LSR micro-molding to take center stage at Engel event

SCHWERTBERG, Austria—Engel Holding GmbH is hoping its new micro-injection unit, designed to produce extremely small components from liquid silicone rubber, generates some big waves at a virtual event intended to showcase some of its latest technology.

The micro-injection unit—the 50/30 TL injection molding machine—will be featured during the company's live e-xperience event, set for Oct. 13-16, the dates originally planned for Fakuma 2020. With physical events off limits for the foreseeable future, the company, like so many others, is turning to cyberspace to present the innovations originally planned for Fakuma.

"Even in times of COVID-19, Engel's R&D pipeline is well filled," Christoph Steger, Engel's chief sales officer, said in a statement.

Developed with ACH Solution of Fischlham, Austria, the micro-injection molding machine can produce precision LSR components with shot weights at 0.0013 grams. This aligns with the demands for the smallest components used in the field of opthalmology.

For the market launch, a 32-cavity valve gate cold runner mold will be used to produce connecting elements needed in ophthalmic diagnostic instruments. The filigree parts measure 1.7 mm in length and 0.9 mm in diameter.

"The focus during the development of the micro-injection unit was on a high degree of flexibility," Engel said in a news release. "Thanks to the quick coupling system, the unit can be exchanged for a conventional screw injection unit in less than 30 minutes to maximize the production uptime of the injection molding machine."

Engel also touted the machine's lack of tie bars, which allow platens to be fully utilized. This, the company said, allows the machine to accommodate large multi-cavity molds, ultimately reducing the footprint and increasing productivity.

While the all-electric e-motion TL machine is ideal for the medical market as well as the electronics market—which produces minuscule parts for high-quality optical components in smartphones—Engel expects increased demand for micro-molded LSR parts in the automotive arena.

"Due to the trends toward electromobility and autonomous driving, the automotive industry also will require a larger number of micro parts made of LSR in the future," the company said. "Engel will also be using the new micro-injection unit to implement multi-component processes, for example, to inject sealing elements with very small shot volumes directly onto a base body."

Those interested in learning more about the 50/30 TL or other Engel offerings can book appointments in advance of the virtual event. To do so, contact your sales contact or a technology expert. During the meetings, visitors will be guided around the exhibits online with the help of the Microsoft Teams video conferencing software.

As part of the virtual event, seven planned machine exhibits will be running at Engel's technical center at its headquarters in Schwertberg.

The format will include an experience zone, where attendees will be interactively engaged with the exhibits. The experience will be tailored to the audience, and will mimic real-life settings that can be tackled using the inject 4.0 products from Engel, giving visitors the chance to get an idea of what working in a smart factory would be like.

A two-day conference program is planned for the live event. This will include Q&A opportunities via the chat function during the lecture and a live discussion after. Each lecture will be repeated once. The keynote will be delivered by CEO Stefan Engleder at the start of the event.

Engel also is organizing five Expert Talks in which product and technology experts at the company will discuss important issues impacting injection molding, such as smart machine control, data analytics, digital service concepts, innovative automation solutions and new processing technology. These lectures will offer an overview of the progress to date and discuss the opportunities opening up as these technologies develop.

Sustainable Plastics Editor Karen Laird contributed to this report.