ENGEL Global

Production of injection molding plastic boxes, crates and bins

A conversation with Vanessa Malena and Franco Pettine from ENGEL North America

Learn more about the production of injection molding plastic boxes, crates and bins for storage or logistics from our Technical Molding experts in North America.

Picture shows Vanessa Malena (Regional Vice President North-East & Mid-West, ENGEL North America) and Franco Pettine (Key Account Manager Technical Molding, ENGEL North America) from ENGEL North America sharing their market insights.

Do you see a trend in the market for storage containers and totes, shipping crates and stackable bins?

Vanessa Malena: We definitely have a lot of requests in that area. There is a higher demand for these products with increased online orders and shipments from all sorts of businesses.

Franco Pettine: And very similar items are used for organizing your home. During the pandemic, people are working from home and in many cases must rearrange living space, closets and even garages to accommodate for an office area. Also, with people in quarantine, many are organizing and decluttering areas like kitchens, playrooms, and basements which is driving up the demand for these types of product.

What are the requirements of the industry to meet this demand for injection molding plastic boxes, crates and bins?

Vanessa Malena: The manufacturers of storage containers, storage totes, shipping crates and stackable bins need a stable performing machine. That is independent of the size or design of the product.

Cross-section of a plastic bin | ENGEL
Plastic crate | ENGEL
Plastic box | ENGEL
Injection moulded plastic box | ENGEL
Box made out of plastic | ENGEL

Where do you see ENGEL having advantages for the injection molders in the storage containers, storage totes, shipping crates and stackable bins markets?

Franco Pettine: All industries have different requirements regarding materials, sizes, part performance, etc. We have a large portfolio of injection molding machinery and automation to find the perfect solution for each individual end product. With our large hydraulic duo machines, we have a great product offering that includes a wide range of injection and clamping unit combinations. The machine design has been proven and enhanced over decades. This guarantees stable and reliable operation with the latest controller technology and a variety of smart manufacturing solutions. Not only that, but robots, automation, hot runners, and other auxiliaries can be integrated through the machine controller.

Clean oil with constant quality and viscosity is critical for injection molding plastic boxes, crates and bins . Incorporating our Oil Maintenance unit reduces your maintenance costs and unplanned machine downtime. Less downtime, less maintenance leads to increased productivity in your plant.

There have been new developments to not only make our large hydraulic duo machines faster, but we also added a lot of features to accommodate for the requirements of this market segment (e.g. re-enforced platens, increased clamp speeds). We also offer specific screw designs to produce shipping and household storage containers, storage totes, shipping crates and stackable bins like the ones we are talking about in this interview. These screw designs are for high plasticizing performance and fast recovery rates. Even though there is a high demand, there is still pressure on the costs of the final product. We know that you need high cycle times, and consistent high-quality output.

Vanessa Malena: Whether you are thinking about linear or articulated robots for part removal, you do not have to deal with separate automation companies. ENGEL offers a turn-key solution with our large, in-house automation team based in York, PA. We work with you from concept to production and after-sales support.

Franco Pettine: At ENGEL we are dedicated to supporting the sustainable use of plastics material and we promote Circular Economy projects of all kinds. The use of recycled content, PPR, and PCR material, has become very important to both the end-user and the manufacturers of storage and shipping containers, storage totes, shipping crates and stackable bins. As part of this initiative, our R&D department puts a lot of effort into championing the use of recycled material and developing methods designed for processing all types of recycled materials - either for the entire product or for parts (e.g. core of the part). In addition, machine software like iQ weight control improves the part quality significantly by automatically adjusting process parameters to variations in the material or environmental conditions. In day-to-day production, our customers can rely on the experienced North American after-sales support team. We do not work with third-party service people or companies. All after-sales support personnel are highly trained employees of ENGEL. Most of the spare parts are shipped the same day with fulfillment happening in our spare parts hub in York, PA.

The perfect fit for injection molding plastic boxes, crates and bins

Production of waste collection systems

High-performance production of waste collection systems with an ENGEL duo 5500

Production of transport boxes

Production of sandwich-moulded components with a recycled core with the dosing-method skinmelt including an ENGEL duo 450 combi

Production of waste collection systems

Production of waste collection systems

Production of transport boxes

Production of transport boxes

What do you think is important for manufacturers when it comes to making investments?

Vanessa Malena: Trust in the partnership is very important. ENGEL is always thinking long-term. As a 100% family-owned business, our focus is on a long-term partnership with our customers - offering products that last with a concentration on developing new technology consistently to meet the demands of our clients.

What do you suggest if a company want to produce injection molding plastic boxes, crates and bins etc.?

Vanessa Malena: I would say, contact us. We are happy to discuss options that specifically fit the requirements of the project.

We are happy to discuss solutions that are a perfect fit to your production.
Don't hesitate – reach out today.

More about our products from the article

Large injection moulding machine duo

ENGEL duo - the compact machine for large parts: Small footprint thanks to two-platen design and extra-large mould installation space thanks to wide tie bar spacing.

Dosing method skinmelt

Save money, protect the environment or improve specific product properties: injection moulded products with a core made of recycled or reinforced material - skinmelt makes it possible.

Systems solutions

Whether it's a simple conveyor belt or a complex, fully automated production cell: we supply you with a turn-key solution with perfectly matched components from a single source.

reading time approx. 8 minutes
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