Sumitomo Demag take a step forward for sustainability with all-electric injection moulding machines
Sumitomo Heavy Industries/Demag has released the latest generation of all-electric injection moulding machines, powered by highly dynamic drive motors, which combines top level performance with an outstanding energy footprint.
The new IntElect was released over the 10th and 11th May at an in-house show fair in Wiehe, Germany.
Sumitomo Demag’s aim is to enable a ROI in less than one year for all-electric applications, while still providing the complete range of options.
The 500kN IntElect model was demonstrated in October 2016 at K in Düsseldorf, and the new and complete machine series is now available, featuring clamping forces of 500, 750, 1000, 1300, and 1800kN.
An expansion of the new IntElect series both in terms of clamping forces and distance between tie bars, the new 1800 model closes the gap between large and mid-size IntElect machines.
Thanks to its new design, the IntElect’s footprint is significantly smaller than its predecessors, as on average the set-up area is 10 percent less than less than that of all comparable all-electric competitors.
Sumitomo has already delivered more than 60,000 all-electric injection moulding machines and has produced the relevant drive technology in house.
The technology and extensive practical experience accumulated over years of decades of manufacturing for moulds throughout the industry has been brought to bear on the latest revised motor generation that powers the new IntElect machine series.
Updated motor technology and extended memory capacity for brake energy has provided the groundwork for a significant optimisation of all IntElect machines, resulting in 20 percent savings on all comparable all-electric machines.
A new FEM-assisted design of the platens improves production safety, while the stiffness of the moving and stationary platens has significantly increased by up to 30 percent.
Gert Liebig, CEO of Sumitomo Demag, said: “We aim to be truly innovative. This means that the new IntElect does not have a random price, but the price of five years of ongoing work with the objective of building a more compact, more productive, and more efficient new IntElect. We reduced the price gap between these all-electric and hydraulic machines and can now offer an improved machine that delivers perfect cost-efficiency and a ROI in less than one year.”
The release of the new IntElect arrives in tandem with the announcement that Sumitomo recorded its most successful business year in its corporate history.
With total sales of £197m, the German-Japanese company topped its 2015 record of £195m, marking the fourth yearly sales increase in succession.
Liebig said: “Our customer base has become even more consolidated. In 2016, incoming orders were 20 percent higher than our turnover, which means 2017 will see a massive capacity expansion.”