Arburg announces new Allrounder 470 hybrid injection moulding machine
February 27, 2023
Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany, has announced the new Allrounder 470 H – a hybrid electric/hydraulic injection moulding machine intended to save energy and conserve resources. The combination of an electric clamping unit with hydraulic injection is said to significantly reduce the machine’s price and operating costs, as well as its carbon footprint.
The Allrounder 470 H is available in ‘Comfort’, ‘Premium’, and ‘Ultimate’ model variants, with various injection units and a range of options is said to mark the beginning of a new generation of Arburg machines.
“Electric drives are becoming increasingly important, not least in terms of energy efficiency,” stated Gerhard Böhm, Arburg’s Managing Director Sales and Service. “In the new Allrounder 470 H, we have created precisely the hybrid machine that users need today and in the future; a machine that has not yet been available on the market in this form.”
Guido Frohnhaus, the company’s Managing Director Technology & Engineering, added, “The new generation of machines incorporates many technological innovations that are only available from Arburg. When designing the new Allrounder 470 H, we significantly enhanced our proven technology to optimise the energy footprint and reduce cycle times.”
Reduction of CO2 emissions
Compared to a similar hydraulic machine, the energy footprint of the Allrounder 470 H is up to 50% smaller, and — depending on the application — this machine can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 12,000 kg each year. The new oil management concept also helps to conserve resources; around 35% less oil is needed to run the machine, and waste machine heat is used to pre-heat the oil. In addition, the required amount of cooling water is also between 50-70% lower. A reduction in the dry cycle time of up to 33% also offers potentially greater production efficiency.
“User-friendliness and reliability are also important criteria for the new machine in order to save time and money on service and maintenance,” said Böhm. “To achieve this, we incorporated the experiences and suggestions of our customers and service technicians directly into the design.”
A proven servo hydraulic system
The Arburg servo hydraulic system (ASH), which has already proven itself in hydraulic and electric Allrounders, is integrated in the Allrounder 470 H Comfort and Premium models. ASH enables particularly energy-efficient and low-emissions operation, as the speed-controlled, water-cooled servo motor continuously adjusts the drive system to the actual power requirement. This means, for example, that when the machine stops moving, the pump drive also stops and there are therefore no more idling losses. This saves up to 50% of the energy, especially in processes with long cooling times. At the same time, the machine’s cooling requirements and noise level are also significantly reduced.
The new oil management concept reduces energy and cooling water consumption and increases the service life of the individual components, in some cases considerably. Hot, contaminated hydraulic oil is separated from cold, clean hydraulic oil in the oil container. Together with the constantly filtered and cooled return volume and targeted flow guidance, the oil quality is improved with an oil volume that is around 35% lower and the service life of the components is increased, thereby improving machine availability. The waste heat from the machine can be used to pre-heat the oil and does not flow back into the cooling water circuit as residual heat.
Additional design simplifications have been implemented to improve the user-friendliness of the machine. A real-time Ethernet bus replaces the individual ribbon cables of the control modules, which increases the service and service life of the machines. The distribution of the hardware on and in the machine base has been completely restructured, with the control manifold and hydraulic accumulator technology being moved inside so that there is more space for peripheral equipment at the rear side of the 470 H Allrounder machines.
The new machines will be on display at Arburg’s Anniversary Days from 8–11 March and at further Arburg events and trade fairs around the world.
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