ELMET premieres dosing system for injection moulding LSR at NPE 2024
At NPE 2024, ELMET is premiering its new, TOP 700 dosing system for injection moulding liquid silicone rubber (LSR).
TOP 700 provides the same high precision dosing of silicones and additives as Elmet’s flagship TOP 7000 Pro dosing system with its 200 or 20 litre drum size which was launched back in 2021.
Performance and economy
The TOP 700 can achieve delivery rates of over five litres/minute at a maximum pump pressure of 210 bar, so enabling short cycle times both when filling larger parts and with large numbers of small cavities. Additives and colours can be dispensed from 1, 4 and 20 litre containers. In order to achieve the dosing precision that is particularly vital for very small parts, the volumetric meter for colours has a resolution of below 0.1 μl/l. Depending on requirements, dosing can be carried out simultaneously or in a freely selectable mixing ratio.
Due to the optimised design of the follower plates, just 40 ml of residues are left behind when the 20 litre drums have to be changed, resulting in material utilisation of up to 99.8%. With a design service life of 20 years or more for all its mechanical components, a modular structure and particular ease of servicing which keeps maintenance costs low, the TOP 700 is synonymous with cost-efficiency. Its low energy consumption of less than 50 Wh and minimal compressed air consumption also help to keep costs down.
Versatile, reliable, user-friendly
Designed to be FDA- and EMA-compliant, the new TOP 700 dosing system is used for applications requiring the highest levels of cleanliness such as medical technology, personal care, foodstuffs and optics. Virtually abrasion-free pumping also prevents metal particle contamination of the LSR which would impair its functionality. There are also no limits to the consistency of the processed LSR under real-world conditions because Elmet’s new system can dose any commercially available product with the same precision thanks to its ability to handle viscosities of between 0.001 Pas and 2000 Pas (shear rate 10/s) or 16,000 Pas (1/s). Its optionally OPC UA- and Euromap 82.3-compliant control system can be seamlessly integrated into the injection moulding machine’s own control system.
To avoid operating errors, the drums can be changed fully automatically from the drum rim from three sides within two minutes. Intuitive operation of the system, the use of simple clamp connections, a guided drum change procedure and an integrated cooling system mean even relatively low-skilled personnel can operate it without any problem. Fully automatic venting as standard completes the system’s many and varied safety and convenience features.
All Elmet dosing systems comply with the commonest industry standards such as CE, UL, FDA and EMA.
Thorsten Häuser, development manager, explains: “We developed our TOP 700 dosing pump to meet customer demand for a space- and material-saving solution from ELMET. We’ve achieved this with a footprint of less than 0.5 m² (799 mm × 600 mm) and our new pump design. As a result, this new dosing system is particularly suitable not only for customers processing high-value, shear-sensitive or abrasive materials but also for R&D, prototyping and small-batch applications. The TOP 700 rounds out our product range while setting new standards in compact dosing technology.”