en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mold-Masters (Canada) and Primaform AG (Switzerland) have collaborated to develop a new injection molding production unit called Integra, which can produce small plastic parts without the need for the platens, cold runners, and clamping force of traditional injection molding machines.
Jordan Freise, Product Marketing Manager at Mold-Masters, recalled that at trade shows, many visitors found it hard to believe that a machine with almost no visible movement could continuously produce parts. First launched at the most recent K trade fair, Integra is a plug-and-play customized system. Mold-Masters supplies the E-Multi auxiliary injection unit, hot runners, and process control systems such as the TempMaster TCU, while Primaform AG is responsible for the mold. The two companies spent about a year developing this platform and can evaluate customer projects to ensure suitability.
This compact device is designed for small parts, can process all resins, and its all-electric nature makes it suitable for cleanrooms. Since the mold and machine are integrated, each Integra unit is currently used for a single application, with the mold customized to user needs, making it particularly suitable for high-value, high-volume parts such as needle caps in the medical industry. Freise indicated that modular and larger designs may be introduced in the future.
Integra uses an injection unit (mounted on the top or side of the machine) to inject resin into the mold, with a single valve gate controlling the material flow to produce high-quality parts with minimal scrap. Freise described that the mold cavity only needs to lock closed, unlock, open, unscrew, and eject the part, with the cooling system integrated inside the machine, located beneath the mold. This process optimizes small part production, eliminating the scrap, space consumption, and high costs associated with traditional injection molding machines and cold runner systems.
According to Freise, depending on the application, cycle times can be reduced by 25%, and the scrap generated is only one-quarter of that from traditional injection molding machines. Compared to hydraulic units, the E-Multi injection unit consumes only about one-third of the energy. Freise stated that using Integra can represent a fivefold increase in productivity. He contrasted the clamping action of traditional injection molding machines, noting that Integra only moves a small portion, operates faster, and requires no applied pressure. Due to the lack of complexity of injection molding machines, Integra is easier to operate and maintain, with very few moving parts, highlighting the vast differences between the two designs.
At the K trade fair, an Integra unit equipped with a four-cavity mold produced medical syringe caps on-site. Since then, Mold-Masters has received strong interest from many manufacturers who are exploring the production of parts in various sizes and applications. The smallest Integra unit measures approximately 41.1 square feet, with the dedicated mold having maximum dimensions of about 3.3 feet by 3.3 feet by 3.3 feet, cavity counts ranging from 4 to 96, and part diameters ranging from 5 mm to 22 mm.
