Shifting of mouldings
A very versatile and common option is the shifting of the preform into a second cavity or a second mould by hand or by robot. Certain geometries can only be made through such shifting. Here, we have two design options:
Shifting between two injection moulding machines
Standard injection moulding machines are used in most instances for this purpose. This option is specifically economically reasonable for smaller production lots, prototypes or pilot production.
The preform is made on the
first machine
The inserted preform is moulded in
in the second machine
Benefits
- The mouldings can be placed centrically; irregular rising of the mould is avoided, and no correction of the clamping force is required.
- By means of a completely new second cavity, this technology allows to implement any conceivable design. All the other mould technologies are subject to geometric constraints.
- No special machines are required.
Shifting by means of a robot within the multi-component machine
With this technology, a robot unloads the finished part and inserts the preform into the finish injection station at the same time. That is to say, each cycle produces a preform and a finished part. For some mouldings, the use of a dial or indexing plate can thus be avoided, which will cut on tooling costs.
When shifting the preform that has not yet cooled, specifically if the plastic material is brittle or partially crystalline, one should expect free shrinkage, which should be taken into consideration in terms of the geometry of the second cavity.
The preform from the previous cycle is moulded in
in the upper mould section. The next preform is made
in the bottom section at the same time.
1) The preform is shifted from bottom
to top.
2) The finished moulding is unloaded by the gripper.