25 years of Engel tie-bar-less technology

Barrier-free mould area, compact manufacturing cells and a high capacity for innovation: Engel will be celebrating 25 years of tie-bar-less technology at Fakuma 2014, which takes place in Friedrichshafen 14–18 October. With numerous innovative applications on show, the injection moulding machine manufacturer will use the event to demonstrate how tie-bar-less machines can continue in future to meet the highest demands in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The new tie-bar-less, all-electric Engel e-motion 50 TL will also be making its world premiere in Friedrichshafen. Other innovations on show at the Engel stands will include double technology integration and the Engel e-flomo closed loop temperature-control water distribution system.

Medical: process integration for safety

In the medical section of its stand at Fakuma 2014, Engel will be producing drip chambers with integrated filter for blood transfusions. An Engel e-victory 310H/80W/50V 160 combi tricomponent injection moulding machine with ecodrive and a clean room design will be used in this highly integrated production process.

Each drip chamber will comprise one ABS and one PP component; in a single workstep, they will be injection moulded, fitted with the filter and joined by means of overmoulding with additional polypropylene. This high degree of integration significantly boosts efficiency in the manufacturing of multicomponent hollow bodies with inlays. Conventionally, the two hollow body components are individually injection moulded; the inlay is then fitted and bonded in subsequent process steps.

“Drip chambers are mass-market products that need to be manufactured economically despite the stringent demands on product safety and hygiene,” says Christoph Lhota, vice president of Engel's medical business unit, underlining the importance of the innovation. “We believe there is potential for this innovative one-shot process in other sectors too.”

One key prerequisite in realising the integrated process is servoelectric drive technology for all movements of the index plate mould; this facilitates the synchronous control of mutually independent movements. For this application, the mould manufacturing partner is Hack Formenbau (Kirchheim, Germany).

An Engel easix multi-axis robot is also integrated in the manufacturing cell along with a system for total quality control. The drip chambers are inspected for seal tightness directly after injection moulding.