The use of plastic injection molding for parts and products is expected to continue its explosive growth through the next decade as more industries find new applications for these malleable materials. Brand owners seeking to maintain their market share or grow through new product launch need more design freedom while also ensuring their injection-molded products retain their high quality and affordability. iMFLUX’s innovative low-constant-pressure injection molding technology provides the platform for them to achieve both of those goals.
iMFLUX Platform Transforms Injection Molding Capacities
iMFLUX has won awards for its revolutionary injection molding technology that makes the injection molding machine more adaptive to the mold and material.
- The iMFLUX platform integrates with existing machinery to increase the quality of every shot.
- The melt pressure sensor embedded in its closed loop system monitors flow temperature and pressure to ensure that every cavity is filled precisely to its intended capacity.
- Using low-constant-pressure, the system eliminates flow hesitation and the resulting spikes and gaps that occur when high-pressure flow meets gates or narrowed chambers.
- The low-constant-pressure also packs as it fills each cavity, ensuring that each shot turns out a well-built, fully formed plastic injection molded product.
- An iMFLUX molding process generally requires significantly less shear of the material, which results in less cooling – and ultimately less cycle time.
iMFLUX engineers recognized that materials have viscosity variation, which leads to excessive operator adjustments when utilizing a conventional molding process. To counter this problem, they innovated to better accommodate a broader spectrum of virgin and recycled plastics from commodity to engineered grades. Controlling varied viscosities is managed by the platform’s Auto Viscosity Adjust™ (AVA) feature. The system identifies changes in viscosity and automatically adjusts to maintain a low constant pressure. The result is consistency between every shot ensuring part quality, regardless of its mix of materials.
iMFLUX Enhances Corporate Growth Opportunities
One of the most important contributing factors to any C-suite’s purchasing decision is how new opportunities will impact existing investments. Most brands have millions of dollars invested in their current infrastructure, including the injection molded parts and product suppliers that supplement their proprietary products. Brand owners can reap economic and social benefits when those parts are both less expensive to purchase and better for the environment.
In fact, there are many reasons why investigating improvements in injection molding technologies is more timely now than ever:
- The escalating competitiveness of the injection molding industry raises the stakes for all producers of injection molded products. One report1 estimates that the injection molded plastics market in the U.S. will grow by an annual 4.2% over the next eight years, offering exceptional expansion opportunities for any injection molded product manufacturer.
- Further, the number of companies using injection molded products is also growing as new industrial uses emerge and consumer demand grows. Injection molded plastic products are now ubiquitous into numerous industries, including household goods, healthcare, and the automotive sector. With all this growth, comes a greater need for innovation that enables new possibilities.
- The automotive industry is focused on resolving resin supply chain challenges. This sector is also starting to seek ways to reduce vehicle weight, improve performance, and reduce environmental impact by using the iMFLUX platform.
Brand owners who want to capitalize on these opportunities are smart to investigate iMFLUX which has features to address multiple advantages all in one platform.
iMFLUX Enhances the Productivity of Injection Molding Operations
The iMFLUX platform addresses both sides of that expense/growth puzzle. On the expense side:
- The proprietary software and nozzle are physically connected to existing machine parts and then integrated into the machine’s original configuration, saving the expense of new machine purchase.
- The reconfigured machine can meet its enhanced production capacities immediately after the platform is installed, resulting in faster time to payback.
Once installed and after quick process development, the technology increases efficiency by maintaining a consistent Cpk across all runs. As a result the amount of scrap produced by flashes or voids is reduced.
It also addresses the growth opportunity challenge. Brand owners sensitive to maintaining the high profile of their injection molded products can now consider expanding those lines using less expensive materials without compromising quality.
- Incorporating the iMFLUX platform into existing injection molded production lines immediately enhances their capacities while extending their value for the company.
- The software-controlled automation ensures that each shot runs as its individual components require. The AVA feature reduces unnecessary impediments to flow while ensuring that mixed materials (virgin and recycled) and varying viscosities are correctly incorporated into the finished product.
- The automation process itself reduces labor time and expense because the software manages each shot; reducing the amount of human intervention required.
- The system also ensures product quality across every run because it automatically monitors and controls each shot to ensure that the end product achieves those high standards.
iMFLUX technology enables any brand owner to be more competitive and innovate more as they save time on process development. The enhanced production capabilities will equip any team to optimize current molding operations and deliver more reliable, higher-quality products. Molders and brand owners alike are discovering how adopting a low-constant-pressure injection molding platform can revolutionize the value and quality of injection molded plastic parts and products.
Reach out today to learn how these enhanced injection molding capabilities can benefit your organization. And keep an eye out for more information on how the platform addresses sustainability concerns by adding a more flexible material capacity while reducing the energy consumed in the production process.
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