One surefire way to cut cycle time in injection molding is to shorten or eliminate process steps. Working from that simple premise, Husky Injection Molding debuted a revolutionary closure technology at Chinaplas 2012 that eliminates mold open/close and the precious seconds that process eats up.
Behind a locked glass enclosure, into which attendees could only gain entrance with a special Husky supplied badge, the supplier operated a HyCAP HPP 300 machine injection molding a 1.2g 29/25 lightweight water closure in a 1.85 second cycle from a 72-cavity KTW mold. Husky acquired KTW, an Austria-based closure moldmaking expert, in 2011.
Walls on either side of the injection molding machine, which was situated so that only the platen end was visible from outside the glass partition, prevented show attendees not given access into the cell from seeing its most distinctive feature, a mold that stayed closed while 72 caps dropped from its lower half onto a conveyor every 1.85 seconds.
"Husky is a leading equipment and service supplier for PET bottles," explained John Zhang, general manager China South PET & Packaging. "We've had a dominant position in PET market, and every bottle needs a closure. It's natural for Husky to have leadership in closures as well."
