Heavyweight mould carrier added to KraussMaffei TechCentre

KraussMaffei Reaction Process Machinery has expanded its TechCentre for lightweight components and fibre composites in Munich, with the addition of a MX SFT mould carrier. The new mould carrier, which boasts a clamping force of 8,000 kN, features very high locking forces and fast run times. Customers and processors benefit from high precision and flexibility when using a wide variety of materials and processes, especially fibre-reinforced plastics.

Stefan Ehrlicher, Head of Reaction Process Machinery TechCentre at KraussMaffei, said: “Demand for new fibre-reinforced composites is unhindered. The addition of the new mould carrier to our TechCentre provides our customers with optimum prerequisites for developing and testing processes and solutions tailored to series production.”

The MX SFT mould carrier is ideal for the entire range of RTM processes (resin transfer moulding), such as High-pressure RTM (HP-RTM), Compression RTM (C-RTM), Surface RTM (S-RTM), Thermoplastic RTM (T-RTM) and Wetmoulding.

"Even Original Equipment Makers and Tier One suppliers outside of the automotive industry use the unique options for prototype development and proving in our TechCentre," added Ehrlicher.

Thanks to intuitive metering machines, the new mould carrier can be combined with almost all the available metering machines in the KraussMaffei TechCentre. An epoxy RTM machine is permanently installed in combination with a release agent unit and an industrial robot for open injection (Wetmoulding).

The high positioning accuracy and bending stiffness provided by the four-column concept makes it possible to use moulds suitable for series production to manufacture structural or surface parts in single cavities or multiple cavities. This considerable holding force in the mould carrier system is made possible thanks to hydraulic locking cylinders over the entire press stroke. The use of differential cylinders ensures extremely short cycle times and very high speeds. At the same time, the SFT design concept from KraussMaffei guarantees a perfect power flow and a high level of stiffness.

KraussMaffei’s Munich TechCentre has a combination of systems and processes for reaction and injection moulding machinery with more than 25 systems and machines available in a 4,000m² area for in-house testing purposes.

KraussMaffei uses the centre to lead the development of fibre-reinforced lightweight construction. In terms of reaction process machinery, this includes the wide array of RTM processes, pultrusion and long fibre injection.

Even traditional RIM (reaction injection moulding) or R-RIM (reinforced reaction injection moulding) foaming technologies can be run in the TechCentre.