Cube Mold Technology

Turn it around any way you like.

Milacron launched its stack-turning mold technology in the 1970s. The process was rediscovered at the end of the 1990s and successfully developed further with Foboha for cube and twin cube technology. Since its introduction, more than 180 production systems have been delivered, confirming its impressive abilities in real-time daily production. Stack-turning mold technology is an economically attractive alternative to established systems and has penetrated the market.

In conventional stack-turning mold technology, the turning unit vertically rotates a stack mold with two mold faces by 180°. This turning unit generally acts like a turntable for various molds. The drive for the rotary action is usually integrated in the lower turning unit and can be powered either hydraulically or electrically. Depending on mold size and weight, the turning time for a 180° rotation lies between 1.0 and 1.6 sec. A substrate is molded on the first face which is over-molded by the second component in the second face. During this time the substrate of the next cycle is already being molded in the initial face.

The advantages of stack-turning mold technology are obvious: it offers twice the number of cavities in the mold and hence doubles the output. An injection-molding machine with half the clamping force is therefore sufficient to produce the same quantity, resulting in lower capital costs and space requirements. At the same time, the symmetrical forces also ensure the long service life of the machine and mold, even with different projected areas between substrate and finished parts.

The next step in conventional stack-turning mold technology is cube technology, where a cube mold with four identical core sides is turned by 90°. The turning time for a 90° rotation is between 0.4 and 0.8 sec.

Cube technology is a quantum leap in stack-turning mold technology and offers a broad range of new possibilities. For example, additional steps can be performed simultaneously to the injection molding process in the free outer positions of the cube mold, on the operator and non-operator side of the machine: post-cooling of substrate or finished parts, insertion of labels or foils, quality control measurements or ejection. This feature considerably reduces cycle times and part costs.

Cube technology is not only limited to multi-component parts, but also means economic advantages for single-component parts. For example, the cube mold can be rotated forward and backward and eject parts on both the operator and non-operator side of the machine, which doubles the production quantity.

The current state of development is reflected in the twin cube mold: here two cubes with four sides each rotate by 90°. Twin cube technology offers the same advantages as stack-turning mold and cube technology. In addition, in the middle position, the twin cube permits the automatic assembly of parts without lengthening the cycle time.

Our application engineers have in-depth experience in the uses of cube technology and will gladly advise you.