By Roger Renstrom
CORRESPONDENT
Published: February 14, 2014 1:00 pm ET
Updated: February 14, 2014 1:04 pm ET
Image By: Engel
Using an Elmet mold on a 55-ton e-mac, Engel produced a translucent polypropylene soap dish with a directly molded-on silicone support base using an ultraviolet vulcanization process.
ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Engel Machinery Inc. is installing e-mac presses in Minnesota, other U.S. locations, Mexico's Ciudad Juarez and eastern Canada fulfilling initial North American orders for the all-electric injection molding machine.
Engel operated a 55-ton e-mac at the Plastec West trade show, held Feb. 11-13 in Anaheim. E-mac sizes range from 55-195 tons.
Engel produced a soap dish of translucent polypropylene with a directly molded-on liquid silicone rubber support base utilizing the ultraviolet vulcanization process.
Engel ran a single-cavity precision mold and dosing system from Elmet's Oftering, Austria, facility and used UV-curing silicone from Momentive Performance Materials Inc. of Columbus, Ohio.
The Elmet system utilizes translucent plastic inserts for UV light and integrates light-emitting-diode UV lamps into the mold for curing the silicone.
The e-mac is the successor to Engel's e-max machine, which was conceptually developed in 2007. Engel is ceasing production of the e-max machine.
Engel obtained the European Economic Area's CE marking for the e-mac in June 2012 and, outside North America, has sold about 170 of the presses, mostly in Europe and Asia.
It took until Aug. 29, 2013, to gain certification for the e-mac from the safety testing organization UL LLC of Northbrook, Ill.
In addition to LSR and UV vulcanization, Engel can equip the fully modular e-mac to run other special processes such as PVC.
In comparison with the e-max line, the e-mac incorporates the Engel CC 200 control unit for integration of machine robot requirements, increases the scope of operation and offers a compact all-electric machine while retaining the e-max performance and precision requirements. With the mid-priced e-mac, Engel targets applications where the electric machine does not need to perform for extreme applications.
Engel Machinery of York, Pa., is the North American unit of machinery manufacturer Engel Holdings GmbH of Schwertberg, Austria. | 
