At Fakuma 2024, ELMET will be presenting its expanded portfolio of dosing systems with various equipment levels for LSR injection moulding at booth A5-5306.
ELMET
Together with the tried-and-tested TOP 5000 P and 7000 Pro, the new Top 3100 and TOP 700 models cover a range of different customer requirements in terms of footprint, drum size and degree of automation. An upgraded pump is now also capable of processing particularly highly thixotropic or stable materials. Visitors to the trade fair will be able to see the TOP 700 dosing system in action at Arburg’s booth (A3-3101). While at Momentive Performance Materials’ booth (A4-4307), a TOP 7000 Pro dosing system will be showing off its capabilities as part of a joint project together with Momentive and Sumitomo. Elmet also constructed the cold runner mold installed there.
Uncompromising precision
The TOP 3100 LSR dosing system will make its debut at Fakuma 2024. It offers processors the same high precision as Elmet's high-end dosing systems, and it also meets the same high requirements in relation to all internationally applicable norms and safety standards. However, its features are slimmed down to the key components for the basic application, without compromising on performance, process stability or service life. It differs from other Elmet-systems in terms of the achievable level of automation and the available optional equipment, including the number of additive lines, drum change automation, and accessibility. This allows those users who run processes with clearly defined requirements over extended periods to invest only in the equipment level they actually use on a day-to-day basis.
The TOP 3100 is equipped with the same processing unit and the same additive system that are characteristic features of all of Elmet’s other LSR dosing systems. As a result, it can achieve delivery rates of over five litres/minute, so enabling short cycle times both when filling larger mouldings and with large numbers of nests. Additives and colours can be dispensed from 1, 4 and 20 litre containers. The measuring cell resolution of 15.6 μl/l (64,000 pulses/l) and the integrated volumetric colour metre with a resolution of less than 0.1 μl/l maximise mixing and dosing precision, which is particularly important for very small parts. Maintenance costs are minimised by the processing unit’s modular design with integrated cooling and simple clamp connection, which simplifies cleaning and means even relatively low-skilled personnel can operate it without difficulty.
Minimised footprint
For the first time in Europe, visitors will be able to see the completely newly developed TOP 700 LSR dosing system. Premiered at the recent NPE 2024 show, it sets a new benchmark in compact dosing technology since its footprint of less than 0.5 m² (799 mm × 600 mm) makes it the most compact 20-litre system currently on the market. The TOP 700 dosing system offers the same high precision when dosing silicones and additives as the flagship TOP 7000 Pro with 200 or 20 litre drum sizes. Moreover, the same optional equipment is available and the same levels of automation achievable.
The follower plates’ optimised design means that, depending on material viscosity, just 40 ml of residues are left behind when the 20 liter containers are changed, resulting in material utilization of up to 99.8%. Thanks to these features, the TOP 700 dosing system can meet industry’s demanding requirements for high cost-effectiveness and process-stable efficiency combined with the smallest possible footprint. Typical applications include R&D, prototyping, and smaller batch sizes. Designed to be FDA- and EMA-compliant, it is also suitable for applications requiring the highest levels of cleanliness such as medical technology, personal care, foodstuffs, and optics.
Broader viscosity range
In addition to the previous standard S pump unit, Elmet is now integrating the new M unit into the TOP 3100 dosing system, while there is a choice between the two for the TOP 7000 Pro system. The new pump is capable of an increased delivery pressure of up to 230 bar. Together with its innovative design with an upstream primer piston, this allows materials in a further expanded viscosity range from 0.001 Pas to 3000 Pas to be processed. The M pump unit can thus handle any commercially available LSR material, including highly stable materials, such as those with carbon black or mineral fillers, and self-adhesive materials that tend to become more viscous. Even abrasive materials, e.g. thermally conductive materials for e-mobility applications, can be pumped without any problem. Discharge capacity is only slightly below that of the S pump unit. Existing TOP 7000 Pro dosing systems can easily be changed over from S to M and back.
Energy consumption benchmarks
Measurements carried out by Elmet on various dosing systems show that, with an idle power consumption of only 50 Wh and, depending on process conditions, an average energy consumption of 150 to at most 400 Wh, pneumatically driven dosing systems allow energy savings of up to 50% compared to purely electrically driven systems. The reason for this is that compressed air, being a pneumatic spring, acts as a perfect energy storage system and consequently dosing systems driven this way consume virtually no energy in the standby position. This improves the carbon balance and saves costs. As a result, Elmet dosing system can help to enhance a production line’s overall performance while simultaneously reducing its environmental footprint.