Ferromatik Milacron and Offenburg University of Applied Sciences Collaborate on Research

Offenburg University of Applied Sciences recently spent two days at injection moulding machine builder Ferromatik Milacron in Malterdingen, Germany, performing machine acceptance tests. The Elektra 50 all-electric injection moulding machine from Ferromatik Milacron will be used at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences next semester in the new “Mechanical Engineering/Materials Engineering” course. More than 100 students every year will be able to benefit from a programme that uses the latest in machine technology. All-electric machines are particularly environmentally-friendly, since they use 50 to 70% less power and water than conventional hydraulic machines. The Elektra 50 has a clamping force of 500 kN and can be used to produce small plastic parts for the medical, packaging or consumer goods industries.

“We are delighted to be able to support the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences in their commitment to state-of-the-art and energy-efficient technologies. This is the best way to develop the next generation of professionals for the industry,” said Gerold Schley, Managing Director of Ferromatik Milacron & Vice President of China Operations. “The partnership between Offenburg University and Ferromatik Milacron goes back many years, last but not least because of our close proximity. This research collaboration represents a continuation of that relationship,” explained Winfried Stöcklin, Director Operations at Ferromatik Milacron and a graduate of Offenburg University himself.

At Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, students will be working with the Elektra 50 to learn how to set up and programme a machine and also learn how to deploy newly-developed plastics granules with special additives and fillers that enhance the service properties of the finished part. The  injection moulding process can be simulated directly on the machine, and the process parameters can be validated. In addition, new production technologies, such as the use of rapid prototyping for the production of mould inserts, can be verified. In this way, students will be able to work their way through the entire process chain in the development of an injection mould, from the design to simulation and optimisation, through to the finished end product.

“On behalf of Offenburg University of Applied Sciences and our faculty, I would like to thank Ferromatik Milacron for their support in our acquisition of the injection moulding machine,” said Professor Alfred Isele, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Process Engineering. “Giving students the opportunity to learn how to use the Elektra 50 is of immense importance for them and their subsequent professional life. The university will thus be able to offer its growing number of students an education of the highest caliber.”

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Tags: Elektra 50, Ferromatik Milacron, injection molding, Offenburg University of Applied Sciences