Hot Runners and Mould Components - ETMM-Online

some parts must be produced.
Anyone who ever
tried to make adjustments
to a hanging mould in a
small room will know that
this is far from ergonomic.”
So, right from the outset,
Koller GmbH has not compromised.
The fifth machine
the company acquired was a
spotting press, and it was
recently using several models
from various manufacturers.
But when the mould
maker needed to try out
larger moulds than before,
it searched the market to
find a new solution.
Finding the Right
Press
The height of Koller’s industrial
shed and cranes presented
a construction constraint.
“Our new press had
to be very compact and
installed on the ground to
allow for ergonomic handling
of the moulds,” Max Koller
explains. “We wanted to develop
a very efficient and user-friendly
tryout process.” Thus, the company
screened several manufacturers
in looking for an optimal
solution.
Koller’s search ended at Millutensil.
The Blue Line MIL 303
had exactly the characteristics
required. Its four-cylinder control
keeps the machine compact and
minimizes overall height. Further,
the pressing force is evenly distributed
over the entire surface of
the table.
A key reason for deciding in
favour of purchasing the MIL
303 was the handling of moulds
on the machine. “We especially
liked the fact that, after the tryout,
the punch and counterpunch
are automatically brought to a
position where they can be easily
reworked or machined by the
toolmaker,” reports Koller. The
www.etmm-online.com | May 2011 | European Tool & Mould Making
“Zero milling” is an illusion, especially with large moulds. A tryout
press ensures accuracy to the last hundredths.
punch rotates up to 180° and is
then taken down from the press;
the counterpunch travels laterally
from the press and can be rotated
up to 70° on each side.
Says Koller: “This makes both
of them easy to access and ensures
top visibility for the operator on
all crucial areas, in order to rapidly
identify the ones where reworking
is required and implement the
needed measures.”
Powerful, Yet Sensitive
The Millutensil press can clamp
powerfully, but it is also very sensitive.
Four lasers situated alongside
the press accurately control the
parallelism. “The machine is set to
a tolerance range of 2/10, which is
unique in the field of mould making,”
notes Max Koller. “Reaching
that value alerts the control unit of
a clear sign of failure.”
The machine has an intelligent
» Millutensil S.r.l.
Milan, Italy
www.millutensil.com
Case Studies
control system capable of
detecting errors and safely
driving the tool sections
back. “This ensures that the
mould is not damaged, even
when a hammer is accidentally
left there,” says Koller.
Hydraulic connections
enable the user to move the
extractors of the mould’s
threading taps and slides on
the press so that a complete
cycle can be performed in
one go. Placement and holddown
force can be accurately
adjusted. Optionally, the
press can be configured in
such a way as to produce a
first prototype with injected
wax. Koller GmbH does not
use this feature, however,
as its injection presses are
efficient enough.
‘An Essential Aid’
The company does not use
the Millutensil tryout press
for new moulds only. “The
machine is an essential aid for
repairs and modification of used
moulds,” Max Koller explains,
“as this task normally involves
many different manual reworking
phases.”
Offering ergonomic workstations
and easy handling of mould
components, the press enables
the company’s employees to react
quickly, even when the necessary
changes or repairs are complex.
These are often carried out
overnight, so that the mould can
be used again the next day with
minimal production downtime.
This flexibility and the capability
to react quickly to OEM manufacturers’
needs constitute important
selling points for a mould
manufacturer active in Germany,
as Koller can attest.
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