Gear Molder Eliminates Waste Material

kleiss_microgears

Kleiss Gears is incorporating the Microsystem 50 into its microgear manufacturing operations to reduce material waste.

Responding to the continuous demand for smaller precision gears, polymer gear supplier Kleiss Gears (Grantsburg, WI) has expanded its molding capabilities with the addition of a microinjection molding machine. The company had successfully molded miniature gears with conventional injection molding presses, however using that equipment to produce microgears resulted in too much waste material to make the gears cost-effective, according to the supplier. Producing almost no waste material during the molding process, the Microsystem 50 from Battenfeld Injection Molding Technologies (Torrington, CT) molds gears weighing less than 100 mg. Using less energy than traditional injection molding machines, the electric production cell also features handling, inspection, and packaging operations, all of which are performed within the unit‘s cleanroom module. By incorporating this machine into its design and manufacturing processes, the supplier has reduced costs associated with material waste and energy consumption so that it can, in turn, reduce the cost of its products and services for its customers, according to the company.