Plug-and-play becomes key technology for lock makers

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Plastics used include glass-fibre reinforced polyamides and polypropylenes, PBT, ABS/PC, TBEs/TPS and SEBS. Final weights are between 0.1 g and 180 g. This places great demands on the hot runner systems as they have to align perfectly with the final weight and combination of materials to ensure good process management.

Standardisation – it’s better late than never

In the past, the various international companies of the Huf Group chose different hot runner suppliers to make their injection moulds, adding complexity to operations at Huf Tools. Andreas Hill, Divisional Manager of Mould Engineering at Huf Tools, explains: “This was always an issue because we didn’t just have different people to contact at the various hot runner suppliers, but we also had different specifications, which made technical coordination difficult. This sort of thing can affect process stability in the subsequent injection-moulding process and make achieving consistent quality difficult. It would have been beneficial to standardise the hot runner technology used from the very beginning.”

1965 copper alloy system: First embedded heater surrounding the melt channel revolutionises temperature uniformity for unmatched part quality. (Source: Milacron)

Huf Tools first considered hot runner manufacturer Synventive in 2011. Andreas Hill adds: “As an automotive supplier, we can’t afford long downtimes. When things go wrong, we need a local maintenance specialist. One of Synventive’s advantages is that they have bases near our global production facilities, so we always have a specialist close by.”

An initial order for a hot-half concept was given to Synventive for four two-component tools. Each tool included a 4+4 hot runner system for hard and soft plastic components for Mercedes S class door locks. Designed as a hybrid part, the hard component consisted of PBT with a moulded-part weight of 12 g, a magnetic part and an SEBS soft-plastic component with a moulded-part weight of 2 g.

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