Injection molding machine manufacturer Engel Austria and technology and materials specialist Heraeus are integrating their expertise in the processing of amorphous metals.

Under the product name "Amloy", Heraeus has developed a new range of amorphous metal alloys, for which Engel has developed special injection molding machines. The 70% reduction in cycle times and the ability to mass-produce the final finished parts in a fully automated manner with hitherto incompatible properties have opened the door to new applications, such as in the automotive, aviation, medical technology, industrial, household and electronics industries.

The new Amloy product line developed by Heraeus belongs to amorphous metals, which are composed of zirconium base alloys and copper base materials, where the application of copper reduces the unit price of the material and opens up a wider range of applications. At present, Heraeus is working on Amloy alloys based on titanium, iron and platinum.

Compared to pure metals and conventional alloys, amorphous metals are characterized by an irregular amorphous structure, which makes them highly elastic while being very hard. These materials are elastic, extremely resistant to corrosion, and biocompatible according to ISO 10993-5. Combining these properties, amorphous metals are superior to steel, titanium, and many other materials.

The overall cycle time and energy consumption are significantly reduced.

Another big advantage of Amloy is that it is optimized for injection molding. For the processing of Amloy, Engel, headquartered in Schwertberg, Austria, has developed a new hydraulic injection molding machine, which is different from traditional injection molding machines for plastic processing in particular in terms of the injection process, and its biggest advantage is the uniform heating of Amloy billet. Depending on the size and geometry of the product, in a single processing step, one or more parts with very high surface quality can be produced within a cycle time of 60 to 120s and be ready for use without manual post-processing. This makes injection molding superior to traditional processes such as MIM (metal powder injection molding) and CNC. The composition of this raw material and the fully automated production process from melting to dynamic adjustment of the injection process reduce the production cycle time by 70% and the heating energy required by 40% to 60%, thus significantly improving the cost effectiveness of injection molding amorphous metals.

for processing amorphous metals

Amloy alloy is especially suitable for precision parts used in heavy machinery, as well as extremely high quality decorative components required in the automotive, aviation, medical technology, industrial, household products and electronics sectors. In these applications, replacing materials such as steel, titanium or technical plastics with Amloy eliminates the additional chrome-plating step after injection molding. All Amloy materials and injection molding machines are available to customers without a license.

The two partners, Engel and Heraeus, are expanding their expertise in amorphous metals through this collaboration. In 2015, Engel introduced its injection molding solutions for the processing of amorphous metals for the first time. Heraeus has been working on amorphous metals for about three years. Through this partnership, Heraeus is closing the production gap and is the only supplier in the world that can offer a full range of amorphous metal processing technologies including melting and forming, 3D printing and injection molding at the same time.

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