Oerlikon HRSflow’s advanced hot runner solutions are designed to increase flexibility and sustainability
Oerlikon HRSflow will focus on an extensive range of hot runners tailored to small shot weights and the new Xp nozzle series for use in thin-wall injection moulding during this year’s edition of the K Show, where the company will aim to show how both support the trend towards greater sustainability by helping to reduce energy consumption in plastics processing.
Applications of Oerlikon FLEXflow's hot runner technology and other advanced hot runner solutions specifically designed for PCR materials and biopolymers will be on display on the stands of several partner companies. The company, alongside ENGEL and Borealis, will show in a presentation that a lot of time can be saved if all partners proceed simultaneously and make full use of the possibilities of simulation.
Reduced dimensions for low shot weights
Oerlikon HRSflow has expanded its portfolio to include components for injection moulding of demanding parts with small shot weights in stable and reliable processes. The manufacturer offers complete systems for this market segment, which require tight nozzle pitch solutions. These include nozzles with small dimensions in all designs, from thermal gate to valve gate, as well as the associated manifolds and actuation mechanisms. For multi-cavity applications, a multi-valve plate (MVP) provides perfectly synchronized control of the injection channel across all cavities for high part-to-part weight consistency. Oerlikon HRSflow systems offer optimal colour change performance and easy system restart, reducing waste and increasing efficiency and sustainability.
The latest version of the system is suitable for processing biopolymers and PCR compounds. A version with a specially coated nozzle tip is available for processing highly corrosive polymers, including flame retardant compounds. For demanding applications, Oerlikon HRSflow uses its in-house additive manufacturing process SLM (Selective Laser Melting) technology to produce cooling circuits for all market segments.
Automotive applications
A burgeoning trend in automotive interiors is interactive panels controlled by touch sensors, whose elements and information only become visible when there is activity. For their production in the IMD process (In-Mold-Decoration), the FLEXflow hot runner technology from Oerlikon HRSflow with its servo-electric needle positioning is proving to be a tool of choice for some developers,due to its precision control and gentle and low-warpage overmoulding of the sensitive electronic components.
The cost- and energy-efficient applicability of FLEXflow for perfectly balanced family moulds, even with extremely different part volumes, ensures additional acceptance in this industry. This also applies to HRScool, Oerlikon HRSflow’s solution for hot runner injection moulding, which eliminates the need for water cooling of the associated actuators. Both technologies help to reduce the environmental footprint of the injection moulding process.
Oerlikon HRSflow has recently made the operating software for controlling the FLEXflow hot runner systems even more intuitive with the revised Human Machine Interface (HMI) 4.0 system.
In close co-operation with sister company Oerlikon Balzers, innovative coating protection for perfect moulded part surfaces can also be offered. One current application is BMW's iXe all-electric SUV, which uses Oerlikon Balzer's ePD technology. This coating process can be used wherever high-quality, metallic-looking surfaces on plastic parts with intelligent functionality are required.
Systems from Oerlikon HRSflow in action
Systems from Oerlikon HRSflow can be experienced live on the exhibition stands of ENGEL, Tederic, Arburg , Haitian, Wittmann-Battenfeld , Billion and Netstal. During the show, Oerlikon HRSflow, ENGEL and Borealis will report at Oerlikon’s booth (Hall 1, booth D10) on a joint project which, using a family mould with three different cavities, shows how close simulation and reality can be when the partners each contribute maximum know-how.