Caps and Closures

30% Savings
New stack mold technology from Mold Hotrunner Solutions® allows plastic closure manufacturers to double production of valve gated parts without having to run additional or larger injection molding machines. This leap technology exploits the untapped potential of smaller, more efficient machines by adding a second parting line to the closure mold. The patented internal valve gate design of the new Rheo-Pro® iVG™ hot runner system is what allows MHS to build back-to-back "short stacks", compact enough to fit into these smaller 180-300 ton machines.

Small Size Big Performance A standard 48+48 iVG™ stack mold running in a small 200 ton machine can produce 96 light weight bottle closures every 3 seconds or almost 3 million parts per day, making it 30% more cost efficient than a conventional 96 cavity single face hot runner system. (Image: 48+48 cavity hot half)

Cycle Time is Money
In order to lower the production cost of injection molded caps and closures, molders must increase productivity. Without investing in additional equipment, greater production output can only be achieved by reducing cycle times. However, it is impossible to cut cycle times in half on a single face mold, given the high degree of efficiency already in place. Doubling the number of parts produced by implementing a stack mold solution now makes it possible. The cost of purchasing and operating additional or larger injection molding machines, molds and controllers is substantial. If you are an end user in the packaging business and rely on plastic closures for your product, you are paying that additional cost with each part. As a molder, you are simply less competitive.

Rheo-Pro® iVG™ Hot Runner Systems for Cap and Closure Molds (Standard Options)

		32+32 Cavities 64 cavity turn-key hot runner stack mold system
		48+48 Cavities 96 cavity turn-key hot runner stack mold system
		64+64 Cavities 128 cavity turn-key hot runner stack mold system

Annual Production Rates (in Millions)

Global Demand for Caps and Closures
World demand for caps and closures is projected to rise 4.6 percent per year to upward of $40 billion in 2014. Beverages will remain the main consumers of caps and closures, but more rapid gains are expected in other markets such as food and pharmaceuticals.

Energy Savings Rheo-Pro® internal valve gates substantially improve the carbon footprint of the molding cell through increased energy efficiency in the heating of the hot runner system as well as the operation and production of smaller molds and machines. For example, energy consumption alone in a 48+48 iVG™ closure stack mold results in total cost savings of over $23,000 annually, or 56% compared to a single face mold with the same number of cavities. This does not include the additional savings in productivity gains and capital equipment that results in up to 30% lower production costs.

	Related Items
		Rheo-Pro® iVG™ Internal Valve Gate High Cavity Valve Gating Stack Molding

Single Face Molds vs Stack Molds

Double Production
Stack molds that inject parts in both directions using two parting lines are used by many molders to increase the production output of their existing molding equipment. There are no new or unknown processing factors. What makes Rheo-Pro® iVG™ hot runner systems so unique is that they don't require larger injection molding machines because of their extremely compact size. They are also maintenance free by doing away with wear items such as seals and lubricants. Molds can run millions of cycles and parts continuously, without interruption.

Compared to hot tip or thermal gate systems, valve gating not only significantly increases mold uptime, it also delivers far superior part quality and consistency. This is particularly important when molding high viscosity polyolefins for stronger parts with thinner walls.