Sustainability and circular economy are at the heart of Engel participation at ArabPlast 2021 (Dubai, November 15-18) and they pass through recycling, energy efficiency and thin-wall moulding technology as key factors to reduce the footprint of CO2.

Stable processes with recycled material

Both post-consumer and post-industrial materials - usually PP or HDPE - are used in the production of pallets. What they have in common is strong fluctuations in material properties. The iQ weight control smart assistance system ensures that a stable production process and consistently high product quality are maintained despite this.

The software, developed by Engel, continually analyses the pressure profile at the screw position during injection and compares the measured values with a reference cycle. On this basis, new process parameters are calculated and process settings are automatically readjusted for the cycle that is already in progress. This calculation and readjustment takes place in fractions of a second, and is repeated for each cycle. In this way rejects are proactively prevented. In this way, smart assistance makes it possible to use recycled materials even for challenging products and contributes substantially to the establishment of a circular economy for plastics.

Automation from a single source

Engel globally offers complete system solutions for integrated and automated injection moulding processes from a single source. Both Engel easix articulated robots and Engel viper linear robots are used in pallet production. To achieve full linear automation even for larger dimensions, Engel has a viper robot with a nominal payload capacity of up to 120 kg in its portfolio. The Engel viper 120 enables a demoulding stroke of 3,000 mm and reach of 3,550 mm.

In addition to injection moulding machines and robots, Engel develops and produces custom automation solutions and process technologies in-house. Beyond this, Engel integrates solutions from partner companies. In the Packaging business area, Engel is exhibiting at ArabPlast in collaboration with Switzerland-based Beck Automation, a company which specialises in fast demoulding robots and in-mould labelling, and with IMD vista, which specialises in vision inspection and is also headquartered in Switzerland. The three partners can point to many collaborative reference projects in the United Arab Emirates.

Thin-wall injection moulding with stack moulds

At the stand, Engel, Beck and IMD have various examples of innovative thin-wall packaging and resource-saving caps and closures on show. Further reduction of the wall thickness toughens the demands on injection moulding machines. Engel has the perfect answer for small to large clamping forces in the form of the e-speed. The injection moulding machine, designed for continuous high performance in thin-wall applications, ensures very fast and, above all, precise short strokes. Thanks to this dynamic, it is also suitable for stack moulds.

The Engel e-speed injection moulding machine with hybrid injection unit and electric clamping unit combines very short cycle times with maximum precision and very high injection speeds of up to 1200 mm per second, and it operates in an extremely energy efficient way. The energy recovery system absorbs the braking energy from the mould mounting platens and returns the stored energy to the motor - for example, to accelerate the platens again.

The toggle lever is encapsulated to ensure particularly low oil consumption and maximum cleanliness. In this way, the e-speed series machines meet the strict requirements of the food industry as standard.