In Mold Closing systems are used to automatically assemble molded parts prior to ejection from the molding surface. These systems operate during the opening time of the mold to minimize the impact on cycle time. Copar uses proprietary, proven IMC designs to integrate the closing rack and maximize mold cavitation. The closing arms provide precise movement with a well-controlled closing force that is consistent between all of the mold cavities. Key developments in this technology have focused on using multiple, separate motions of the closing arms, while optimizing the control of closing force, particularly for high cavitation molds.
Building an IMC mechanism depends on the number of cavities and the injection machine size. For example, if the mold design contains two cavities per row (Fig.a), so the mechanism of IMC should be horizontal due to the movement of the robot while closing the flip top cap, while if the mold design contains more than two cavities per row (Fig.b), so the mechanism of IMC should be vertical due to the movement of the robot while closing the flip top cap to cover all the cavities.
Plastic closures incorporating a flip top cap are in high demand for several categories and functions. The need for quality and cost are driving plastics injection molding companies to search for improved cap closing solutions and best effect. IMC has been offered for many years for flip-top closures, to fold the part over a living hinge and close the flip-top part before releasing it from the mold. The primary advantages of this approach included precision of the closing motion, as well as the opportunity to fold the living hinge while the plastic is still hot, resulting in enhanced durability of the hinge and provides a good effect for the click of the flip top cap. Moreover, this mechanism and system is to reduce the human contact with plastic product for hygienic reasons.
The most common issues for the IMC systems are the scratches that exist on the top of the fliptop mold due to the contact between the end of arm and the plastic part, and we can’t neglect the effect on the cycle time.
On the other hand, Copar provides several solutions concerning the type of designs & material regarding the end of arm due to not affect the top surface of the flip top cap with any scratch and to fit the different shapes of top surfaces of the flip top since the material for the end of arm plays a big role such as Aluminum, PLA, Teflon, etc… & the designs such as linear or cylindrical shapes.