Technology & solutions
StackTeck showcases first-ever use of ultra-thin TRIM technology for single-serve cups in Mexico
By: Clare Goldsberry in Packaging, Injection Molding
StackTechStackTeck (Brampton, ON, Canada), a manufacturer of a range of injection molds used to produce plastic caps, closures, medical parts and thin-wall packaging, showcased one of its precision molds and its enhanced Thin Recess Injection Molding (TRIP) technology for ultra-lightweight packaging for single-serve applications at Expo Plasticos in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Introduced in 2014, the company’s TRIM technology for molding thin-wall parts has since found numerous packaging applications. Ultra-thin evenly spaced panels covering 90% of the overall surface area of the part allow lightweighting while retaining structural integrity. Conventional thin-wall part designs molded in high-cavitation systems are typically limited to a length of flow to average thickness (L/T) ratio of 300 or less. By using TRIM, however, the ultra-thin panels can be molded at a thickness corresponding to an L/T of 600. Pushed to the limit, TRIM technology has been demonstrated to lightweight conventional thin-wall designs by 30 to 40% of part weight.
TRIM technology applied to single-serve applications allows downstream printing in an area that can cover 75% of the part’s side walls, which translates into the lowest-possible-cost injection molding option. A four-cavity TRIM mold for a 200-ml round cup was running in a high-performance Arburg molding machine at Expo Plasticos.
“We were excited to introduce this enhanced ultra-thin technology in Mexico for the first time,” said Christopher Day, Business Manager for Mexico and Latin America. “Visitors at Expo Plasticos saw firsthand how to mold a cup that has 0.008-inch-thick panels, offering the lowest possible cost with printable capabilities, while keeping IML as an option for this type of application.
“We supported early IML systems in Mexico and continue to see significant growth,” added Day. “At the NPE shows in 2003 and 2006, we integrated turnkey IML systems at StackTeck, took them to the shows and from there shipped them to Mexico for production startups.”
