Multi-component technology has been used successfully for years now. It’s easy to see why:
- Products with a wide range of characteristics can be manufactured which could otherwise only be made a very high cost – if at all (e.g. displays with integrated text and light pipes, or cosmetic packaging with sophisticated designs.)
- A single production system can be used in place of two (or more) processes. Examples include integrating sealing functionality by using hard-soft material combinations, In-Mold assembly, and combining incompatible materials.
Nevertheless there remains considerable potential for new applications using multi-component technology. We can help here. Go to applications technology services for more information.
The Process
In the classical multi-component process a substrate is overmolded at a second station. This process is repeated until the final part is achieved. Depending on the application, the molding materials in the finished part can only be selected by color or by their different properties (fiber-reinforced, chemical composition, impact strength, etc.). Substrates are transported using a robot transfer, a turntable or a rotating stack mold.
A variation of the multi-component process is the sandwich process: a layered structure is created in the mold through injection in which the core material is enveloped in a different skin material. While the conventional sandwich process uses two independent injection units, monosandwiching (patented by Ferromatik Milacron) requires only an inexpensive secondary extruder, significantly reducing part costs.
A Solid Foundation
Our multi-component technology is available on all of our machines thus marrying the advantages of this process with all the other capabilities of our systems. The large MAXIMA machines, for example, can be used for overmoldings or with the monosandwiching process to make large automotive parts. Employing multi-component processes on fully electric systems is another option — Ferromatik is the only European company to offer this. The ELEKTRA series combines reduced energy requirements and superior precision with the productivity potential of the multi-component process. Multi-component process often require flexibility in the positioning of the injection units. Whether you require a vertical mounting, or L-position, parallel mounting or piggy-back mounting, combinations of up to six injection units — or the patented solutions for injection units with various different molds — our K-TEC
series can meet all your requirements. How can we help you?
