ALLROUNDER CUBE 1800: Compact CUBE-mold machine reduces cycle times

The ALLROUNDER CUBE 1800 has a clamping force of 200 tons (1800 kN) and a distance between tie-bars of 22.44 x 22.44 inch (570 x 570 mm). It can be equipped with horizontal injection units in sizes 8.2 to 29.8 oz (EUROMAP 400 to 1300) and moving injection units in sizes 1.4 to 15.3 oz (EUROMAP 70 to 800). At its heart is a compact CUBE from partner company Foboha, which is easily accessible from above. The rotation of the CUBE is powered servo-electrically and the horizontal movement relies on rack and pinion mechanisms. An ALLROUNDER CUBE 1800 equipped with an 8+8-cavity mold can achieve more than twice the output of a conventional size 570 ALLROUNDER with a 4+4-cavity rotary mold working with the same mold mounting surface. The CUBE machine can replace two standard injection molding machines – which drastically reduces the installation area.

The exhibit at NPE 2024, an ALLROUNDER CUBE 1800 with two injection units in sizes 8.2 and 3.7 oz, uses a 4+4-cavity mold from Foboha to produce four two-color PP medical caps in a cycle time of around nine seconds. Four frames are injection molded at station 1. Having been rotated 90 degrees onto the passive side of the CUBE, the pre-molded parts are cooled at station 2. After another rotation, the second component is injected at station 3. Finally, the finished parts are removed automatically at station 4. That sequence results in a fast cycle time for such a part of around 9 seconds. A six-axis robot places the finished parts on a conveyor belt and ejects any faulty parts detected by the control system. In addition, test samples can be removed at the touch of a button and set down in QA trays sorted by CUBE side for subsequent visual inspection of the injection molded parts.

The ALLROUNDER CUBE hybrid series combines speed and precision with reliability and energy efficiency. The CUBE-mold machines from ARBURG are available with clamping forces of 200, 325 and 515 tons (1,800, 2,900 and 4,600 kN). Injection molding in two mold parting lines arranged one behind the other takes place simultaneously with cooling and removal. Just using the passive sides of the CUBE can reduce the cooling time by 30 per cent. Other processes that do not influence cycle time (including loading inserts, unscrewing, the assembly of individual components, integrated checks and automated parts removal, for example) enable cost-effectiveness to be increased further beyond that of conventional free-fall packaging applications.

Combined with a "smart" machine controller, the modularity of the ALLROUNDER CUBE series delivers high levels of flexibility and a perfect match to the mold technology. The robotic systems that are increasingly being used can also be integrated into the controller. At ARBURG, an interdisciplinary CUBE team consisting of colleagues from application technology, sales and automation to achieve very specific targets in the delivery of all aspects of "the CUBE". This means that customers who are interested in CUBE-mold technology can get custom-made complete solutions from a single source.