Servo pump solution for higher efficiency

Hürmak, the Turkish market leader in plastic injection molding machines, has been able to achieve higher energy efficiency, reproducibility, and product stability in its machines thanks to the servo pump solution from its automation partner Baumüller.

The latest generation of Hürmak plastics machines operates with an efficient Baumüller servo pump solution / Photo: Hürmak

The Turkish company Hürmak Plastik Oto. Mak. İmalat San. ve Tic. Tic. A.Ş is a market-leading manufacturer in the plastics industry and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. The company aims to conquer foreign markets with efficient high-tech plastic injection molding machines. Hürmak has selected Baumüller – a company with many years of experience in the plastics industry – as a supplier. Hürmak’s latest generation of plastics machines uses a Baumüller servo pump solution that, according to Hürmak’s deputy CEO Burç Angan, has not only made a significant improvement to energy efficiency, but has also increased machine performance, reproducibility, and product stability.

New generation of plastic injection molding machines

Burç Angan, Deputy Chairman of Hürmak / Photo: Hürmak

Initially focusing mainly on the domestic market, Hürmak has been producing plastic injection molding machines since 1969. Since 2010, however, the company has been increasingly concentrating on machines for export. This approach is now being advanced further with a new generation of injection molding machines. With this new machine series, the manufacturer is positioning itself in the mid-range segment of the plastic injection molding machine market, in which Italian companies in particular have played a major role in recent years. Hürmak has set itself the goal of successfully serving this market with its new plastic injection molding machine series in cooperation with leading European suppliers, such as Baumüller.

Servo pump solution optimizes hydraulic machine

In order to save energy, Hürmak has taken a close look at the production process for plastic injection molding machines. If production requires a high level of power at certain points in the process and this results in fluctuations in the power requirement, hydraulic drives are not a very energy-efficient option, as here the motor runs continuously during operation. With the Baumüller servo pump solution, the motor is only in operation when it is really needed. The fast control can guarantee this in just 125 microseconds. This allows the use of an optimized motor with lower power consumption to generate the required power, thereby significantly improving energy efficiency.

With its servo pump solution, Baumüller combines the advantages of hydraulic power transmission with the benefits of electric servo drive technology

Özgür Demirbaş, Sales Manager Baumüller Turkey:“Together with Hürmak, Baumüller has optimized the servo pump for the desired application. With the servo pump, the motor output reaches 2.5 to 3 times its nominal value. For machines with a high clamping force, the energy efficiency can generally be increased by 30% to 60%, in some cases even up to 80%.”

Another advantage is the reliability of the servo pump with respect to reproducibility. This means that end customers always achieve the same quality in their products, as they can attain the same pressure level at any time.

With its servo pump solution, Baumüller has further optimized our new machine series. In terms of machine performance and product stability, we receive very positive feedback from our end customers. In an application with a shot weight of 320 g, we get very high reproducibility, even with a part weight of 2–3 g.

Burç Angan, Deputy Chairman of Hürmak

Reaching the goal together

Burç Angan, Hürmak’s Deputy Chairman: “When it comes to machines, the motor has an influence on everything – starting with precision, noise, performance, and energy efficiency. We are constantly developing our machines further, and Baumüller provides us with optimum support every step of the way. Baumüller has a very special status at our company. Normally, we work with two suppliers in all areas, but Baumüller has been our sole supplier in the field of drive solutions for the past three years. This is the result of mutual trust.”

Hürmak is currently working with Baumüller on three other projects in order to further optimize the product range together in these areas, as well. For example, a new electric drive solution is in development for the gripper system for removing the end products from the injection molding machines. The second project involves a 3-axis handling system by Hürmak, and the aim of the third project is to equip the ejector of the plastic injection molding machine with a direct electric drive.

Hürmak and Baumüller will therefore continue to work together in the future, strengthening the successful and trusting partnership between the two companies.

_{Article based on the interview with Burç Angan, Deputy Chairman of Hürmak, Özgür Demirbaş, Sales Manager Baumüller Turkey, and Erkan Akkartal, Technical Advisor at Baumüller Turkey. The full interview was published in December 2018 in the trade journal ST OTOMASYON.}