China acquires more than half of all the injectors sold the world

The evolution of the sales of machines for the injection moulding points to China as a major consumer of this type of machines, with a clear upward trend. But Europe is maintained despite the difficulties and points to a trend on everyone's lips: the estrangement of low value to closer to the 'high tech' applications. Let's see the precise data, as well as examples of technological developments carried out by some builders of machines.

The Demag Exis.

According to information from the manufacturer of Demag machines, 64.200 injectors were sold worldwide in 2002. 33,500 In China, 14,500 in the rest of Asia, 10,500 in Europe and in America 5.100 (the 600 remaining are distributed by the rest of the world). In 2003 total sales rose to 70.600 units, of which 37.200 were purchased by the Chinese market, 17,800 for other Asian countries, 10.300 by European countries and 4,700 by Americans. I.e., more than half of the machines sold in the world have their destination in China. China's own growth must be added, as you know, which provide numerous foreign companies investing in that country. Also relevant is the fact that in China, as growth progresses to great strides, so does the level of demand. This may be one of the reasons why Japan, which in 2003 had his record production of injectors, has a growing China presence with their electric machines.

In Europe, is to be noted that Germany is a stable market, which highlights the fact that standard machines are already a hole with difficulties, because standard applications are moving to the countries of Eastern Europe. On the other hand, the sector is growing in systems and automation.

A country back is the United Kingdom, where the situation is very complicated, contrary to what is happening, for example, in Russia, which is a positive development. United States, stable, but to the floor, and South America, with markets in retreat, they draw a grey panorama on the American continent.

Often refers to the importance of providing technologies for high-value applications in Europe, but rarely contribute data. Well, in 2003, a total of 70.600 machines sold worldwide, 8,700 were deployed to high-tech applications. And we know more: 17,800 was for technical parts, 12.300 to 'commodities' and 31.800 to applications of the low range from a technological point of view. The Outlook for 2007 is that of high technological value from rising to 12,500 (out of a total of 74.400) and those of low value reduced to 29.400.

By continent, the figures denote one more than likely transition in Asia to high value applications. In fact, if in 2003, a total of 55,000 injectors sold in Asia, 5,600 went to the 'high tech', in 2007 it is expected the figure to rise to 8,300, being the total of 58.300.

In Europe, last year went to high value applications 2,500 machines (out of a total of 10.300), while in 2007 it will be up to 3,200, on a total of 10,800.

Trends in the sector of injection have been analysed by a group of manufacturers of injectors and unveiled recently by Demag. Some interesting conclusions are as follows:

• Increasingly, purchasing decisions are prioritizing the precision and the absence of problems during production.
• One of every three transformers has had to increase the frequency of change of molds in the last ten years, even reaching daily changes.
• Four out of every six criteria used in deciding a purchase are related to issues relating to the service.
• The availability of long-term spare parts has become something more important than ever, even at the time to maintain the loyalty of the client.

In addition, the requirements which European transformers start when planning the acquisition of a new fuel transfer have varied, sometimes only in nuances but very significant, from 1999 to 2003. One of the most noteworthy changes is the different attitude towards the consumption of energy, an issue that is in the crosshairs of the industry since the most of the builders of machines offer fully electrical equipment. Therefore, if in 1999, the low energy consumption was appreciated by a 29 per cent of the transformers, in 2003, the percentage fell to 22 percent. It has also decreased the importance given to the length of the machine (a 39 to 30 per cent).

The most dramatic increase is that of control in closed-loop of the key parameters of the machine. If in 1999 a 21 per cent considered it a relevant factor, now the percentage has risen to 39 percent.

The most valued criteria are the vulnerability of the machine (52 per cent cited as elementary in 1999 and the percentage has remained unchanged), the precision of the repeatability of the machine (45 per cent in 1999 and 52 per cent in 2003) and the ease of handling (47 per cent in 1999 and 46 by) (% in 2003).

The criteria that the transformers follow when choosing a provider have also been analysed, since 1992. Head, keeps since then service the client. Followed by the availability of spare parts, a parameter that is increasingly valued (88 per cent of the transformers in 2003, compared to the 76 of 1992).

The most valued criteria are the vulnerability of the machine (52 per cent cited as elementary in 1999 and the percentage has remained unchanged), the precision of the repeatability of the machine (45 per cent in 1999 and 52 per cent in 2003) and the ease of handling (47 per cent in 1999 and 46 by) (% in 2003).

The criteria that the transformers follow when choosing a provider have also been analysed, since 1992. Head, keeps since then service the client. Followed by the availability of spare parts, a parameter that is increasingly valued (88 per cent of the transformers in 2003, compared to the 76 of 1992).

The pipette tips require great precision (photo Battenfeld).

With the K2004 recently held, the innovations of manufacturers of injectors are numerous, as shown in the previous number (PU 97 - September) of plastics universal. But let's see some more examples.

The manufacture of pipette tips requires a technology of injection without flows with a high-value precision mechanics. The reproducibility must be above average, with minor variations possible between the weights of the various pieces. They are characteristics that responds totally electric injectors of Battenfeld EM series. At the K 2004 produced pipette tips of polypropylene in a B4 Unilog EM1000/210 with a cast of 34 cavities of the Tanner company. The energy requirement has been clearly by 20% when the machine movements are continuing. Energy savings of up to 50% can often be achieved.

Another interesting example is the fully automated manufacture of the part of investment of the safety belt, to the automotive industry, with a first-level automation and a vertical fuel transfer system. The concept includes, in addition to the package insert, the preparation and mounting of insert two components and a subsequent to the cycle of injection Assembly. To this end, the manufacturing cell consists of a Vertical R 600/125 Unilog B4 of Battenfeld, a Tandem robot and peripheral equipment required.

Inverter for a belt of security, carried out in a Vertical R Battenfeld

Complex micropiezas to a DVD player, molded with technology X-Melt (photo Engel).

ntre other products, other well known manufacturer Krauss-Maffei (its injectors, represented in Spain by commercial Coscollola) shows a unity of closure of the series MX in combination with a double screw extruder. Thus, the advantages of the series MX, presented by Krauss-Maffei in the autumn of 2003, are now also available for the machine of molding by injection with preparation of compounds. Among the most important novelties of the unit's closure of the series MX is the fact that both the block and the generation of the clamping force take place in the movable part, and that the stringers can no longer be moved. With this new system reduces the time of dry run in more than 30 per cent in comparison with the previous series.

In addition, it showed the versatility of the C3 Sprinter series with the help of two examples. On the one hand, with the use of moulds of flats, this series meets high performance requirements with regard to plasticizing capacity and weight of the moulds. On the other hand, the C3 series is used for the first time for the technique of several components. With the help of a 600-3500 C3 KM, Krauss-Maffei announced the production of packaging for food with a cast of floors with reduced cycle times. As an example of application, during the fair was used a container of food with a volume of approximately 550 ml.

2003
High technology and specifications	2,500
Technical moulding	5,700
Commodities	2,100
Total	10.300
2007
High technology and specifications	3.2
Technical moulding	5,500
Commodities	2,100
Total	10,800

(Units: machine)

Line of Krauss Maffei.

C3, Krauss-Maffei announced the production of packaging for food with a cast of floors with reduced cycle times. As an example of application, during the fair was used a container of food with a volume of approximately 550 ml.

Engel (in Spain, Helmut Roegele) is also providing interesting examples, some of them with technologies of fashion. Such is the case of the injection assisted with water, where his Watermelt technique reduces the cycle of 40 to 70 percent from the injection assisted with gas. Like many of its competitors, Engel acts with intelligent solutions in other fields of injection, as the plural-component parts, but the X-Melt technique is perhaps less well known. An example: the Austrian company High Tech Plastics (HTTP) could not have made the support of the lens of a head of laser of a DVD player without the X-Melt technique. Produced with a 30 percent cut fibre in LCP, the two pieces of extreme complexity for the read head weighs only 115 mg and 50 mg respectively. The complexity and the thinness of its projections as well as the requirement of the absolute precision of an injected to another, make that the machine should operate with a very narrow window of processes. A classic micromoldeo system cannot meet these requirements, as indicated in Engel. The X-Melt process (injection through expansion process developed by Engel to standard machines) enables the injection of these pieces. HTTP uses a 200/55 E-Motion with 55 tonnes of clamping force to do so. Thus, the investment of a specific machine for micromoldeo, at the same time maintaining the accuracy of the electric machines Engel has saved.