Engel developing water-based molding technology
Canadian Plastics
A recent 32,000 sq. ft. expansion at Engel Canada Inc.'s Guelph, ON facility is home to some of the company's most advanced injection molding technologies, including a unique water-based molding techn...
A recent 32,000 sq. ft. expansion at Engel Canada Inc.’s Guelph, ON facility is home to some of the company’s most advanced injection molding technologies, including a unique water-based molding technology, WaterMelt. The new hub of Engel’s training and technical support services contains a complete WaterMelt production cell, comprised of an injection molding machine equipped with an interface for the Watermelt unit.
According to Engel executive vice president of sales, Walter Jungwirth, the process is designed for complex, long, hollow and/or tubular parts with multiple bends. Jungwirth says these types of parts are difficult, if not impossible to mold using conventional injection molding methods, as the cores of the molds could not be pulled. Gas assist is also inadequate for these parts, says Jungwirth, as the gas would tend to infiltrate the wall along the length of the part during molding. Water, however, follows the flow of the softest material, pushing out the core of melted resin in the middle and providing precise control of the inner and outer diameter.
Engel’s technical service lab contains a total of eight injection molding machines, including the all-electric E-Motion, insert-molding, tie-barless and other machine models.
Engel Canada Inc. 519-836-0220
