Engel to Host Technology Symposium in Southern California

On Jan. 13, injection molding and automation supplier Engel North America, York, Penn., will open the doors of its Corona, Calif. technical center for what has become an annual symposium highlighting new developments in injection molding with an eye towards California’s high tech and medical markets. The Austrian company with U.S. headquarters in York, Penn. opened the 7300-ft² center, which includes space for training and machine inventory, in March 2009.

This year presentations from Engel experts will include a talk on machine-embedded intelligence by Joachim Kragl, Engel’s director of advanced molding systems and processing, and a discourse on the “Smart Factory – Inject 4.0” by Engel North America VP of sales and service, Wolfgang Degwerth.

In addition to those, Scott Larson the COO and founder of ZoMazz, the Monterey Calif. based supplier of inmold decorations, will talk about the digital revolution underway in IMD. Umar Latif of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) supplier Bluestar Silicones will offer a presentation on his company’s LSR Select technology, which Bluestar says allows molders to adjust the LSR cure rate on a machine before and during the production process. Sherman McGinnis, sales manager for injection molds at Boucherie, the Belgian firm with an expertise in multimaterial molds and machinery, will talk about 21^st Century Mold Concepts.

Machines on Display

In addition to the presentations, Engel and technology partners will have multiple machines running at the event. The company provided advanced details on three of the cells to be molding in Corona, noting additional presses will be operational. Engel specifically highlighted a “smart” cell with an Engel press utilizing the company’s iQ weight and clamp control technologies; an LSR molding system; and a “digital” IMD molding technology.

For the first demonstration, an Engel e-mac 310/105 US and Engel viper 12 linear robot, will produce bursting discs for 1-ml safety syringes, with a shot weight of just 0.08 g per part, in a 16-cavity mold by Fostag Formenbau. The polystyrene parts are designed to have a set failure point eliminating possible reuse of disposable syringes. Precise control of clamping force and melt volume are required for the unique design and achieved, according to Engel, using the company’s iQ software.

A second LSR-equipped all-electric e-mac 310/105 US machine will run a four cavity duck bill mold with in-mold slitting provided by M.R. Mold & Engineering Corp., a dosing system by ELMET, and material Bluestar Silicones.  

Demonstrating in-mold decorating, an Engel victory 330/85 US will be equipped with a viper 6 robot and a single cavity mold utilizing digital in-mold decoration (D-IMD) from ZoMazz. ZoMazz’s says its D-IMD allows variation in graphics that can be scaled quickly to production volumes.

Finally, Engel said it will promote its “Fast Lane” campaign at the event for its e-mac and victory lines, with machines reportedly available for immediate delivery and with a reduced price tag.