A new all-electric injection moulding machine from Fanuc (www.fanuc.eu) has been designed to give manufacturers of precision parts faster high-quality output.

The RoboShot α-S450iA — the seventh and largest CNC- injection moulding machine made by Fanuc — has a clamping force of 4,500kN, which can be increased to 5,000kN, allowing it to be used for both precision and ‘large projected area’ components.


The 1,300mm-square platen and the tie-bar spacing of 920mm allow both large single component or multi-cavity moulds to be accommodated, while the 900mm opening stroke also allows customers to produce a variety of components using stack moulds.

The α-S450iA is also available in two injection unit sizes, to provide a broad range of screw sizes from 56 to 100mm in diameter — for shot volumes up to 2,827cm³ — allowing the machine to be used to make large mouldings for external and internal trim parts for the automotive industry, multi-cavity closure projects and containers requiring high clamping tonnages for the packaging industry, and mouldings for the medical- and pharmaceutical-device markets.

Because it uses Fanuc’s CNC system, this RoboShot machine can be upgraded with a range of ‘intelligent’ add-ons designed to protect mould system components and increase the lifespan of the machine.

For example, Precise Metering Control (PMC) functions prevent any uncontrolled volume flow from occurring between the end of the plasticising process and the decompression of the mould.

Andrew Armstrong, sales and marketing manager at Fanuc UK, added: “The AI Mould/Ejector Protection is another function that provides mould protection.

“By measuring clamp torque, this can stop the machine in the event of an obstruction, without impacting clamp closing speeds.

"The user can also programme clamp tolerances across the entire mould movement, maintaining optimum levels of control at every stage of the process.”