Production of injection-moulded clutch pedals

• Material substitution reaches clutch pedals
• Tie-bar-less technology: machine size based on clamping force rather than mould size
• Engel at #Interplas

Engel will show an example of automotive lightweight design by manufacturing clutch pedals on a tie-bar-less Engel victory 1800/220 injection moulding machine with an integrated Engel viper 12 linear robot at this year’s #Interplas. Due to the targeted formation of a hollow structure by means of the water injection technology Engel watermelt, raw material is saved, component weight and cycle time reduced. Furthermore, the injection of water into a cavity partially filled with plastic melt ensures a uniform wall thickness throughout the clutch pedal and no sink marks despite the complex part geometry. This also results in a very precise part surface.

Tie-bar-less technology: machine size based on clamping force rather than mould size

The tie-bar-less technology, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, contributes to the efficiency of the manufacturing cell. Due to the size and the complex geometry of the clutch pedal, the mould is relatively large, whereas the necessary clamping force is comparatively low. The barrier-free clamping unit of the Engel victory machines allows selecting the machine size based on the clamping force required in the injection moulding process rather than the mould size. Particularly in manufacturing technical parts, smaller machines can be used. The purchasing cost of a smaller machine is lower and they require less energy and take up less space.

Together with its system partner PMEfluidtec (Ettenheim, Germany) Engel offers tailor-made turn-key solutions for water injection technology worldwide. Other partners for the manufacturing cell demonstrated at #Interplas are Moldetipo (Leiria, Portugal) and Akro Plastic (Niederzissen, Germany).

Engel will also showcase an all-electric Engel e‑motion 110 T injection moulding machine producing polystyrene needle holders for safety hypodermics using a 16-cavity precision mould by Fostag, Stein am Rhein, Switzerland. The moulded parts are taken off the mould and deposited sorted by cavity in less than 0.5 seconds, due to a high-speed handling system which Engel developed together with company Hekuma (Eching, Germany).