Manufacturing the Future: Special Edition | Page 17

COMPRESSION MOLDING PRESS SOLUTIONS Creative Problem Solving As the popularity for lightweight thermoformed parts increases , so does demand for presses with heating and cooling capabilities . Once reserved for specialized aerospace applications , compression molding presses are now used across a variety of industries to form parts from essentially any material including metal alloys , fiber-reinforced plastics , composites , and rubber .

Beckwood ’ s compression molding presses are highly sophisticated manufacturing solutions engineered to maximize process efficiency . From maintaining the constant application of heat throughout a specified dwell period , to precision pressure ramping , managing burp cycles , and collecting specific cycle data for part quality verification , Beckwood heated presses help you perfect your forming operation .
Advanced Process & Temperature Control Leveraging decades of heated platen press manufacturing experience , Beckwood is an expert in both temperature and process control . Our comprehensive understanding of the application coupled with our extensive knowledge about various heating methods ( electric , steam , oil , etc .) make us the ideal partner for compression molding projects .
To ensure absolute temperature uniformity across the entire platen , we utilize multi-zone electric heaters which evenly divide working surface into sections that can be controlled independently . Advanced pre-heating , ramping , soaking , and cooling sequences can be programmed in the recipe handling system and accessed ondemand for process continuity .
Additionally , Beckwood ’ s modern Data Acquisition System is capable of recording and storing time , temperature , pressure , position , and many other process-specific parameters for use during new part development .
Flexible Options to Improve Efficiency
• Electric , steam , or hot oil heating systems available upon request
• Bed shuttles , booking rams , magnetic platens , and other quick die change options increase through-put and decrease mold handling
• Variable Frequency Drives ( VFDs ) draw energy ‘ on demand ’ by rotating the motor only when needed , reducing noise and energy consumption
• Pneumatic Dwell Systems maintain pressure by turning off the primary electric motor during long dwell cycles , reducing power consumption and noise
• Proprietary Active Leveling Control technology provides precise bedto-ram parallelism to counteract the effects off-center loading , significant breakthrough shock , and reverse shock loading
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