Shown above is a bank of four 30 ton compression molding presses designed specifically for molding Orthopaedic parts. The presses have many innovative features and can operate independent of each other using a common hydraulic power pack and control system. The double daylight presses were built for molding a thermoplastic orthopaedic device. The press is capable of pressure and temperature ramping. The press tonnage can be adjusted from 0.25 tons to 30 tons with an accuracy of plus or minus 200 pounds. A dual range tonnage selector uses unique hydraulics that provide the equivalent of being able to switch between 5” and 3” diameter clamp cylinders for improved resolution. The programmable opening and closing positions and speeds are sensed by a linear displacement transducer attached to each clamping unit. The electrically heated platens are drilled for fluid heating and cooling. The rate of heating and cooling can be programmed.
The control system features an HMI with an integrated computer. The controller provides the operator with real time process monitoring of parameters such as clamp pressure, position, and mold temperatures. Hundreds of recipes can be stored onto and uploaded from the user’s central server via an Ethernet connection. The recipes can also be stored and uploaded from the HMI. A key feature of the control system is the ability to collect data from each press and send that data via Ethernet to the users server. The user can program which data is to be collected and the frequency at which it is collected.
LMG also builds a wide range of vacuum presses that can incorporate any of the features mentioned above.