Packaging

Focus on energy efficiency and productivity

Monday 24. April 2023 - At the most important plastics trade fair in Spain, where Arburg is present, the market is expecting solutions. E-mobility is an important market of the future, as several automotive plants are looking to produce e-vehicles in Spain, so Martin Cayre, Managing Director Arburg Spain.

At Equiplast in Barcelona from 30 May to 2 June 2023, Arburg (Pavilion P3/Level 0, Stand D34) will be focusing on energy and production efficiency. The Allrounder 470 H milestone machine is celebrating its premiere in Spain – with many technical innovations that are only available from Arburg. The hybrid machine saves energy, conserves resources, is production-efficient, user-friendly and reliable, and ideal for the e-mobility sector, for example. Another exhibit will be a Freeformer 300-3X for industrial additive manufacturing.
At the most important plastics trade fair in Spain, where Arburg has always been present, the market is expecting solutions. “E-mobility is an important market of the future, as several automotive plants are looking to produce e-vehicles in Spain,” reports Martin Cayre, Managing Director of Arburg Spain, who also sees great potential in a number of battery factories that are simultaneously in the pipeline. “Due to the high energy costs, we are seeing a clear focus on energy efficiency and machines with electric axes.” And our Freefomer 300-3X industrial 3D printer with a large build chamber also has great potential for this industry of the future.
New Allrounder 470 H: 50 per cent lower energy requirement
Arburg is launching a new machine technology with the milestone machine and is now presenting the hybrid Allrounder 470 H for the first time in Spain. The machine enables customers to leverage the benefits of the combination of electric clamping unit, hydraulic injection unit and the “Comfort”, “Premium” and “Ultimate” performance variants in a way that is even more customised to their needs, coupled with a reduction in acquisition and operating costs and a significantly smaller carbon footprint. In Cayre’s opinion, its energy efficiency and precision, comparable to that of an electric machine, together with its attractive price/performance ratio, are convincing arguments in its favour.
The technical facts of the new hybrid series speak for themselves: compared to a corresponding hydraulic machine, the energy footprint of the Allrounder 470 H is up to 50 per cent smaller. Depending on the application, this can save up to 12,000 kilograms of CO2 per year. The new oil management concept also saves resources: For one thing, around 35 per cent less oil is needed, and for another, waste machine heat is used to pre-heat the oil. The required cooling water capacity is also between 50 and 70 per cent lower. A reduction in the dry cycle time of up to 33 per cent results in significantly greater production efficiency.
Highlight: Application for the e-mobility sector
Martin Cayre describes the application on the Allrounder 470 H Comfort trade fair exhibit as a highlight for the e-mobility sector, for example: “This is a very good example of magnets as used in the e-mobility sector.” A material with a high iron content is injected and magnetised in the mould. A Multilift Select robotic system with a load capacity of six kilograms is used to handle the parts. In a 1+1-cavity family mould, toothed wheel and pole wheel are produced alternately in two cavities through turning from a PA6 with magnetic filler. Production is free of changeover and non-standard sequences. When the product is changed, only the second stored injection and mould program is selected and the runner in the mould switched over. The plastic filled with the magnetisable material is poled while still in the mould via permanent magnets.
Additive manufacturing: Freeformer for industrial 3D printing
For industrial additive manufacturing based on plastic granules, Arburg is presenting a Freeformer 300-3X with three discharge units at Equiplast. ARBURGadditive’s portfolio also includes a high-temperature version with build chamber temperatures of up to 250 degrees Celsius, a Freeformer 200-3X “soft” with special equipment for processing soft materials, and the new Freeformer 750-3X with a build chamber that is around 2.5 times larger – with the same external dimensions. The Freeformers feature a Gestica controller that is optimised for additive manufacturing in terms of process stability, part quality and build time.
Strong Arburg team – professional and forward-looking
Made up of highly trained and well-established employees who have been with the company for more than ten years on average, Arburg’s team in Spain is well prepared to meet the demanding market conditions. “Arburg offers comprehensive customer support, from machine design and automation to commissioning and process optimisation, and is also at the forefront when it comes to sustainability and digitalisation, not to mention eco-friendly and efficient production,” says Martin Cayre with conviction.