TABLE OF CONTENTS Multi-material and assisted moulding are two of the fastest growing sectors of the injection moulding industry and all major machine manufacturers such as ARBURG, Battenfeld, Demag, Engel and Ferromatik Milacron, offer multi-material machine capability. Gas and water assisted moulding tend to be less readily available, and more specialised. These technologies very often require licences. The development of gas technology being heavily patented by the industry.
The trend towards multi-material moulding has been pushed by the growing importance of added value manufacture to give moulders commercial advantages over their rivals. An increase in the importance of material recycling has also aided the growth in co-injection technologies, where encapsulation enables recyclate materials to be used.
A further factor pushing the popularity of advanced moulding techniques in Europe has been the transfer of much of the region's traditional trade moulding market to the cheaper manufacturing sectors of the Far East. To combat the increased competition, trade moulders have sought more technically challenging markets as a means of survival, as much of the traditional standard injection moulding market has been and continues to be contracted out to the Far Eastern moulders. The more technically advanced processes however, can often be done more efficiently and with higher quality by established multi-material toolmakers and moulding shops in Europe.
Whilst German manufacturers have been quick to invest in multi-material moulding technologies, moulders in the UK, the rest of Europe and the USA have taken longer to realise the potential advantages in these technologies. However,...
