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Engel is partnering with to optimize technologies for polyureuthane (PUR) flooding (or inmold painting) to enable industrial applications to achieve even higher quality and efficiency. This partnership brings together Engel’s expertise as a manufacturer of injection molding machines with Cannon’s capabilities in mixing and metering technology for reactive processes such as PUR or resin transfer molding (RTM).

The focus of the collaboration is Engel’s clearmelt process, which combines traditional thermoplastic injection molding of a substrate, which is then coated with a durable PUR surface via a separate reaction injection molding (RIM) process in the same machine. The companies say the addition of Cannon’s precise metering and mixing technology will optimize the process’s reliability and efficiency.

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Now, customers can utilize clearmelt with a coordinated technology that enables the efficient and economical integration of PUR into industrial manufacturing processes to produce high-quality surfaces from polyurethane.

An Engel spokesperson told Plastics Technology that one example of this partnership is the full integration of the Cannon PUR system with Engel’s CC300 and CC300 plus control units. This means that operators don’t have to jump between two control units when setting up a process. Also, when all the processes happens in one unit, it makes it easier to handle the correlating data. 

The companies collaborated on Engel’s duo 5500 combi M, which may be the world’s largest injection molding cell with a PUR system for clearmelt. It was commissioned last year at the Engel technical center in Saint Valentin, Austria, where customers can conduct practical tests with various PUR color variants. According to Cannon, this partnership offers further benefits as its dosing machines and high-pressure mixing heads are well suited for applying high-quality transparent or colored RIM coatings.

The combination of Engel’s duo 5500 combi M and the precise metering and mixing technology from Cannon is designed to ensure maximum process stability and flexibility. Cannon’s PUR system provides precise and efficient material supply, which is now is integrated into Engel’s CC300 machine control system to ensure ease of use and maximum automation of the process. This not only speeds up the production chain but also improves the overall quality of the final products.

In addition to technological capability, the companies say the collaboration also emphasizes customer service to ensure comprehensive support in all key global markets. Customers can benefit from strong after-sales and application support, which can assist in integrating the technology into existing production processes. 

Engel says the partnership builds on its decades of injection molding experience by working with Cannon to combine their expertise and leverage synergies to further develop new solutions for their customers utilizing PUR technology. In addition, Cannon notes that it is also still able to attach other supplier PUR systems to its machines in production cells.