Press release

inject2blow reduces time and costs

Injection moulding and blow moulding in one

Schwertberg, Austria September 2012. ENGEL AUSTRIA and CANTONI have set a
new standard for process integration. The inject2blow method, which the two
companies developed together, combines the injection moulding and blow moulding
processes in one mould on one injection moulding machine and significantly reduces
time and costs in the manufacture of cosmetic, drug, and food containers by doing so.
With a cycle time of under 14 seconds for the manufacture of wide-necked jars on a 90tonne clamping force ENGEL victory injection moulding machine in a 2+2-cavity mould
produced by CANTONI, which is based in Abbadia Lariana, Italy, traditional methods
simply cannot match the production efficiency of inject2blow. Preforms normally have to be
made using injection moulding first and then subjected to a second process on a blow
moulding machine before they become a final product, but the new method allows small
ready-to-use containers to be manufactured in one process. This combination method is
the first of its kind available on the market.
Other benefits of integrating the processes include lower system investment costs, a
smaller system footprint, higher system availability, simpler quality control, and no
maximum clamping force. The inject2blow method can be used to process a wide range of
thermoplastics from polyethylene, polypropylene and polycarbonates to PET.

Benefits of no tie bar fully exploited

ENGEL and CANTONI supply the integrated production systems from one source. In
addition to the ENGEL injection moulding machine, they include a CANTONI sliding table
mould and an ENGEL viper linear robot which removes finished parts from the mould. Both
the injection moulding and blow moulding processes are visualised, monitored, and

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,

Tel.: +43 50 620-0, Fax: +43 50 620-3009
E-mail: sales@engel.at, http://www.engelglobal.com

Press release
controlled via the ENGEL injection moulding machine CC 200 control unit. This means that
injection moulding machine operators don't have to learn how to use new technology; they
will simply be guided intuitively through the integrated injection and blow moulding process
by the ENGEL control unit which they are already familiar with.
Injection moulding machines from the ENGEL victory and ENGEL e-victory series, which
are adapted to the individual requirements of the application, can be used in the
manufacturing cells. These machines offer plenty of free space for the sliding table mould
because their clamping unit does not have a tie bar. As the mould clamping platens of tiebar-less machines can be used up to their edges or even beyond, large moulds can fit on
comparatively small injection moulding machines. Machine size can therefore now be
decided according to the required clamping force instead of the size and movement radius
of the mould, which keeps investment and operating costs low. The barrier-free mould area
also simplifies the automation process, because the robot can access the mould from the
side without being hindered.

Minimal energy consumption, maximum flexibility

A high degree of energy efficiency sets this new integrated process apart from older
methods. There are two main factors responsible for this. Firstly, unlike traditional twostage methods, preforms do not have to be heated up again before the blow moulding part
of the process, and secondly, ecodrive the energy saving option for hydraulic ENGEL
machines, which is offered by the ENGEL victory and e-victory machines matches
consumption levels achieved by fully electric machines. Hydraulic injection moulding
machines equipped with the servo-hydraulic system ecodrive consume between 30 and
70% less energy than comparable machines which don't have this energy saving option,
depending on the specific machine and use.
Despite the high degree of process integration and automation, manufacturing cells are
very flexible when they are in operation. Cavity inserts make it easier to change from one

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,

Tel.: +43 50 620-0, Fax: +43 50 620-3009
E-mail: sales@engel.at, http://www.engelglobal.com

Press release
product to another, and the production of small batches economical. As the inject2blow
process is based on standard injection moulding machines, the system can be used with
moulds for classic injection moulding products too.

With the inject2blow method, processing of preforms continues in the mould straight after the
injection moulding stage to create the finished product.

Inject2blow allows containers for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food to be manufactured

economically in any batch size.
Photos: CANTONI

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,

Tel.: +43 50 620-0, Fax: +43 50 620-3009
E-mail: sales@engel.at, http://www.engelglobal.com

Press release

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH

ENGEL is one of the global leaders in the manufacture of plastics processing machines. Today, the
ENGEL Group offers a full range of technology modules for plastics processing as a single source
supplier: Injection moulding machines for thermoplastics and elastomers, and automation, with the
assurance that individual components are also competitive and successful in the world markets. With
eight production plants in Europe, North America and Asia (China, Korea), subsidiaries and
representatives in over 85 countries, ENGEL offers its customers the optimal global support they need
to compete and succeed with new technologies and leading-edge production systems.

Contact for journalists:

Gerd Liebig, Group Marketing Director, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH
Ludwig-Engel-Strasse 1, A-4311 Schwertberg, Austria
Tel.: +43 (0)50 620 3800, fax: -3009, email: gerd.liebig@engel.at
Susanne Zinckgraf, Manager Public Relations, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH,
Ludwig-Engel-Strasse 1, A-4311 Schwertberg, Austria,
PR Office: Theodor-Heuss-Str. 85, D-67435 Neustadt, Germany,
Tel.: +49 (0)6327/97699-02, Fax: -03, E-mail: susanne.zinckgraf@engel.at

Contact for readers:

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, Ludwig-Engel-Strasse 1, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,
Tel. +43 (0)50/620-0, Fax: -3009, E-Mail: sales@engel.at, www.engelglobal.com

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, A-4311 Schwertberg/Austria,

Tel.: +43 50 620-0, Fax: +43 50 620-3009
E-mail: sales@engel.at, http://www.engelglobal.com