The Hessian system supplier and plastic processing company Riegler GmbH und Co. KG has extended its technological platform in the area of micro-injection molding. Together with one customer the company did not only develop a custom-made micro-injection molding solution but also advanced a product and used a tool which was manufactured in house. Pursuant to all required purity specifications Riegler GmbH & Co. KG optimized and advanced an existing micro-injection molding product. The plastics expert invested in a fully electric micro-injection molding machine to extend its technological expertise and create perfect conditions to produce tiniest, customized components in ISO class 7 clean rooms.
Please read about a recent example of a customized solution in micro-injection molding:
Riegler was asked to advance an existing product line by altogether ten different sizes with weights of between 0.2g and 0.26g. Riegler had produced the product by means of a cold runner system. The sprue had to be stamped off the plastic component, which caused edges that were extremely disadvantageous in final application. Thanks to a connection by means of a hot runner and a needle valve stamping is no longer necessary and the component can be produced economically.
Due to plastic reacting sensitively to too long dwell times the challenge was to develop a tool and machine concept which fulfils the requirements of both the plastic and the product design and ensures a connection even with lightest shot weights. Moreover, it was important to change as flexibly as possible between individual sizes during serial production.
Coordinated, innovative machine and tool concept
Riegler GmbH & Co. KG invested in a fully electric micro-injection molding machine with micro-injection module and pre-plasticization for optimum process control with low shot weights. When designing the manufacturing concept and processing the material type, Riegler focused on observing the dwell time to avoid material degradation.
An injection mold with innovative mold cavity change concept is another highlight which Riegler’s design department developed and their moldmaking department built. For each product variant the rotatable insert on injection and nozzle side is turned into the respective position. Even if the version is changed the mold remains on the micro-injection molding machine and the new version can be manufactured instantaneously. This saves cost-intensive set up times and increases flexibility in production. Thanks to the know-how of Riegler in the field of hot runner application and its innovative mold concepts the company was able to implement the article design with the requirements described in one rotation change unit. The company succeeded in optimizing the manufacturing process and cutting component costs as it could be dispensed with a sprue and any rework steps.
In close collaboration with the technical departments a variety of mold and injection molding machine concepts were tested and evaluated. Thanks to many years of experience in design and construction, moldmaking and application technique the company developed a cost-efficient and process-safe concept. As an expert for hot runner molds Riegler was able to meet customer requirements by 100% without exceeding the critical dwell time of the material. “Thanks to short distances in our company we were able to design and build an innovative mold within a very short time and implement planned optimization loops quickly after initial sampling. In connection with the new machine technology this thrilling project inspires both our customer and the Riegler team“, says Dr. Thomas Taufertshöfer, Project Manager of Riegler GmbH & Co. KG.
Well prepared for future micro-injection molding orders
“The demands on micro-components are high. It is decisive to choose the right production concept to be able to deliver high and reproducible component quality with high process safety. Having expanded our technology, we can offer additional solutions also for specialty- and high-performance polymers in the micro-component sector made in ISO class 7 clean rooms. Customized packaging and labeling round off our range of services as a system supplier“, says Thorsten Kellner, Head of Development & Project Management.
