Milacron Renews Exclusive Partnership with Barr Inc.

Milacron Injection Molding & Extrusion is a leading industrial technology company that is committed to helping customers tackle challenging plastics processing applications through extending its exclusive partnership to offer screw designs by Robert Barr, Inc. Barr ET and VBET screws are available on new Milacron machines, or as aftermarket products from Milacron’s ServTek business.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Barr. Together, we have delivered superior products and innovative solutions to solve complex processing issues and drive customer performance,” said Mac Jones, president of Milacron Injection Molding & Extrusion. “We value strategic partnerships like this, that link both Milacron and Barr’s deep industry expertise while adapting to new obstacles in our industry.”

The energy transfer (ET) screw has a patented low-shear solid/melt mixing section that provides faster melting and better energy efficiency. The patented newer variable-barrier energy transfer (VBET) screw has a much longer solid/melt mixing zone, to significantly increase energy efficiency, eliminate hot spots, and produce an exceptional, uniform melt.

These custom-designed screws can enhance performance and increase productivity on any model of Milacron Injection Molding Machine, new or used. The company prides itself on continuing this partnership to provide innovative technologies for customers and sustainability initiatives as the plastics industry evolves.

Typical barrier screws largely keep the unmelted and melted resin separated, with a narrow barrier flight. This design generates higher melt temperatures and requires additional cooling of the molten polymer downstream. The Barr VBET keeps the unmelted pellets mixing with fresh melt, yielding significantly higher melting rates because its surface area for unmelted pellets far exceeds the solid bed surface area of a conventional screw.

 

The Barr VBET screw channel is divided into two sub-channels. The unmelted pellets continuously shift their positions as they circulate from one sub-channel into another sub-channel along the screw. A pellet in the surface layer of one sub-channel ends up in the center layer of the other sub-channel. This solid/melt flow mechanism gives uniform melt quality and uniform melt temperature by continuously mixing the melt and eliminating undesirable hot spots inside the screw channel.

Injection molding screw geometry needs to match the resin and applications to yield the best parts. The higher the melt and shear curve of materials are accommodated, the greater the opportunity to achieve a high quality, homogenous isothermal melt quality. Barr’s VBET screw is just one component that Milacron offers to help reach more sustainable plastics processing. The VBET screw can handle various types of engineered bio-resins and bio-based resins.

These screws can be custom designed for many kinds of resin and mold applications. Milacron is taking steps to perform developmental testing on Barr screws to provide the best feedback for customers and apply that knowledge to applications in their manufacturing facilities. Milacron’s ServTek team can accommodate the process of retrofitting these screws into any injection molding machine.

“I’m extremely pleased and excited to see this long-term relationship between our companies continue. The benefits of providing this leading-edge technology in feedscrew design along with the vast knowledge and years of experience Jeff Myers brings, in my mind, has certainly allowed us to provide another level of service to our customers,” said Ritch Waterfield, manager of application solutions for Milacron Aftermarket. “I’m also looking forward to the new year because collectively we have plans and commitments to provide additional new and exciting services that will further enhance our current feedscrew technology offerings, which I believe our customers will find very beneficial.”

Milacron continues to push the boundaries of possibilities in plastics with breakthrough products. To find out more about Barr VBET Screws offered, contact generalparts@milacron.com.