“For Tomorrow’s Market”: this is the ambitious slogan with which Negri Bossi – Europe’s leading designer, producer, marketer and after-sales assistance provider for thermoplastic injection moulding machines – presents the new line of all-digital Bi-Power machines  where cutting-edge design has been blended with improved manufacturing processes and conscientious attention to detail.

Negri Bossi has already become one of the leading European suppliers of large (above 1,000 tonnes) injection moulding machines since the introduction of the Bi-Power range six years ago.

The Negri Bossi Bi-Power two platen series covers the range from 1,050 tonnes to 7,000 tonnes and can be equipped with any combination of injection unit with screw diameters from 90 mm to 260 mm.

As with all Negri Bossi machines the standard specification is very high with bi-metallic wear resistant barrels and ceramic heater bands equipped as standard. Energy efficiency remains a key factor in the specification and as with all of Negri Bossi medium sized machines the Bi-power range has an Electric screw drive as standard. This facility also enables overlapping of the plasticising phase and mould opening, without any reduction in pressures, enabling considerable reductions in cycle times on compliant moulds.

The Bi-Power project aims to reinforce not only reliability and performance but also style – and blend them according to the best traditions of Italian excellence.

The machine is equipped with an integrated and modular system with variable delivery pumps and with an inverter with vector control on the plasticizing screw rotation to provide high efficiency and full performance during overlap operations (screw rotation, mould movements and ejection or cores movements).

All the mechanical and hydraulic items of the “hydroblock” system on the four tie bars are on the moving platen with a fixed platen free from hydraulic or moving elements. Consequently, the tie bars are mounted on the fixed platen and supported on the moving plate by self-lubricating sliding bearings.

The automatic tie bars removal system is available as an option to provide flexibility during mould changes in difficult conditions, such as a low ceiling, bulky moulds, etc.

The mould thickness adjustment system makes mould adjustment faster and more precise without the need for intervention by the operator.

High stiffness platens and wide guides on the sides of the moving platen provide increased control of the parallelism between the moving and fixed platens and, consequently, the mould. This creates less wear on the moulds and provides higher closing precision. The slide area of the machine base, on which the moving platen runs, is made with hardened steel to assure maximum alignment and parallelism.

The variable flow rate servo-pump offers digital communication as well as integrated pressure and flow control. This allows high speed control and high dynamic pressure adjustment equivalent to a servo-valve performance, even in terms of precision, with clearly positive effects on machine repeatability.

The digital network among the servopumps, proportional distributor, drivers and transducers provides high communication efficiency with the machine control and also allows the monitoring and set-up of the components directly.

The high capacity PC based control with a realtime operating system and JAVA platform is another feature offered by the machine. It offers easy and intuitive adjustments (stroke, speed, pressure , temperature, etc.), increased stability, scalability and improved mobility.

The control is set-up for network connection, allowing the machine to be remotely managed, and assisted online and is mounted on a revolving arm.

The machine’s I/O system, placed in the electrical cabinet, can be set-up and managed from the PC through the CAN bus network or remotely through the AMICO system. It can also be scaled up according to the applications installed on the machine at any given time.

The bi-metallic barrel assures a wear resistant solution; the plasticizing unit is equipped with ceramic heater bands for higher energy efficiency together with high specific power.

The injection unit can be equipped with a  twin-cylinder injection assembly, the design of which is smaller than the in-line injection unit.

The cables, guided by accessible conduits, are all external to machine’s bed and, thanks, to the CANbus system, the electric cabinet is simple and easy to maintain. A magnetostrictive transducer provides a more reliable and precise machine without taxing the electronics of the control system. It's watertight seal also assures immunity to
water or oil contamination, while enhancing component reliability.

The gearbox with parallel axes and ground gears creates less noise and higher energy efficiency.

An independent hydraulic oil cooling and filtering system guarantees efficient cooling performance, even with high
incoming water temperatures, as well as the possibility to perform maintenance operations on the filters while the machine is cycling.

The machine can be equipped with a Negri Bossi integrated robot, therefore, the Cartesian “FLASH” robot with integrated control can be used and managed directly from the PC.

The machine is also provided with an electronic system that controls the actual power absorbed by the machine during cycling and a value between 33% and 100% of the installed power can be set on the screen by the operator. This function guarantees correct machine operation, even when the electric power available is less
than the installed power of the machine.