German manufacturer of molds and hot-runner systems Männer (Bahlingen am Kaiserstuhl) had a lot to talk about at NPE2015 last week in Orlando, FL. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and it has some festivities planned for later in the year that it will announce in the next couple of months. It also has a three-year plan to significantly expand its moldmaking capabilities at its U.S. plant in Lawrenceville, GA, and bring one aspect of the so-called German model—notably, an emphasis on vocational training and apprenticeships—to our shores. We will have more on that shortly. In the meantime, Männer presented some recent product developments at NPE2015 that deserve mention.

For applications requiring side injection, Männer featured its new Edgeline nozzle, in which valve pins move at a right angle in relation to mold open and close operations. The nozzle combines the benefits of a hot-runner system with the original cylindrical valve gate, says the company: defined pin opening and closing; cosmetic gate quality; resin savings; and process repeatability. Syringe barrels and other applications with long, narrow cores and an opening on both ends, benefit from this technology.

The Edgeline valve gate is suited for a broad range of resins, including COC and COP, which are commonly used in prefilled syringes, and sensitive materials such as PMMA, PA, PC and TPE.

The nozzle is designed to have an optimal temperature profile along the entire flow path. New patent-pending heater elements for the nozzle body, tip and base, along with special heat-conducting materials, are among the key features. Additionally, an extended pin opening stroke has made it possible to increase the open flow area, reducing the required pressure through the nozzle, which is especially beneficial when processing high-viscosity resins.

Two- and four-drop nozzles allow for compact high-cavitation layouts and compact mold designs. The two-drop version has an axis spacing of 60 mm, and the four-point model has an axis spacing of only 30 x 60 mm.

Packaging nozzle designed for thin-wall applications

Männer also highlighted its expanded MCN valve gate Combi nozzle series, including a packaging nozzle, at NPE2015. The product is specifically designed to meet the demands of thin-wall technology involving high injection pressures and speeds. Engineered for high stability and wear resistance, the nozzle ensures reliable and cost-effective production of food packaging and thin-wall packaging, while maximizing part quality, says the company.

Männer's MCN series nozzles, with the original cylindrical valve gate, rely on a uniform basic nozzle body, which is available in various lengths. The nozzle body is combined with a screw-on nozzle tip, resulting in very long nozzles that can be configured to suit individual applications.

Available in nozzle lengths ranging from 79 to 404 mm in 25-mm increments, the product is sufficiently flexible to satisfy thin-wall applications such as tubs, containers or lids.

A reinforced support ring, insulating ring made of high-performance material and reinforcement of the valve pin bushing in critical areas ensure a high level of wear and pressure resistance. An additional guide ring under the nozzle tip ensures that the valve pin is guided precisely into the precentering device of the cylindrical valve gate.

The homogeneous temperature profile of the new packaging nozzle plays a pivotal role in ensuring gentle material processing and, with it, reliable production throughout millions of cycles, according to Männer. Integrated components thermally isolate the nozzles from the mold; combined with a newly developed temperature-control element, an optimal thermal balance is achieved.