Ninkaplast GmbH, Bad Salzuflen, is a medium-sized company with many years of expertise in plastic moulding and surface finishing. The company’s production focuses on injection-moulded plastic parts, which are in particular demand from the kitchen and bathroom furniture industry. As part of Ninka’s sustainability strategy, the numerous injection molding machines in operation are continuously being replaced by more efficient ones with a significantly smaller CO2 footprint.

In the current year, investments were made in several new injection molding machines, three of which replace older machines with correspondingly high energy consumption. The two new “GX 1000-12000” injection moulding machines, each with a clamping force of 1,000 tons, operate with optimized consumption thanks to “Blue Power”. Both still have hydraulic pressure generation, but with significantly reduced energy consumption.

This is due to the machine manufacturer’s “Blue Power Servo Drive” technology, which optimizes energy consumption. Savings are between 10 and 30 percent depending on the application. In line with the energy-efficient overall concept, the newly developed press control system has a so-called “Eco Button”. This allows the injection molding machine to be set to the optimum energy level at the touch of a button. The bottom line is that each of these two replacement investments at Ninka reduces CO2 emissions by almost 28 tons per year.

An even better carbon footprint is shown by the “PX 320-2000”, Ninka’s first fully electric injection moulding machine. Here, pressure is generated purely electrically by means of servo motors without environmentally critical hydraulic oil. Electric machines are fundamentally quieter, more energy-efficient and cleaner – they allow faster and more parallel movements, which in hydraulic machines can only be achieved by multi-pump technology.

At the Bad Salzufler plastics specialists, the all-electric 320-tonne machine replaces a previous hydraulic old system with 280-tonne clamping force. And although the available pressure capacity is higher, the investment in the new, energy-efficient drive technology reduces Ninka’s CO2 emissions by a further 44 tons per year. “We are also pleased that this investment will not only reduce our ecological footprint, but will also enable us to enter completely new dimensions in terms of press precision and process dynamics,” emphasizes Managing Director Ralf Priefer.

The investment volume for the new injection molding machines will exceed EUR 2 million in 2020 and supports the sustainability strategy for the entire company. This strategy encompasses numerous facets – from building technology and logistics to materials and, as shown, machine use. Despite the current, economically uncertain phase, Ninka is continuing all planned sustainability measures undiminished under high financial commitment.