More speed, more power, more precision, and more automated functions accomplished in and out of the mold. That’s exactly what injection machinery suppliers were offering at NPE2012.

Major Taiwanese injection and blow molding and extrusion machinery OEM s plan to broaden the appeal of their brands by providing higher-end technology solutions at prices competitive with European or Japanese machines.

Show goers will see an electric injection machine in nearly every press maker’s booth this year, and electric/hydraulic hybrids in several.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Harmo Co. of Japan (represented here by Maruka U.S.A.

New injection machinery at the show ranged from all-electric units for high-speed packaging or bioplastic processing to hybrid presses ready for the cleanroom. Other units highlighted multi-component molding with LSR and thermoplastics or super-compact presses for small parts. Several new machines targeted specific applications such as caps and closures, PET preforms, LSR, or integrated long-glass compounding.

If a better machine can help your company beat challenging economic conditions, you’ll probably find it at NPE. And finding it will be easier, thanks to our editors’ efforts to sift out of some 2000 exhibits the most significant news in injection and blow molding, extrusion, compounding, and thermoforming.

There was a brand-new emphasis at this year’s Taipei Plas, the premier plastics exhibition for Taiwanese injection machine builders.

A new all-electric toggle press for two-color or two-material applications, as well as a vertical electric press with a horizontal injection unit, will be unveiled at the IPF show by Toyo Machinery & Metal Co.

A new all-electric toggle press series debuted at last month's Platex show in Osaka from Toyo Machinery & Metal Co., Ltd. (represented here by Maruka U.S.A.

If you were buying an injection molding machine 20 years ago, you had to decide between a toggle or fully hydraulic clamp and that was pretty much it.

Advances in electric drive technology were evident in nearly every injection machine builder’s booth in Chicago.

Energy-saving all-electric machines will continue to be a big draw at NPE, where new designs or upgraded models will be found in virtually every press maker’s booth.

Multi-shot and coinjection molding techniques are staking out new territory. Mach ines are getting larger and are combining more materials or colors in more sophisticated and imaginative ways.

The latest developments in all-electric and hybrid injection molding machines from several Japanese OEMs made their debut at Platex Osaka, a triennial show held in April in Osaka, Japan.

These two show-goers found what they needed at NPE.

The abundance of injection molding news at this year’s show is staggering.

Stress-free production of large car windows, in-mold painting, and an injection unit that applies pack and hold while accumulating the next shot were a few of the cutting-edge technologies on display.

The abundance of injection molding news at this year’s show is staggering. There are more and bigger all-electric machines than ever, including first-time introductions by several suppliers. Electric technology is also taking new forms, such as beltless drives and “direct-pressure” clamping without a toggle. Energy-saving electro-hydraulic hybrids are also evolving.