Arburg brings golden touch to China with premiere of entry-level, electric machines

Leanne Taylor, BP&R editor, highlights Arburg's introduction of its new series of all-electric injection moulding machines in Asia, following the launch of the range in Europe in March 2016

The company says that the decision to introduce its ‘Golden Electric’ machines at Chinaplas this week was the “perfect choice”, owing to the show’s focus on high-end plastic technology to reflect market and economic changes in the region.

“This machine series is set to continue the success story of our hydraulic entry-level Golden Edition models. Thanks to the use of standardised components, the new electric machines impress with proven, high-quality Arburg technology , made in Germany, and an attractive price/performance ratio,” explained Gerhard Böhm, Managing Director, Sales, at Arburg during a press event.

“The Allrounder Golden Electric machines are designed to meet customer demand for high-performance entry-level electric machines for the precise, energy-efficient production of sophisticated moulded parts.

“The new electric series features four sizes with clamping forces from 600 to 2,000 kN, and is available with immediate effect. The Golden Electric series is an important addition to our extensive and unique product portfolio for efficient plastics processing.“

Ideal choice for standard applications

Arburg says the Golden Electric machine series is the “ideal choice” for standard applications in thermoplastic processing, such as technical injection moulding.

Performance and correspondingly high-speed cycles are assured, Arburg says, primarily by the double five-point toggle system and the high-precision, play-free spindle drives. A position-regulated screw enables cavities to be filled with a high degree of repeat accuracy, ensuring high moulded part quality.

Liquid-cooled motors and servo inverters play to their strengths with regards to energy efficiency, short dry cycle times and a high level of reproducibility, says Arburg. The high efficiency of the servo motors, continuous power adaptation and energy recovery during braking are said to achieve energy savings of up to 55 percent compared to hydraulic standard machines.

Another benefit, says Arburg, is that the machines are also easy to maintain thanks to swivelling injection units, plug-in cylinder modules and further enhanced lubrication and cooling.

During Chinaplas, Arburg is showing an electric Allrounder 470 E with a clamping force of 1,000 kN and an 8-cavity mould producing pill splitters made from PC for medical use. The cycle time is around 25 seconds and the part weight is 18 grams.

A glimpse into the future

Böhm said that the turnover for the company’s 2015 financial year was not final, however, he revealed that consolidate turnover, together with Arburg’s worldwide subsidiaries amounted to around 580 million euros during the period – a new record.

Gerhard Böhm at Chinaplas

He also revealed that 93 percent of incoming orders were received via the company’s own organisations. The value of incoming orders for machines including peripheral equipment - in Euros - has increased by more than 16 percent compared to the 2014 figures, he added.

Last year, the company invested 20.9 million Euros - 32 percent more than in 2014 – and grew its workforce worldwide, reaching 2,550 – a YOY increase of 6.1% - at the end of 2015.

Looking ahead to K Show, Böhm said that there would be new innovations and that they would be “well worth coming to see.”