Sustainable success with ENGEL e-mac injection moulding machines

The Orthex Group, based in Finland, is a manufacturer of household goods with a clear focus on design, quality, and sustainability.

The high product quality and attractive design of Orthex products make a significant contribution to sustainability. "Even in our largest boxes, you can stack books without the bottom breaking. Not all plastic boxes on the market can do that. Our products are not meant to be thrown away after a single use. People's awareness in this direction is increasing, and that's a very good trend," says Tom Ståhlberg, Operations Manager at the Lohia location.

The boxes of the smart store compact clear series are injection moulded, from clear styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) in Lohja, Finland. They are available in ten sizes with shot weights from 100 to 1,000 grams. SAN is free of PBA and has food approval, making smart store compact clear boxes suitable for refrigeration. Compared to other transparent materials such as polycarbonate, SAN offers major advantages.

Sustainability targets also define Orthex's production strategy, with a key focus on not increasing unit costs.

In addition, high precision and a stable process are particularly important for clear parts, because streaks and bubbles are unacceptable in the end product. "SAN is more demanding than PP in terms of processing. Even the smallest irregularities, scratches, and deformations result in rejects," says Ståhlberg.

For the efficient production of these storage boxes, injection moulding machines in the medium performance and clamping force range with the following characteristics were required:

• High precision
• Gentle plasticising
• Low energy consumption
• High productivity per unit area
• High degree of automation

The specifications clearly indicated electric injection moulding machines as the most suitable solution. ENGEL was able to convince Orthex with the e-mac series: The compact, all-electric e-mac was developed specifically for high productivity and efficiency in the medium performance range with cycles over 4 seconds. Therefore, Orthex invested in several e-mac injection moulding machines in sizes of 160, 280 and 380 tons.

Another proof of the high importance of efficiency for Orthex is their principle "No over-engineering!". ENGEL supplied a customized complete solution based on the specifications. The production cell can be adjusted to the different part sizes of the smart store boxes.

• High precision: The servo-electric drives of the e-mac's main movements enable precise positioning - shot after shot. The result: high and consistent process stability.
• Gentle plasticising: Thanks to in-house development and production of plasticising components, ENGEL offers suitable screws and non-return valves, even for materials that are challenging to process.
• Low energy consumption: High-quality drive components such as particularly low-friction recirculating ball screws, in combination with efficient servo motors, ensure low energy requirements of the e-mac injection moulding machine.
• High area productivity: The e-mac series is one of the most compact injection moulding machines. It has the largest tie-bar spacing in the respective clamping force class. Orthex received a highly automated overall solution with minimal floor space requirements. A full electric injection moulding machine, extensive automation - everything from a single source.
• High level of automation: The storage boxes are removed fully automatically from the mould, labelled, and packaged for shipping, directly at the injection moulding machine. Production at Orthex's Northern European facilities offers globally competitive unit costs.

In all its efforts, Orthex keeps future generations in mind. The drive to continually increase sustainability comes from within. As confirmation of its commitment, the group now links financing of new projects to its sustainability goals. "The more sustainable we are, the more favourable our loans," says Rosenlew. Key performance indicators negotiated with banks include the use of recyclates and bioplastics, measures to reduce scrap, and the energy efficiency of production machinery. The new all-electric e-mac injection moulding machines provide Orthex with a high level of confidence in meeting these targets.

Injection moulding is the preferred manufacturing process for producing plastic parts in high volumes, in a short time and at low unit costs.

There are several ways to increase efficiency and sustainability in injection moulding:

• Production on highly energy-efficient, electric injection moulding machines like the ENGEL e-mac
• Use of recycled or biogenic materials
• High product quality and thoughtful design to encourage long-term use by the end consumer
• High level of automation in production to minimize process steps

The production of Orthex‘s smart store boxes is a particularly good example of using these potentials. ENGEL impressed with a highly efficient, customized solution.