MORE COMPONENTS, MORE OPTIONS
Milacron has successfully used multi-component technology for years to produce products with a range of complex properties, including several different colors, multiple materials, or integrated functions. A multi-component machine can manufacture products in a single production cell that would normally require additional injection-molding machines or downstream processes. You benefit from reduced initial investment and ongoing costs.
In the conventional multi-component process, the substrate formed in the initial step is overmolded at a second station. This process is repeated until the final part is created. Depending on the application, the molding materials are selected only by their color or special properties (e.g., fiber-reinforced, chemical-resistant, impact strength, etc.). Substrates are transferred using either robot transfer, core back, turning or indexing core plate molds.
The more components a molded part will have, the more injection units need to be connected to the machine. Milacron provides maximum flexibility in the positioning of diverse injection units; they can be arranged vertically, horizontally, in parallel, piggyback or traversing. The combination of individual injection units largely depends on the molded parts to be produced or the molds used, while the selection of injection unit type is determined by the shot weight of the component. The current state of development is injection molding machines with six different injection units.
Discover more about the broad productivity potential of multi-component technology. Our applications experts will gladly advise you.