Canon Virginia is showing NPE visitors how it has updated its Shuttle Mold system via a unique display and giveaway. The technology enables one machine to run two molds at the same time by shuttling tools in and out of the press to alternate between injection and part cooling, converting normal downtime of mold cooling into production time. Visitors can see the system in action at Japan Steel Works’ (JSW) booth running on a 350-ton JSW machine.

Molding in optically clear SMMA, the two molds shuttling in and out of the JSW machine are molding four shot glasses in one four-cavity tool and a clear container for the glasses in the other. The container’s lid flips over, creating a space to stage the glasses in a flight. The glasses themselves are engraved with a four seasons theme via a proprietary Canon technology.

“At this NPE, we are trying to take full advantage of the event,” says Wayne Daniel, Canon’s director of business development. “In addition to showing some of our capabilities, we have formed some collaborations with partners to have our technology in their booths, which allows us to expand our space.” Canon is also taking advantage of NPE’s educational platform, presenting from the Innovation stage on May 8 at 1 p.m.

With an eye on easier integration, including the possibility of retrofits on existing presses, Canon has updated the Shuttle Mold concept with enhancements that enable it to more easily integrate the system into existing presses.

Also, with the new changeover option, molders with numerous tool changes can group and run two similar molds in the same machine, using the shuttle system to hook up heating and water lines outside the press for a new tool which is shuttled into the machine — all without the normal downtime for removing the old tool, installing the new one and then waiting as it’s brought to processing conditions.

Canon is also highlighting its moldmaking capabilities, displaying some decommissioned tools in its booth that it fabricated in-house for internal Canon products, as well as showing its support for multiple markets with parts on display from various sectors.

The company is also showcasing some of its imaging technology — Vision Addition Software — which can be used to monitor analog gauges, a task the technology performs for Canon. One example is Canon’s fire suppression system, which it has throughout its Virginia campus. Featuring large, mostly analog gauges that must be checked, the technology uses imaging to view the gauges, sending information back to the central hub and then applying software to see live images of the software, which alerts to an out-of-range figure.  

“In molding operations, or any industry,” Daniel says, “there’s usually a combination of new and old technology. The new technology might be digital and gives you a feedback loop, but the older tech is analog and someone still has to look at it.” Canon has also used the technology for some part inspections, as well as in automation, determining if a part is present and if it’s oriented correctly.