Can liquid silicone rubber (LSR ) be overmolded onto polypropylene?

Hot buttons at the show will be multi-component molding, in-mold labeling/decorating (IML/IMD), in-mold assembly, medical molding, liquid silicone rubber (LSR), micro-molding, and high-speed packaging.

 How small is small? How small is micro? How about parts weighing as little as 0.00012 g and measuring no more than 0.038 in. (1 mm) long?

In between all-electric and hydraulic-powered injection machines, a new species of hybrid clamp has emerged. Advocates say it combines the best qualities of electric servos and hydraulics without their disadvantages.

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.

A new machine capable of injection speeds of 1500 mm/sec or 60 in./sec expands the V-line of two-stage plunger injection presses from Sodick Plustech Co. of Japan, represented here by Plustech Inc., Schaumburg, Ill.

Liquid silicone rubber is breaking out of its niche into a broader array of applications, helped by new developments in materials, machinery, and processing. Larger parts, micro-parts, foams, and multi-color or multi-material combinations are key areas of innovation.

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.

A new line of Japanese-built machines for LSR molding reportedly ensure fl ashless molding without short shots or overpacking.

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.