From:Plastics News

Netstal will mold a 10.7-gram polyproylene margarine tub through injection-compression molding with a stack mold at Fakuma.

At the upcoming Fakuma show in Germany, Netstal will present what company officials are calling a world’s first: injection-compression molding on stack molds.

Fakuma is set for Oct. 13-17 in Friedrichshafen Germany.

Netstal, which part of KraussMaffei Group, will demonstrate the technology molding a 15-ounce polypropylene margarine tub that weighs only 10.7 grams. The company will mold on a hybrid Elion injection press on a four-by-four stack mold.

Netstal, based in Nafels, Switzerland, worked closely with French mold manufacturer Plastisud SAS and automation specialist Machines Pagès. The in-mold labeling molding will run a five-second cycle.

The injection-compression process partially fills the mold very quickly and evenly, and the molding is done at a low pressure to prevent tension in the material.

“The special design of the stack mold developed by Plastisud plays a key role in this application,” said Thomas Iten, application engineer at Netstal

Iten said: “The combination of the injection compression molding process with a specially balanced stack mold is a genuine innovative leap” because it combines the benefits the two technologies.

Material costs can be reduced by up to 20 percent, according to Netstal.

Netstal’s U.S. operations are based in Florence, Ky.

Tel. 859-283-0200, email bmaynard@netstal-usa.com.