October 1, 2014
Dear Colleague,
- Bigger Isn’t Always Better – In Fact, Sometimes It’s Not Even Close To Being As Good
- Truly Affordable, Truly Rapid Prototyping
- This Baby is Really a Horse – A Production Workhorse
(Chicago - IMTS 2014) The Babyplast 610P-Horizontal was again on the road injecting 3-D printed prototype molds at the truly massive IMTS show in early September. Teaming up with 3-D Printer Maker, Stratasys, ALBA demonstrated how Printed Injection Mold Tools (PIMT) create rapid-prototyping leading to dramatic reductions in both time and money. Part iterations are possible in hours instead of weeks at a cost of hundreds instead of thousands of dollars. We call this a paradigm shift.
Yet, the Babyplast IMM is more than just a prototype tool; indeed, the majority of its applications are as a robust workhorse production IMM.
Why do molders love Babyplast? Let us count the ways …
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The initial purchase cost of Babyplast is a fraction of that of larger machines that are simply overkill for many applications. |
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The ongoing running cost of Babyplast are much lower as right-sizing your machine saves energy and cuts your monthly electrical bill. |
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Material costs are lower with Babyplast because reduced sprue size, runner length, and residence time creates less material waste – a valuable feature when molding with expensive engineering-grade thermoplastics. |
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Mold construction costs are lower with Babyplast because smaller molds can be made faster and with much less steel than conventionally-sized molds. |
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Labor costs are lower with Babyplast because the machine is simple, easy to use, and set-up times are only three-to-five minutes (which also reduces machine downtime). |
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The low-cost of Babyplast eliminates the need to recoup a large capital investment in complex, high-cavitation molds. |
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The combined effect of these benefits is that previously uneconomical, small-run jobs are now viable with Babyplast. |
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Babyplast is user friendly, and do-it-yourself maintenance is very easy for customers. This reduces repair costs and machine down time considerably. And, of course, expert telephone and e-mail support is available as needed from ALBA. |
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Babyplast spare parts cost less than those for large machines. For example, if a Babyplast injection piston and chamber needs to be changed, the parts will cost only about $500, and the work can be done by the customer in 30 minutes. How much does a screw cost on a standard machine and how much would it cost in labor to replace it? |
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And, whether printed or steel, Babyplast molds are light in weight. Even steel production molds can easily be held in one’s hands. |
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Materials run by Babyplast include PP, PS, PE, ABS, PA, POLYESTER, PEEK, TPE, PC, POM, PBT, PPS, PPO, LCP, LSR, thermo rubber, ceramic, metal sinter, and wax. |
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Babyplast has a small physical footprint that allows for easy placement within your existing factory layout. |
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In addition to standard production, Babyplast can be used in clean-room applications. |
In sum, Babyplast is a robust micro IMM with more than 10,000 current applications in the fields of medicine, electronics, telecommunications, automobiles, toys, promotional products, cosmetics, and jewelry. Please contact us for more information about how ALBA can help you further investigate whether Babyplast is the right machine for your injection molding needs.
Warm regards,
Rich McGranahan
Senior Product Manager
ALBA Enterprises
10260 Indiana Court
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-941-0600 Office
Richard.McGranahan@albaent.com
www.albaent.com 
