Page 65 - Plastics News October 2024
P. 65
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Two Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption in In-
jection Molding
ago. In general, the energy savings have been
better capitalized in lower clamping machines,
Energy consumption in injection as this is where electric drives have achieved the
molding can be reduced by pay- larger penetration.
ing attention to material selection
Yet, while machines have always more sensors
and by closely watching different
and more options to track and consolidate en-
stages in process parametrization.
ergy consumption data, it is still uncommon to
find a processor focused on optimizing energy
consumption via material selection and process
parametrization.
nergy is one of the most relevant vari- Choosing the Right Material
ables determining a molded part cost.
EWhile some companies track globally the Material selection tends to be a way to lower
energy consumption in the shop, there is little part costs or to increase part performance. But
understanding on how our everyday parametri- another take into material selection is energy
zation decisions affect energy consumption. consumption.
Depending on whether the machines use hy- The more viscous the material – or the lower de
draulic, hybrid, or electric drives, they feature MFI, the higher the energy required for plastifica-
varying energy conversion systems and efficien- tion and injection. These more viscous materials
cies. Also, the possibility to parallelize processes may need higher temperatures to flow, and this
or shut down motors while inactive has lowered will increase the energy consumption via higher
energy consumption levels in injection molding energy demand in electric resistances along the
at least 20% down from where we were 20 years barrel. Besides, they will impact cycle time, for
October 2024 PLASTICS NEWS 65
