Most Value for the Money, UMS 24D Horizontal Shuttle Blow-Molding Machine Brings Proven Solutions, Guaranteed Output to Demanding Container Designs
Shown by FGH Systems at NPE, German-engineered machine features tie-barless access,
in-machine trimming, closed-loop position and speed control, at no price premium.
April 2006 - Uniloy Milacron is partnering with FGH Systems, Inc. at NPE to bring superior finish and neck precision, quick and easy changeover, and turnkey solutions capability to demanding container designs. Demonstrated by FGH at NPE Booth #1309, the German-engineered UMS 24D shuttle blow-molding machine features state-of-the-art technologies, superior bottle processing efficiencies, and ease-of-use ergonomics in a space-saving machine footprint - all at competitive pricing. This is the first trade show exhibition for the large, double-station machine, whether in North America or Europe. The NPE display continues FGH's decade-long relationship as Uniloy's technical sales and service center for German-made extrusion shuttle technology.
Carefully engineered for ease of integration by B&W, Uniloy's German operation, the UMS 24D permits interchangeability with existing molds, while upgrading blow molders to tie-barless accessibility, in-machine trimming and labeling, and closed-loop position and speed control. A proven performer, the UMS 24D (formerly the F 24D) maximizes bottle processing productivity with easier mold changes, superior repeatability, quality consistency, and elimination of trimming as a secondary operation.
The unrivaled small footprint of the UMS 24D - just 12 x 19 ft. - permitted FGH to bring the large machine to NPE, said Frank Hohmann, FGH president. In customer installations, system compactness optimizes space saving and allows options in applications engineering, he added.
FGH Systems is showing the double-station machine performing 2 x 4 (8 cavity) molding of 1-liter handled bottles of HDPE. It is using the double-sided configuration to demonstrate leak detection technology on one side and after cooling on the other. The versatile UMS 24 machines can be configured for single- or double-station production, bottles/cans up to 15 liters, and up to seven-layer co-extrusion. The machines provide mold-clamping force of 300 kN (30 metric tons) and offer 930 mm maximum mold width with 260 mm daylight opening.
The UMS 24D features state-of-the-art heads from industry-leader Willi Müller GmbH. Center-fed extrusion delivers superior, highly repeatable wall thickness distribution of the parison, enabling highest finish quality on complex parts while minimizing bottle weights and material usage. The die head design provides quick color change with reduced downtime and resin loss. Multi-layer capability allows precision tailoring of production to a wide spectrum of industries and applications, including food products, chemicals, cosmetics, automotive, and medical.
State-of-the-art technologies ensure superior product quality consistency. Pressure-based blow air control by pneumatic proportional valves, with actual value displayed on the control screen, maximizes process repeatability. Closed-loop position and speed control of clamp and carriage eliminate hydraulic fluctuations and reduce component wear. Brushless DC extruder drives save 10% on energy consumption while reducing wear and maintenance.
In double-station production, bottle transfer is oriented from both machine sides to one straight single-exit conveyor. Bottles are fully trimmed in the machine, providing neck finishes that compare in precision to injected necks. Bottles are oriented in a stand-up position on conveyors for streamlined downstream operations and more efficient use of floor space.
The UMS 24D is equipped with the new PC-based B&R controller featuring color, touch-screen operator interface, dynamic graphic displays, bus systems and Ethernet capability for communication between PLC and IPC and telediagnostic capability. Menu screens for visualization and operation have been designed to closely resemble preceding systems to avoid relearning problems. The control supports best-in-class process precision by providing up to 64 heating zones, 16 wall thickness profiles, and 12 close-loop controlled movements.
The UMS 24D was specifically designed for mold interchangeability with several manufacturers' legacy machines, allowing blow molders to fully utilize existing molds and blowpins, even switch them back and forth with existing machines.
Changeover ease and speed supports trends to flexible, shorter-run blow-molding operations. Uniloy horizontal shuttle machines can shorten changeovers by up to 50% over legacy systems. Tie-barless design simplifies mold changeover by allowing molds to be directly loaded into the machine through doors on three sides of the machine. Door cutouts enable die centering and blowpin adjustment while the machine is running for fast set-up and adjustment without interrupting production.
In place of tie-bars, Uniloy engineered the UMS machine family with horizontal shuttle systems running on precision guide rails. Offering superior precision over inclined systems, the rail system utilizes a rack-and-pinion synchronizer to ensure consistent platen parallelism under all load conditions. The horizontal shuttle and bobbing extruder allow low overall machine profile and short blowpins.
Full application support is available through FGH Systems. FGH provides a comprehensive range of technical support services - bottle design, prototype molds, pilot production, blow mold tool engineering, manufacturing and qualification, process and systems engineering, equipment integration, machine installation and start-up, even production rate guarantees. FGH Systems is especially experienced at full turnkey project responsibility.
Uniloy and B&W were brought together in 1995 when Johnson Controls (then owner of Uniloy) purchased B&W from founders Dieter Braune and Horst Wolsch. Prior to the acquisition, FGH acted as B&W's exclusive sales agency in the United States. Given FGH's success in that role, Uniloy decided to maintain the relationship, said Dave Skala, Uniloy vice president and general manager. "At the time, I was director of sales and marketing for Uniloy and it was abundantly clear that Frank Hohmann and the employees of FGH were a significant component of B&W's success in the United States," he noted. "Frank and I met early on and agreed that there was significant mutual value in continuing together. Now, more than 10 years later, we are extremely glad that we did."
For more information on the Uniloy UMS 24D, contact Frank Hohmann, FGH Systems (tel: 973.625.8114, email sales@fghsystems.com), or Rich Smith, Uniloy sales (tel: 734.428.2244; email: Richard_K_Smith@uniloy.com). For more info on Uniloy blow-molding machines and comprehensive support capabilities, go to www.uniloy.com. For application ideas and examples of products created on Uniloy machines, go to www.uniloytech.com.
Contact
Frank Hohmann
FGH Systems Inc.
2 Richwood Place
Denville, NJ 07834
Tel: 973.625.8114
sales@fghsystems.com
Ray Kemble
Kemble & Rude Communications
4242 Airport Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45226 USA
Tel: 513.871.4042
rkemble@kemblerude.com
