All-Electric Injection Molding Saves Energy.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Plastics molders and electric companies find this seemingly contradictory premise is true

Increasing numbers of molders are cutting electricity costs by switching from hydraulically powered injection molding machines (IMM) to clean-running all-electric machines. The current energy crunch makes these "green" machines even more alluring, as molders cope with massive energy price hikes in California and elsewhere. In addition, manufacturers have found that the electric molders reduce shop air conditioning costs, hazardous fluids, and high noise levels.

Molders can run two or three all-electric machines on the same amount of electricity as one conventional hydraulic machine. The electricity savings, as well as improved repeatability and precision, have been widely known for years, but the technology is now receiving spotlight attention due to the developing national energy crisis. La some cases, all-electric IMMs have been the only viable alternative to a shutdown. In fact, while sales of the plastics machinery have been relatively flat in North American since 1994, the rate of sales for electric injection machines have been accelerating at more than 30% per year. And these energy savings haven't gone unnoticed by utilities, which are rewarding molders with rebates and other incentives for purchasing all-electric IMMs.

On the East Coast, two plastics molders, Custom Molders, Scotch Plains, NJ, and Vanguard Plastics in Southington, CT, have made the move to all-electrics for decreased energy costs and increased precision, purchasing Powerline IMMs developed by the Elektron Technologies business unit of Ferromatik Milacron North America.

"We're in a very competitive market," says Custom Molders President Joseph Caro. "Switching from hydraulic to electric machines allows us to save substantial hourly costs through energy savings alone." The use of Milacron's Powerline IMMs in place of hydraulics has cut the company's energy use from 26 to 12 kilowatt-hours per machine.

Custom Molders replaced three hydraulic machines with Powerline 330-ton all-electrics. Not only have the units decreased the company's energy bill, but the increase in precision and repeatability over the replaced hydraulic machines provides confidence to bid on thin-wall molding jobs the company previously couldn't touch.

Vanguard Plastics has adopted the all-electric technology for production of engineered plastic components held to [+ or -]0.003 inch dimensional tolerance for water filtration and consumer appliances. "We had been looking at all-electric IMMs for some time, believing early on that the machines were too complex and expensive," says Chris Budnick, Vanguard Plastics president. "But with the Powerline 330's obvious energy savings, along with easy-to-use PC-based machine control, we felt very confident in adopting the green technology."