Xaloy® MeltPro™ Barrier Screw with a Z-Mixer™ Reduces Cycle Time by 17%
Cost efficient production is critical to any injection mold manufacturer. One of the key components to success is a short cycle time without compromising quality. Parameters like the resin type, part wall thickness, tooling, proper machine settings, pressure, and temperatures all factor into an optimal cycle time. Recovery time, a critical component of the total cycle time, is the amount of time it takes for the screw to rotate back to its set position, which takes place during the cooling period. Inconsistent or suboptimal recovery times can occur in an injection molding process not utilizing a screw designed for a specific application and resin type. A custom designed screw that optimizes recovery time can reduce manufacturing costs by reducing the overall cycle time and increasing throughput.
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The Challenge
An injection molding customer in South America was experiencing long cycle time, caused by long recovery time, leading to an overall decrease in throughput. They were processing low density polyethylene (LDPE) with 2-3% colorant, using a 125mm 23:1 single stage screw in a Milacron injection molding machine. The customer approached Xaloy for a solution to reduce the cycle time and increase throughput.
The Xaloy Solution
After reviewing customer provided data, Xaloy’s engineers recommended a custom screw design, the Xaloy® MeltPro™ Barrier Screw with a Z-Mixer™. The barrier design and dispersive mixer combination is ideal for reduced recovery times and increased melt homogenization. This high-performance screw model features a parallel barrier that delivers a homogenized melt by separating the solids bed from the melt pool, allowing for better utilization of heat energy. The design has demonstrated a reduction of recovery time by 20% or more when compared to a conventional screw design.
THE RESULT
Our customer experienced significant success by replacing the conventional screw design with an Xaloy® MeltPro™ Barrier Screw with a Z-Mixer™. Recovery time went from 28s to 17s, a 40% reduction, which enabled reduction in cooling time and thus overall cycle time.
Process Improvements
- Reduced recovery time from 28 seconds to 17 seconds
- Reduced cooling time from 32 seconds to 21 seconds
- Overall cycle time reduced by 11 seconds or 17%
