All-electrics, hybrids gain prominence

As Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing marks its 10th anniversary, the staff is looking back on the events and issues that shaped our coverage over our first decade. Read more of our 10 Trends for 10 Years here.

By Karen Hanna

The electrification of automobiles has had a knock-on effect for machinery manufacturers, one OEM representative told us at NPE 2024: Acceptance for all-electric processing equipment is growing.  

More than a decade ago, in a blog post, Paulson Training, Chester, Conn., already was taking notice of the transition: “Electric injection molding machines have quickly become a normal sight in many injection molding plants. After a somewhat slow start, the advantages of all-electric molding machines have accelerated their implementation. The reasons for the growing popularity of all-electrics are many. Among the most important reasons are consistency, repeatability, and accuracy.” 

While machinery makers at NPE2024 showed off all-electric IMMs and blow molding machines, OEM representatives say for many plastics parts makers, the best choice might be a best-of-everything approach: hybrids. 

By a large margin, molders running machines with under 500 tons of clamping force prefer all-electrics, said Ben Hartigan, marketing coordinator for the Absolute Group of Companies, which in North America sells Haitian IMMs as well as a line of robots. 

But at greater tonnages, the benefits are less apparent.  

It comes down to a question of preference. 

“Our advice to choose all-electric or servo-hydraulic would completely depend on the application the machine will be used for, and we advise our customer to take a serious and close look before making a decision based on market trend or feeling,” said Marko Koorneef, president of Boy Machines.