Rising energy prices, establishing a circular economy and changing consumer needs pose challenges for manufacturers of plastic packaging.

ENGEL has established a new Packaging Centre to help its customers in this demanding industry further boost the performance of production cells and ensure their competitiveness.

"Cycle time and energy efficiency are the most important key efficiency indicators in the packaging industry. And injection molding solutions by ENGEL lead the field in both sectors", brought up Christoph Lhota, Vice President of Business Unit Packaging at ENGEL. "This is precisely what we demonstrate at the Packaging Centre. We invite our customers to put our injection molding machines through their paces here."

Fit-for-purpose production cells for a wide variety of packaging requirements are available at two locations – Schwertberg and St. Valentin. They include all-electric e cap high-performance machines for manufacturing caps and flip-top lids, e-speed machines for thin-walled containers and pails, and duo speed dual-platen machines for large containers.

ENGEL inaugurates its new Packaging Centre with some 300 customers and partners.

In addition to this, all-electric e-mac injection molding machines can be used at the ENGEL technology centre. After all, this series is also increasingly seeing use in packaging applications in the mid-performance segment, frequently for processing recycled material.

Energy efficiency, the circular economy and digitalization are the central topics which the new ENGEL Packaging Centre addresses. All of the injection molding machines are equipped with smart assistance systems from the ENGEL inject 4.0 programme.

For example, with iQ weight control, which detects fluctuations in the shot volume and material viscosity and automatically compensates for them in the same cycle. The latest series of tests have shown that the software achieves notable quality improvements in high-performance applications with very short cycle times.

iQ flow control, which controls the temperature differences in the individual cooling circuits to maintain the set value, is a further example. In doing so, this smart assistance system ensures constant temperature control conditions, while at the same time clearly reducing the energy consumption required for temperature control.

Production cells are available for customer tests and performance analyses at the Schwertberg and St. Valentin locations.

ENGEL works to offer the optimum drive technology for every packaging application with a wide range of injection molding machines, from all-electric, through hybrid, to servo-hydraulic.

ENGEL customers can bring their own molds, and also their own materials, to the new Packaging Centre for a hands-on performance test including cycle time and energy efficiency analyses. On top of this, ENGEL provides many molds from the various product groups on site.

This offering is rounded off by a wide range of peripheral systems from various partner companies as well as automation solutions developed both in-house and by partners such as Campetella and Beck automation.

Moreover, some 300 customers and partners of ENGEL accepted the invitation to Schwertberg and St. Valentin for the Packaging Center opening ceremony in mid-May.

There were fascinating keynotes, panel discussions and live machine exhibits at both locations. The speakers included technology and material suppliers and brand-name packaging producers. For example, Prof. Edward Kosior from Nextek talked about the food packaging production opportunities opened up by rPP.

To fit the occasion, ENGEL staged a world premiere, presenting injection molding of polypropylene, recycled following post-consumer collection, for the first time.

Rising energy prices, establishing a circular economy and changing consumer needs pose challenges for manufacturers of plastic packaging.

ENGEL has established a new Packaging Centre to help its customers in this demanding industry further boost the performance of production cells and ensure their competitiveness.

"Cycle time and energy efficiency are the most important key efficiency indicators in the packaging industry. And injection molding solutions by ENGEL lead the field in both sectors", brought up Christoph Lhota, Vice President of Business Unit Packaging at ENGEL. "This is precisely what we demonstrate at the Packaging Centre. We invite our customers to put our injection molding machines through their paces here."

Fit-for-purpose production cells for a wide variety of packaging requirements are available at two locations – Schwertberg and St. Valentin. They include all-electric e cap high-performance machines for manufacturing caps and flip-top lids, e-speed machines for thin-walled containers and pails, and duo speed dual-platen machines for large containers.

ENGEL inaugurates its new Packaging Centre with some 300 customers and partners.

In addition to this, all-electric e-mac injection molding machines can be used at the ENGEL technology centre. After all, this series is also increasingly seeing use in packaging applications in the mid-performance segment, frequently for processing recycled material.

Energy efficiency, the circular economy and digitalization are the central topics which the new ENGEL Packaging Centre addresses. All of the injection molding machines are equipped with smart assistance systems from the ENGEL inject 4.0 programme.

For example, with iQ weight control, which detects fluctuations in the shot volume and material viscosity and automatically compensates for them in the same cycle. The latest series of tests have shown that the software achieves notable quality improvements in high-performance applications with very short cycle times.

iQ flow control, which controls the temperature differences in the individual cooling circuits to maintain the set value, is a further example. In doing so, this smart assistance system ensures constant temperature control conditions, while at the same time clearly reducing the energy consumption required for temperature control.

Production cells are available for customer tests and performance analyses at the Schwertberg and St. Valentin locations.

ENGEL works to offer the optimum drive technology for every packaging application with a wide range of injection molding machines, from all-electric, through hybrid, to servo-hydraulic.

ENGEL customers can bring their own molds, and also their own materials, to the new Packaging Centre for a hands-on performance test including cycle time and energy efficiency analyses. On top of this, ENGEL provides many molds from the various product groups on site.

This offering is rounded off by a wide range of peripheral systems from various partner companies as well as automation solutions developed both in-house and by partners such as Campetella and Beck automation.

Moreover, some 300 customers and partners of ENGEL accepted the invitation to Schwertberg and St. Valentin for the Packaging Center opening ceremony in mid-May.

There were fascinating keynotes, panel discussions and live machine exhibits at both locations. The speakers included technology and material suppliers and brand-name packaging producers. For example, Prof. Edward Kosior from Nextek talked about the food packaging production opportunities opened up by rPP.

To fit the occasion, ENGEL staged a world premiere, presenting injection molding of polypropylene, recycled following post-consumer collection, for the first time.