Milacron to Open Showroom for Its "100-Mile-per-gallon Muscle Car" of Industrial Technologies - the All-electric Injection Molding Machine
CINCINNATI--May 1, 2001--Energy-saving, High-performance Machines Could Save U.S. $1+ Billion
Annually in Energy, Company Says
Yes, there is a 100-mile-per-gallon muscle car - at least for the plastics molding industry.
This all-electric injection molding machine is here today for the industry that makes handheld computing devices, soda bottles, cell phones, and myriad other plastic products consumers love. And Milacron Inc. , the sole U.S. maker of this energy-saving machine, is opening a showroom in Cincinnati for test drives.
Milacron believes all-electric injection molding machines, which are two to four times more energy-efficient than conventional machines, could wring 8.9 million megawatt hours of electricity from the process used to make millions of everyday plastic products. So to make the technology more accessible and affordable for the industry, the company plans to open the world's first Energy Resource Center for plastics injection molding this spring.
"Some of the largest global companies have already mandated across-the-board energy reductions in their operations because they realize the cost savings go straight to the bottom line," said Barr Klaus, vice president of technology for Ferromatik Milacron North America. "At three times the efficiency of conventional machines, all-electric injection molding technology can be a strong component in those reductions, and our Energy Resource Center will serve as an important, time-saving means to accelerate validation of the process."
Klaus says the center will address the interests of top corporate management, financial executives, facility designers, utilities and energy aggregators/brokers, as well as molding managers. "We are teaming up with utilities and energy aggregators/brokers to package all-electric molding technology as part of a long-term energy and cost reduction program that makes sense in the boardroom," he explains. "Meanwhile, molding managers will be able to make processing decisions quickly, based on actual results with their parts and molds. This offers the industry a unique advantage for rapid integration and justification of all-electric molding."
Injection molding is an energy-intensive process that, by Milacron's estimate, consumes over 4,000,000 megawatt hours per year just in the five top plastics molding states - Ohio, California, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania (one megawatt can power about 1,000 average homes). Though it sounds contradictory, all-electric injection molding machines are actually three times more efficient than conventional hydraulic machines, notes Klaus. That's because their motors use energy only when actually doing work, unlike conventional hydraulically powered machines whose motors gobble energy even while idling.
"A switch to new all-electric injection machines could save an estimated 700,000 megawatts of power and $42 million in energy annually in California alone," says Klaus. "If our machine was an automobile, it would get 100 miles per gallon and drive like a muscle car, but right now this proven technology is utilized by only a small fraction of U.S. molding operations."
Besides conserving energy and jobs, electric machines offer other "green" benefits, including elimination of hydraulic oil (a hazardous waste), reduced noise, lower air conditioning costs, etc.
Milacron has invested more than 17 years and millions of dollars since the mid-'80s in the development of all-electric molding technology. The company is the leading proponent and sole U.S. maker of such machines, with an installed domestic base of over 3,000.
The new Energy Resource Center will be outfitted with a wide range of all-electric molding machines capable of producing small parts to 5-gallon buckets and PET preforms (the first step in making a clear soda/water bottle). High-efficiency auxiliary equipment will aid in demonstrating the total reductions obtainable with the process, while array of test/measurement systems will be available to validate results. The center will also provide detailed financial justifications and aid in arranging total plant changeovers through cooperative ventures with utilities and energy aggregators.
For more information, visit the web site: www.all-electricsaves.com
Milacron Inc. is a world leader in plastics processing and metalworking technologies with major manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia and 10,500 employees worldwide. Plastics technologies include injection molding machines, blow molding equipment, extrusion systems and wear items, mold bases, mold-making equipment and mold components, as well as aftermarket and MRO (maintenance, repair and operating) parts and services. Metalworking technologies include carbide metalcutting inserts, steel tool holders, carbide and high-speed steel round tools, metalworking fluids, chemical and tool management services, grinding wheels and carbide die and wear parts. For further information, visit the company's web site: www.milacron.com.