THE IDEA

The terms “EXJECTION” and “ExM” (abbreviation for EXJECTION Moulding) are granted trademark rights with the Registry Numbers 219 999 (EXJECTION) and 220 000 (ExM) by the Austrian Patent Office. The positive results of a systematic approach and basic process development lead to the filing for a patent for the process. In addition, proprietary rights are claimed for the moulds and the components manufactured by using the new process. In order to assess the basic technical and economic feasibility, a feasibility study is made with the support of FFG (“Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH” (Austrian Research Promotion Ltd.).

An important milestone consists in putting the research mould, which has been built by CAD-PLAST in the laboratory of ENGEL Austria GmbH in 4311 Schwertberg/Austria, into operation. Before this first process analyses were made by using a test mould provided by HTBL Kapfenberg. The first EXJECTION components are manufactured. The process is acknowledged in its function. Building of the research mould ready for series production has been supported by the Special Steel Corporation BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM, the coating specialist OERLIKON BALZERS COATING, both Kapfenberg/Austria, as well as by the manufacturer of gauges HASCO, Guntramsdorf/Austria, and KISTLER Company, Winterthur/Switzerland. Important process relevant components of the EXJECTION mould can favourably be integrated in an injection moulding machine. This increases economic efficiency in terms of the scope of investment and manufacturing costs even more.

For the first time EXJECTION components with a wall thickness of 1.2 mm and a length of 930 mm are manufactured in a high quality by using the rebuilt research mould. Thus suitability for series production of the EXJECTION Process is demonstrated! Systematic process analyses on an ENGEL e-motion injection moulding machine show the expected good influence on the process. Different types of thermoplastics are processed by means of the new process. There always is the same result, which is extremely positive: The quality of the components meets the high market requirements. Serveral materials got tested, such as ABS, SAN, PMMA, IONOMER, PC, TPU, PBT, PA and PP.

Based on the general agreement between the internationally successful German manufacturer of injection moulding machines for plastics ARBURG for cooperation in the field of the EXJECTION technology the cooperation yields first results. For the presentation of the EXJECTION technology at the ARBURG Technology Days from April 3rd to 5th, 2008 at the ARBURG head quarter in Loßburg / Germany the design and production of an EXJECTION mould at the latest state of the art has been agreed and promptly started. It is common goal of the cooperation to apply the mould for manufacturing the technically demanding component “CONTROL LEDGE” on a competitive functionality level. Main focus of the development team will be laid on proofing the process capability while producing high quality parts.

During the FAKUMA 2008 at Friedrichshafen ARBURG produced the new EXJECTION CONTROL RAIL on an ARBURG ALLROUNDER 375 V. The visitors could not only see the realization of a new mould concept with a horizontal running sledge, but also a drive unit of the sledge that has already been integrated into the injection moulding machine. The visitors response has been very good. Numerous new contacts have been made and several existing customers could have been welcomed at the FAKUMA 2008.

The Federal Award Consulting 2009 was presented by State Secretary Christine Marek in the Studio 44 in Vienna on November 23th, 2009. BMWFJ (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Family and Youth) recognizes outstanding engineering performance by presenting the Federal Award in co-operation with ACA. It is IB STEINER that obtained the Federal Award for Engineering Consulting 2009 as a reward for the development of the EXJECTION Technology. This Award did not only emphasize the significance of the new technology but also placed the efficiency of the project partners in the limelight. Excerpt from the assessment made by the jury: ... On the one hand, energy efficiency is improved significantly (about 60 % of energy can be saved, which also has a correspondingly positive effect on the environment). On the other hand, lower investment costs (approx. 40 % as compared to conventional injection moulding machines) also help to lower the manufacturing costs for the plastics parts manufactured by using EXJECTION. In the interview with ACA, DI Gottfried Steiner explained, "Innovative technologies enable us to remain competitive on the world market. This plastics and innovative manufacturing technologies are very important for our future in the heart of Europe."

Continuous injection moulding becomes reality: Based on the idea of the moving cavity, the EXJECTION endless technology surmounts all limits so far set by the moulding cycle. The modular design of the EXJECTION endless mould makes it possible to demould already cooled and frozen segments of the moulded component while at the gate continuously new product is generated. Those segments of the cavity, where the component has already been demoulded, are transferred back to their initial position at the front end of the cavity. There they again generate new cavity, ready to be filled up again with melt. This way a discrete process becomes continuous. Development and realisation of the first mould, which has been brought into operation in July 2010, have been done in cooperation with the SAARGUMMI group, one of the leading suppliers of automotive sealing solutions and the Z-WERKZEUGBAU GmbH, one of Austria's leading mould makers. There the results of the development finally became reality. Nozzle insert and hot runner system were provided by the well established EXJECTION partner HASCO GmbH. Already the production of the very first 1.000 meters made clear that the process offers a very special charm.

The areas of application for the EXJECTION endless process are manifold. Whether it is automotive, aerospace , electrical and electronics, construction or medical technology, for each sector it is easy to represented clearly the benefits. This applies to the component developer, who has access to unprecedented design possibilities and new functionalities, as well as to the business administration with lower manufacturing costs and higher production capacity. The development of EXJECTION towards continuous production shows the enormous potential in this still very young but already mature manufacturing process. The use of continuous technology is an excellent opportunity for plastics manufactorers to generate a competitive advantage and differentiate themselves by offering unique features in the difficult market of environment.

Whenever an electric light goes on around the world, Vossloh-Schwabe is likely to have made a key contribution to ensuring that everything works at the fl ick of a switch. Headquartered in Germany, Vossloh-Schwabe has been a member of the global Panasonic group since 2002 and counts as a technology leader within the lighting sector. Top-quality, highperformance products form the basis of the company's success. They use EXJECTION technologie for serial production and reported to their customers: "Using the so-called exjection method – a new combination of extrusion and injection processes – we can now manufacture optics of up to 2 m in length and with several photometric degrees of freedom."

The patent for continuous injection molding, filed in 2017, will be issued in Austria in May 2018 and subsequently applied for registration worldwide. Based on the exclusive EXJECTION technology, injection molding parts are produced in a rotational mould that, like a bottling plant, successively leave the mold. The process parameters are identical for each component, resulting in consistent characteristics. Since the teaching periods of the classic, cyclic injection process no longer exist, productivity can be increased by up to 40%. Additional process steps, such as inserting films, do not reduce the production rate. With an EXJECTION system built by ENGEL, the continuous injection process with a rotational mould was realized and the performance confirmed. This is the perfect start to a new era of injection molding.