Two platens and eight tie-bars: from Engel, giant for injection moulding

With the two-platen duo 12000 US machine, Engel is taking large-format injection moulding to a scale that has so far been difficult to achieve in industrial production. The new injection moulding machine, with a clamping force of 110,000 kN, has been developed for the production of components with a projected area of more than 2.5 square metres and enables the cost-efficient manufacture of large-format parts in an integrated process.

The system, recently commissioned at a processor’s site, has been designed to combine very large dimensions, high injection capacity and process precision. To handle high shot weights, it employs two injection units operating in parallel which, with screw diameters of up to 210 mm, allow a shot volume of up to 65,000 cubic centimetres and homogeneous filling of components with a large projected area. The eight tie-bar configuration, selected together with the customer on the basis of its specific application requirements, does not, however, rule out the possibility of building machines in this class with four tie-bars as well.

The dimensions of the machine make the technical complexity of the project immediately clear: approximately 24 metres in length, 8.4 metres in height, a total weight of 551 tonnes, moulds weighing up to 170 tonnes, 30 kilometres of installed cabling, 2.4 MW of total installed power and a total current draw of 2,900 A. Even so, the machine retains a compact configuration thanks to the modular principle underpinning the duo series, with benefits in terms of production floor space. According to the manufacturer, the availability of a machine on this scale broadens the application range of injection moulding for large-format structural and technical components, reducing the number of parts, assembly operations and material consumption. This opens the way to rethinking products and architectures from the standpoint of functional integration, lightweight design and cost containment.

The applications of this record-breaking machine concern first and foremost the automotive sector, where so-called "gigamoulding" can be used in the production of large structural components such as battery housings, underbody panels and hybrid inner door structures. Alongside this field, potential developments are also envisaged in technical and infrastructure applications, including containers for the transport and disposal of batteries for electric mobility, systems for rainwater management and water tanks manufactured using moulds of nearly six square metres and shot weights of up to 109 kg.

With the duo 12000 US injection moulding machine, Engel is therefore presenting a technology platform aimed at extending the possibilities of injection moulding towards new application dimensions, both in the automotive sector and in large-scale technical applications.