It is particularly important at the moment: everyone wants hygienic safety when using catering services. There is a simple solution for coffee on the go: your own lid for disposable and reusable cups, preferably made of silicone. Any thermoplastics processor can start production without risk, because KraussMaffei supplies turnkey systems.
Silicone is flexible, antibacterial, temperature-resistant, durable and contains no plasticisers. These properties make it the ideal raw material for the lids of coffee cups, as they can then be Easy to carry with you and clean later in the dishwasher at home. Even with deposit cup systems, the lid usually has to be bought separately for reasons of hygiene, and with disposable containers, waste can be sensibly reduced with a separate lid.
With their relatively simple geometry, items such as the cup cover are particularly suitable for thermoplastic specialists to enter into the processing of silicones. There is no need for in-house process specialists here, as complete systems from KraussMaffei provide the necessary expertise and a corresponding partner network, such as the mould maker ACH Solution and the material manufacturer Wacker Chemie, which provides temper-free low volatile formulations such as the ELASTISOL LR5040 series. The three companies are cooperating in this project to make silicones and their processing more widely available.
Silicone lid in two versions
For example, two different covers are produced on an all-electric PX 121-180 SilcoSet in a single shot: One for thick-walled porcelain cups and one for the well-known Recup deposit system, which is now widespread in many cities and regions. The article weights are 38 and 50 grams, whereby the heavier Recup lid has a special decorative feature. The attached tab can be with advertising or a small message by laser be decorated.
The biggest challenge when processing liquid silicone is its low viscosity. The mould must close extremely tightly in order to achieve a stable process, and very often a vacuum is even applied. In addition, the temperature control is reversed compared to thermoplastics. The mould is heated so that the curing process can start at all.
Perfect seal between dosing and injection unit
On the machine side, perfect sealing of the dosing and injection unit is also important. As silicones are subject to comparatively large batch fluctuations and the resulting process fluctuations, particular attention must also be paid to the weight consistency of the manufactured components. The APC plus machine function determines the viscosity during ongoing production of the material and equalises the filling volume from shot to shot in the cycle. After removal and camera inspection for complete demoulding and geometric correctness, the coffee lids are immediately ready for use without tempering.
[infotext icon]KraussMaffei is one of the world's leading manufacturers of machines and systems for the production and processing of plastics and rubber. Its range of products and services includes injection moulding, extrusion and reaction process machinery. The company employs around 5,000 people worldwide. With more than 30 subsidiaries and over 10 production sites as well as around 570 trade and service partners, it is represented internationally close to its customers. The headquarters have been in Munich since 1838[/infotext].Source: KrausMaffei
