Milacron Offers Enhanced All-Electric Fanuc Injection Moulding Machine
The injection moulding arm of US plastics machinery manufacturer Milacron Plastics Technologies has made improvements to the Roboshot all-electric injection molding machine designed to give customers more flexibility during the moulding process.
More flexibility is offered thanks to a new, optional two-piece platen. Reportedly surpassing the industry-standard single casting platen offered by competitors, this high-rigidity, two-piece configuration allows for larger moulds and easier mould setup. The platen has been improved to be more interchangeable—it can be added or removed by the customer to meet exacting specifications.
All this enhanced hardware is now run by what Milacron say is one of the most advanced controllers in the marketplace—the new Fanuc Model31-iB. It features a similar look and feel as previous versions, but has been upgraded to offer faster processing times. Customers won’t have to learn a new control, but will still receive the benefits of some of the fastest processing speeds in the industry.
Roboshot α-SiA series all-electric injection moulding machines
The Roboshot α-SiA series also has been enhanced from the base up. The machine’s base has been redesigned to reduce platen flex by up to 22%, while improving rigidity. A new fixed grease tray under the clamp allows for quick and easy maintenance. The upper guarding panels also have been improved, allowing more open access to the injection unit for the operator.
“We’re thrilled to continue delivering on our commitment and offering an advanced industry-leading, all-electric line,” said Eric Thompson, electric platform product manager for Milacron. “We’re confident that our customers will appreciate the flexibility that these enhancements provide to the Roboshot line.”
Other benefits are said to include:
- Clamp design improvements: Improved toggle bushings reduce wearing of the toggle pin and cross head pin, while a new tiebar bushing improves lubrication and reduces grease consumption.
- Injection design: Standard injection and GP specifications are available (α-SiA and α-SiA-g). A high-precision pressure control with reduced noise results in enhanced molding parts stability.
- Improved ballscrew design: A new sealed type ballscrew improves grease reduction and efficiency.
- Multiple applications: The enhanced series machines will be available in α-S55iA, α-S110iA and α-S165iA tonnages initially, with larger sizes to follow.
Roboshot 31-iB series control system
The enhanced Roboshot 31-iB series control system can now store up to 10,000 change logs, alarm logs and operation logs, helping to better track troubleshooting and process parameters. The controller also has increased capacity to store up to 500 mould files, and has been built on a proven CNC platform. The 15-inch colour display offers a full touchscreen of all control functions, allowing more information to be displayed to the user.
Additionally, the controller offers precise clamp force control as an option, which automatically adjusts the clamp tonnage based on the actual part requirement. Using this unique method, the controller can change clamping force while the machine is running which prevents mould defects due to gas venting and leads to longer mould life.
In January 2010 Milacron and Fanuc announced a collaboration partnership whereby Milacron would sell Fanuc Roboshot machines throughout the Americas.