Lower temperatures
The presentation reports hot runner settings reduced from 430°F to 380°F, with barrel temperatures reduced by approximately 30°F.
CASE STUDY / AUTOMOTIVE SEATING
A cooler process.
A 39-second cycle.
Hot runner insulation and targeted process changes helped reduce the reported cycle of an automotive seat trim ring from 44 to 39 seconds on the existing hydraulic press.
STS project results reported June 29, 2023. Source: Trim Ring Strategy presentation, February 2024.
11.4%Cycle-time reduction: 44 → 39 seconds
28%Combined pack/hold + cooling: 25 → 18 seconds
50°F lowerReported hot runner setting: 430 → 380°F
01 / BASELINE & APPLICATION
Start with the whole process.
The project involved a two-cavity automotive seat trim-ring mold running on a hydraulic injection molding press. The review covered material processing temperatures, the hot runner, barrel settings and each part of the production cycle.
STS’s summary used a 44-second baseline and identified pack/hold as the main process parameter to target.
02 / DESIGN & INSTALLATION
Fit the insulation
to the mold.
The retrofit plan documented the mold geometry, side and vertical clearances, and the inlet and two hot-drop insulation dimensions. The insulation configuration was developed around that physical envelope.
This design review establishes where insulation can be installed while preserving fit and access.
03 / PROCESS OPTIMIZATION
Change the settings.
Track each component of the cycle.
Rebalance the process
Injection and screw recovery were slowed while pack/hold time was reduced. The objective was a better complete cycle, rather than simply increasing every motion speed.
Check the new process
The study recorded the original and revised process values. A project’s acceptance should also document part-quality results against its specifications.
04 / REPORTED RESULTS
Five seconds off the total cycle.
| Measure | Baseline | Optimized |
|---|---|---|
| Total cycle | 44 seconds | 39 seconds |
| Pack / hold | 15 seconds | 8 seconds |
| Cooling / cure component | 10 seconds | 10 seconds |
| Combined pack/hold + cooling | 25 seconds | 18 seconds |
| Hot runner setting | 430°F | 380°F |
The presentation labels the combined 25-to-18-second interval “total cooling.” Its breakdown shows the reduction in pack/hold; the 10-second cooling/cure component is unchanged. Reductions above are calculated from the rounded STS summary values. Process screenshots contain individual cycles that vary around those values.
05 / BUSINESS CASE & NEXT STEPS
Separate achieved gains
from future opportunities.
The achieved result reported in the study was a 39-second cycle, with the hydraulic machine identified as the remaining constraint.
A 30-second cycle was a prospective target associated with further machine and process changes. It was not an achieved result of this retrofit.
Financial, energy and carbon impacts should be calculated from reconciled production volumes, machine-hour assumptions and measured energy. A shorter cycle alone does not establish a measured energy-saving percentage.
This is one application, not a guarantee of performance on every mold. The supplied study does not include a quantified before-and-after part-quality acceptance report.
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR PROCESS