextending yourself from an investment perspective?

While the melting process does not provide perfect mixing, this study shows that mixing is indeed initiated during melting.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

This month’s resin pricing report includes PT’s quarterly check-in on select engineering resins, including nylon 6 and 66.

Gifted with extraordinary technical know how and an authoritative yet plain English writing style, in this collection of articles Fattori offers his insights on a variety of molding-related topics that are bound to make your days on the production floor go a little bit better.

Mixed in among thought leaders from leading suppliers to injection molders and mold makers at the 2023 Molding and MoldMaking conferences will be molders and toolmakers themselves.