ENGEL Presents the World’s Largest Technical Centre Injection Moulding Machine
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ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH has expanded its technical centre in St. Valentin, Austria, with one of the largest injection moulding machines from its standard portfolio: the Duo 5500 combi M. With a clamping force of 55,000 kN, it is by far the largest technical centre machine in the world, measuring 32 meters long, 13 meters wide, 6.8 meters high, and weighing 545 tons. ENGEL aims to use this machine to enable technologies and components in completely new dimensions in collaboration with its customers and partners.
The extra-large mould space accommodates moulds weighing up to 150 tons, with possible shot weights up to 42 kg. This state-of-the-art machine was developed to meet the demands of the automotive industry and technical injection moulding and is now available for customer trials.
Mega-Trends in Automotive Manufacturing
The automotive industry increasingly uses larger plastic parts to reduce vehicle weight, improve fuel efficiency, and lower production costs. Plastics offer design flexibility, enhance corrosion resistance, and contribute to the longevity and safety of vehicles. They also allow for the integration of functional elements and reduce the number of individual parts needed. ENGEL’s new facility supports this trend by enabling the production of larger plastic components.
Until now, large plastic parts have often been manufactured using various processes other than injection moulding, which have significant limitations. With the availability of an injection moulding machine as large as the Duo 5500 combi M in a technical centre, extensive possibilities for part and technology development and sampling are now available. This offering reinforces ENGEL’s role as an enabler of new technologies, allowing customers and partners to actively pursue developments in new dimensions and expand injection moulding capabilities.
The sheer size of the machine is impressive, as is the wide range of material combinations and technologies it supports:
- clear melt – Coating visible parts with PUR
- foammelt – Foam injection moulding for lightweight construction and warpage reduction
- organomelt – Processes with long glass fibre or tape reinforcement
- coinmelt – Compression injection moulding
- optimelt – High-quality optical parts made from transparent plastics
- combimelt – Multi-color injection moulding
- foilmelt – Back-injection of decorative/functional films
The new ENGEL technical centre facility covers all application areas for the automotive sector and technical injection moulding.
Cutting-Edge Technology and Digital Assistance Systems
The duo 5500 combi M represents the latest technology in injection moulding. It features two movable (combined and individually operable) horizontal injection units and a combi M injection unit. It is also equipped with two six-axis ENGEL easix articulated robots for flexible and efficient automation.
For PU applications, two Cannon systems are available, one for small-volume applications and one for high-volume applications. Additionally, a corresponding dosing unit allows for coloring the polyurethanes to create exciting designs.
All digital assistance systems from ENGEL are integrated into the machine control, enabling energy-efficient, sustainable, and efficient production while optimising processes.
Extensive Know-How
No other manufacturer has built as many injection moulding machines of this size as ENGEL, giving it extensive expertise from which its customers benefit. By proactively installing a machine of this magnitude, ENGEL emphasises its commitment to technological leadership, innovation, sustainability, and customer orientation, underscored by the motto “be the first.”
Flexibility and Innovation at the Technical Centre
With the introduction of the duo 5500 combi M, ENGEL’s technical centre reaffirms its role as a leading hub for testing new technologies and collaborating closely with the industry to promote new injection moulding possibilities. The machine allows for the testing and development of existing and new customer projects under real conditions and on neutral ground. This includes tool and material tests as well as the development of new manufacturing technologies.
Manufacturers of large, complex plastic parts and toolmakers can now test feasibility and implementation at an early project stage. This significantly shortens the go-to-market time and avoids costly subsequent errors by identifying and eliminating sources of error early on.
Initial customer trials are already scheduled to begin shortly. Interested injection moulders can book the facility through their ENGEL sales representative or by contacting Sales.UK@engel.at
