Boy turns 50, launching next hybrid press at NPE | Plastics News

Boy Machines Inc. (W2101), the sister company of the German machine manufacturer Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG, will showcase six injection molding machines at NPE2024 with emphasis on digitization, automation and the growing interconnectedness of the plastics industry.

As the Exton, Pa.-based company marks its 50th anniversary in the U.S. this year, it is putting a spotlight on its E-series injection molding machines, which company officials said are highly energy-efficient and reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared with presses using older technologies.

Boy's newest machine, the 60E, a hybrid with electromechanical drive units for injection and dosing, will be at NPE2024 along with a press from the XS-E series, which was introduced in Germany at K 2022 and is making its North American debut, and a 35EVV with a shuttle table.

The Boy XS E has an efficient servo drive and patented control, the Procan Alpha 6. It will process liquid silicone bottle caps with partners Nexus Elastomer Systems Inc., Kipe Molds and Shin-Etsu.

In another development, the Procan Alpha 6 control system is equipped with new visualization and symbolism features. It will gradually replace the current Procan Alpha 4 control system.

A Boy 35E-VV will be shown with a sliding table intended for tool loading during process downtimes while another Boy 35E-VV will be part of an automation cell connected to an insert molding application producing T-handles with different bits.

In the work cell, metal insert parts will be overmolded into T-shaped handles, removed from the mold by the LR5 and fed to an assembly automation. There, the four bits selected by the visitor will be inserted into the plastic handle. The assembled set then will be placed by the LR5 onto a conveyor belt, and the visitor will receive a self-configured set of tools.

The machine builder also will show the Boy 125E, which is its largest press with an installation area of only 56.19 square feet. It will produce reusable lids.

In addition, Boy will present its in-house development of a new cooling water distribution system, which will become standard on all injection molding machines. The set flow rate is digitally recorded and displayed on the machine's screen. The preset target quantities and tolerances are visualized, monitored and recorded in the process data. This can also be implemented for the return temperature.

Another innovation related to the electromechanical ejector enables motion independent of hydraulics. Two operating modes are possible that couple either with an automated gripper hand or the opening stroke of the mold.

"This ensures that the molded part experiences no horizontal acceleration during extraction from the mold," a news release said.

The electromechanical injection unit enables simultaneous operation without the use of a double pump. "The servo motor drive for injection and retraction of the screw operates independently of the machine hydraulics, which is particularly advantageous for short cycle times and high dosing quantities," the release said.

All the Boy machines exhibited will be connected to an operational data acquisition system and interface with a manufacturing execution system that covers three central functions for production planning, quality control and operating cost control.

Machine settings, operating parameters and production data, such as injection quantities, temperatures, pressures and more, then can be captured and reused.

Boy offers a personal digital assistant that can be connected to a phone or tablet with an interface kit option for information about temperature control units and dryers that includes license fees.

"The ability to access a Boy injection molding machine from anywhere, around the clock, during ongoing production, is particularly advantageous for employees in a two-or three-shift operation," said Thomas Kühr, head of Boy electrical design, in the release. "However, this access is not limited to machine operators alone. Other departments such as production planning, purchasing, costing, etc., directly benefit from the data."

Founded in 1968, the machine builder has delivered more than 50,000 Boy presses worldwide. In the U.S., Boy Machinery Inc. opened 50 years ago, starting out in White Plains, N.Y.

Boy Machines Inc. W2101

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