KraussMaffei delivers Switzerland’s largest injection molding machine

Munich, Germany – Switzerland’s Georg Utz AG commissioned the country’s largest injection molding machine, a KraussMaffei MX 4000-75000.

The heavyweight machinery traveled on a total of 22 trucks from Munich to Bremgarten (about 15 kilometers west of Zurich): one for the machine bed, each platen, one per two tiebars and one each for many other components. After 12 weeks of set-up, the MX 4000 went online on the requested target date and replaced an older machine with a clamping force of 27,000 kN that was energy-inefficient, offered limited technical options, had only a simple linear robot and had insufficient energy efficiency.

The new model features a sophisticated two-story automation system that implements the subsequent process steps such as the application of RFIDs, IML barcodes and logos plus post-processing and quality assurance within the cycle time. The two KraussMaffei LRX robots right at the machine have twelve-meter-long Z-axes and thus a particularly large working radius. Utz will take advantage of the ability provided by the MX 4000 to use stack and multi-cavity molds and thus increase production volume. The globally active family-owned company runs three shifts at its plant on the new MX 4000, producing approximately 20 different products with weights of up to 50 kilograms, including pallets, boxes and PALOXEs. The material is usually a polyolefin such as PP or HDPE, but ABS or technical plastics are also sometimes used.