Machinery and mould manufacturer Persico (Nembro / Italy; www.persico.com) has developed what it claims to be the world´s first fully automated rotational moulding system. "Leonardo", as the machinery series is called, is said to be able to load and unload parts without manual assistance. Heating and cooling of the mould are claimed to be faster and energy consumption lower.

In the traditional production method, the moulds are rotated in large ovens heated to a temperature of 177 °C. After heating, the moulds are sprayed with water to cool them to a temperature at which the part can be demoulded. Up to now, the combination of extreme temperatures and direct water cooling has made standard methods of automation such as hydraulics and pneumatics impossible, Persico says. Apart from that, only materials that have a large processing window, such as polyethylene and PVC, could be used.

Leonardo permits both the heating and cooling to be applied directly to the mould in a temperature-controlled closed-loop system, which apparently reduces energy consumption considerably. With controlled process temperatures, the new machinery provides the ability to mould materials such as PP and other thermoplastics. The rotational moulding system is able to load and unload automatically. Persico claims that a single operator can control four to eight machines, as is usually the case with injection moulding or extrusion. In addition, the required floor space for machinery is significantly reduced, as Leonardo takes up a quarter of the space needed for a traditional carousel machine.