Southeast Asia - abc plastic moulding

IKV developed a mold with a special electrically heated hot half on the stationary side of the mold (see diagram). The hot half has a melt-transfer chamber that stores the melt from the screw and then transfers the melt into the mold cavity by means of a piston/cylinder system.

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.

MuCell Now Molded on Massive Machine The MuCell microcellular molding process from Trexel Inc., Woburn, Mass., has been installed on the largest injection press yet, a 1760-tonner from Dima Inc., Santa Fe Springs, Calif. The press, which recently went into operation producing washing-machine agitators, can handle shot sizes up to 225 oz. The press also completes Dima’s TF series of fully hydraulic machines, which includes seven other models from 80 to 1000 tons.

“This transaction is another marquee investment that demonstrates how Platinum’s differentiated approach continues to scale,” said Platinum Equity chief executive Tom Gores. “We have the capacity and the resources necessary to handle transactions of any size and complexity anywhere in the world.”

In addition, the compression step allows users to achieve thinner skins and thinner walls overall. “Sandwich-with-compression molding can produce thin-wall parts that cannot be produced with conventional molding,” says Lettowsky. “With conventional sandwich injection molding, a wall of 1.5 mm was the thinnest we realized, while the test part made with the sand wich/compression process yielded a 1-mm wall.” On the other hand, he notes that conventional sandwich molding allows a user to realize a larger percentage of core material in the part.

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

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Sandwich molding and water-assist injection were combined to make this armrest. The water cored out a virgin PP center, producing a smooth, uniform inner surface, while obtaining stiffness from the glass-filled PP skin.

He devised a test utilizing a sandwich of 30% long-glass reinforced PP skins over an unfilled PP core. The armrest mold is 30 mm diam. and 500 mm long. When the water was injected, it cored out just the unfilled material. Thus the outer layer provided rigidity, toughness, and tensile and burst strengths, while the inner layer had good barrier properties and a smooth inner surface. (The validity of this approach has been confirmed by other sources using it in commercial production. See Learn More box.)

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.

Better quality and uniformity in multi-cavity molding of small thermoplastic parts is the goal of a new process called Injection Transfer Molding (ITM). This adaptation of thermoset transfer molding can be described as a combination of injection-compression with hot-runner molding.

“Husky is an extraordinary company with a well-deserved reputation for developing the industry’s most innovative technology,” said Louis Samson, the Platinum Equity partner who led the transaction. “John Galt and his team have built one of Canada’s most successful enterprises and a truly world class industrial company. We are excited to partner with such an exceptional leadership team and we aim to help them continue raising the bar.”

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.

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.

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

“In Platinum, Husky has found a partner that brings a wealth of experience, a highly capable team and a shared enthusiasm for building great companies,” said John Galt, president and chief executive of Husky. “I am confident that by working together we will find new and exciting ways to serve our customers.”

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

A combination of sandwich molding and water-assist molding was also tested in molding an arm rest of long-glass PP and unfilled PP. Molders had previously found that using water injection to core out fiber-reinforced materials such as short-glass reinforced nylon 66 or long-glass PP resulted in poor quality of the inner surface and dimensional deviations of the hollow void in the part. “The flow characteristics of the glass-filled resins made water-assist processing difficult or impossible,” says Lettowsky.

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

Boy will debut three new models in its Electric series of machines, which feature a redesigned and more compact drive and inverter technology.

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

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

A new tooling and process concept that seeks better control over multi-cavity molding, and another that achieves new capabilities with novel blends of multiple process technologies were themes presented in papers at the 22nd Colloquium held by the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) in Aachen, Germany.

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.

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.

“Combining sandwich molding with injection-compression yields parts with a more uniform core and skin distribution,” says Lettowsky. “The lower injection and filling pressures and the even compression of the material during the compression process combine to give a low level of material orientation to the part. This can result in reduced shrinkage and distortion.” It can also reduce cavity-pressure requirements, since the mold is “open” during filling.

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

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

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.

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.

Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with $13bn of assets under management and a portfolio of more than 30 operating companies that serve customers around the world. The firm specialises in mergers, acquisitions and operations – acquiring and operating companies in a broad range of business markets, including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and logistics, equipment rental, metals services, media and entertainment, technology, telecommunications and other industries. Over the past 22 years Platinum Equity has completed more than 200 acquisitions.

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

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

After the holding-pressure phase, the transfer chamber is filled with material for the next cycle. The main parting line, which moves independent of the transfer chamber’s actions, remains closed until the part is sufficiently cooled.

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.

FCS Group’s X-Type parallel quartet injection molding machine features four injection units aligned in parallel for a smaller footprint.

A new tooling and process concept that seeks better control over multi-cavity molding, and another that achieves new capabilities with novel blends of multiple process technologies were themes presented in papers at the 22nd Colloquium held by the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) in Aachen, Germany. The IKV is a world-famous plastics research institute that focuses on molding and tooling.

A collaboration between show organizer PLASTICS, recycler CPR and size reduction experts WEIMA and Conair recovered and recycled all production scrap at NPE2024.

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.

Demand for Husky’s products and services is primarily driven by growth in the beverage packaging segment, as well as in plastics consumables. Husky is a global enterprise with approximately 75 percent of its sales generated outside North America. In addition to complete injection moulding solutions, Husky also provides aftermarket services and parts to a large and growing installed base of systems globally.

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.

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.

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.

The world’s largest brand name supplier of injection moulding equipment and services to the plastics industry – Husky IMS International Ltd – is to be acquired by Platinum Equity in a deal valued at $3.9bn.

With advocacy, communication and sustainability as three main pillars, Seaholm leads a trade association to NPE that ‘is more active today than we have ever been.’

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

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.

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.

NPE2024: Coinjection of postconsumer resin, in-mold decoration, LSR micromolding and bioplastics processing are just some of the machine displays at Milacron's booth.

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.

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

Ultra-thin-wall parts and glass-filled hollow parts with a smooth inner surface are applications on the cutting edge of molding today. To get there, molders use processes such as sandwich molding, injection-compression molding, and gas or water assist. While these advanced processes today are usually used separately, combinations of these techniques can achieve more sophisticated parts, reduce costs, or overcome limitations of individual methods, says Christoph Lettowsky, researcher in multi-component injection molding at IKV.

Acting as financial advisers to Husky are Baird, Goldman Sachs and CIBC Capital Markets, while Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Torys are legal counsel. For Platinum Equity, financing will be led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank. Latham & Watkins, Stikeman Elliott and Baker McKenzie are acting as legal counsel.

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.

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.

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

Tobias Pfefferkorn, researcher in injection molding and mold technology at IKV, says conventional hot-runner injection molding is subject to unequal temperatures and pressures of melt entering multiple cavities. These differences can mean different viscosities and filling and cooling profiles, resulting in parts with different dimensions and properties.

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

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.

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

The definitive agreement will see Platinum Equity purchase Ontario-based Husky from private equity firm Berkshire Partners LLC and OMERS Private Equity Inc., the private equity arm of OMERS and the defined benefit pension plan for Ontario’s municipal employees. Husky has been owned by Berkshire Partners and OMERS since June 2011.

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.

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

IKV’s Injection Transfer Molding process aims to provide more uniform filling of multiple cavities by combining aspects of two-stage, injection- compression, and hot-runner molding. Melt-accumulation and cavity-fill functions take place within the special tool.

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.

A leading industrial technology provider to the plastics processing community with an unprecedented level of innovation effectiveness, Husky works with its investors to successfully advance state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, which it delivers to its wide range of customers in various end-markets across the globe.

Following completion of the deal, Mr Galt will stay on to run the business as chief executive. He and other members of Husky’s management team will remain significant investors in the business through continued equity ownership.

Lettowsky evaluated process combinations of sandwich molding with injection-compression and fluid-assist molding. The combinations all start with forming the skin-core-skin sandwich structure in the mold.

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

Pfefferkorn says another limitation of conventional injection tooling is that a hot-runner system tends to be designed for optimum performance with a particular mold and material and may not work as well in a totally different application.

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

A number of benefits are said to result. The melt-transfer part of the mold is independent of part geometry and need not be changed for different applications. Injection volume is determined by the movement of this chamber. Using different cavity inserts would reduce the total cost of multiple molds. Expensive hot-runner temperature controls also are no longer needed. And due to the short melt path and direct gating from the chamber to the cavities, all cavities are filled equally using lower pressures than would be possible with conventional hot runners. Less shear and stress are imparted to the melt, Pfefferkorn claims, creating parts with low shrinkage and warpage. Low shear can be advantageous for molding long-glass reinforcements or ceramic-powder compounds. IKV will soon test the process in a production mold with more than 100 cavities. IKV has already achieved successful results using polypropylene with long-glass fibers and in molding up to 12 cavities.

The cold half of the mold is on the moving-platen side. Heat transfer between the hot and cold halves is reduced by an insulating plate in the stationary half. When the mold parting line closes, the piston/cylinder compresses the melt-transfer chamber, pushing material through the short gate directly into the mold cavity. In one sense, it resembles two-stage injection with the melt accumulator or shooting pot built into the mold. In this system, injection and holding pressure is provided by the mold, not the screw, which remains stationary.

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

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

Mike Ascione, a managing director at Berkshire Partners, concluded: “We are fortunate to have partnered with the outstanding management team at Husky. The company is well-positioned for continued growth and success, and we are thankful for the opportunity to have worked with them and the team at OMERS.”

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