Plastics processing machinery manufacturer Engel (Schwertberg / Austria; www.engelglobal.com) has developed a retrofit technology for hydraulic injection moulding machines which it claims can cut energy consumption by up to 50%. Wolfgang Degwerth, head of Engel Austria’s customer services, says the new “ecodriveR” solution is set using a simple interface of the machine control unit, allowing the cost effective adaptation of older injection moulding machines. “The first few uses have shown that, depending on the application, it can reduce the energy required by machines by up to 50% without affecting the cycle time, part quality or reproducibility standards,“ he adds.

The drives of an injection moulding machine retrofitted with ecodriveR are only active when the machine is in movement, such as during mould opening and closing, plasticising and injecting. “During the post injection pressure and plasticising phases, the speed is reduced, and during cooling the drives come to a complete standstill and do not use any energy at all,” Engel explains. Other advantages include lower noise emissions, thanks to lower average motor speeds, plus a reduction in the amount of heat released.

EcodriveR can be added to any Engel hydraulic injection moulding machine with three or less asynchronous motors and electro-hydraulic variable capacity pumps. The retrofit option will be offered alongside Engel’s existing “ecodrive” servo-hydraulic solution, which consists of a servomotor and fixed displacement pump.