The US Department of Energy lists tool powering, clamping, controls and actuators, forming, mould press powering and injection moulding as compressed air uses in rubber and plastics, and in thermoforming a vacuum draws the heated sheet onto the mould, as US patent 8,371,837 (2013) describes. Ultra Controlo supplies ULTRASEC dryers and ULTRAK carbon towers, which its brochure lists for plastics, and the vacuum pumps of partner brand Elmo Rietschle.
The US Department of Energy lists the compressed air uses; patents and a UK government guide describe the vacuum in thermoforming and for polymer handling.
Injection moulding and mould press powering, listed by the DOE for rubber and plastics.
Clamping, tool powering, and controls and actuators on the line, also listed by the DOE.
The heated thermoplastic sheet is drawn onto the shaped mould by a vacuum through perforations in the mould surface, as US patent 8,371,837 (2013) describes.
In US patent 9,364,992 (2016), a vacuum tank with a vacuum pump reduces decompression loss, and compressed air from a pressurisation tank presses the sheet onto the base material.
A 1999 UK government guide warned that blasting granules with compressed air may be very costly, and suggested feeding small quantities of polymer through a central vacuum system to keep them dry.
Sources: US DOE and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, third edition (2016), Table 1.1; US patents 8,371,837 B2 (2013) and 9,364,992 B2 (2016); UK Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, Good Practice Guide 292, Energy in plastics processing (1999).
None of these sources gives one rule for a moulding plant. They give the questions to ask.
The DOE sourcebook sorts compressed air into plant air, instrument air, process air and breathing air, and says industrial applications typically use one of the first three; the higher the quality, the more the air costs to produce.
Source: DOE sourcebook (2016), Fact Sheet 1.
Lubricant-free air can come from lubricant-free compressors or from lubricant-injected compressors with additional separation and filtration; the choice should weigh the risk and cost of product contamination.
Source: DOE sourcebook (2016), Fact Sheet 1.
A 1999 UK guide for plastics processors told them to check that compressed air is not generated at a higher pressure than required, and to treat the bulk of the air to the minimum quality necessary.
Source: UK Good Practice Guide 292 (1999).
Sources: US DOE and Compressed Air Challenge sourcebook (2016), Fact Sheet 1; UK Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, Good Practice Guide 292 (1999).
Equipment that the Ultra Controlo brochure and its partner makers tie to plastics, thermoforming and moulding.
A stable +3 °C dew point and an integrated condensate separator; the Ultra Controlo brochure lists plastics among its uses.
DryersRemoval of oil vapours to below 0.003 mg/m³; the brochure lists plastics among its uses.
ULTRAKElmo Rietschle lists thermoforming for its V-VTN dry running rotary vane pumps, and the plastics industry for its V-VCS oil-lubricated rotary vane and L-BV2 liquid ring pumps.
Elmo RietschleCircutec lists mould temperature control in plastics injection moulding for its immersion pumps, and the Speck Pumpen UniVac datasheet lists degasification and extrusion in the plastics industry for these liquid ring vacuum units.
Speck PumpenSources: Ultra Controlo Industrial 2026 catalogue, pp. 11, 13, 17 and 19; Ultra Controlo industrial brochure; Elmo Rietschle V-VTN, V-VCS and L-BV2 pages; Circutec product finder (T-1001 to T-2001); Speck Pumpen, UniVac datasheet (04/2016).
Ultra Controlo is a Portuguese manufacturer of compressed air, vacuum and technical gas systems, with 40 years of experience. We design, assemble and test our own compressors, dryers and carbon towers in Portugal, and supply and service five partner brands.
ULTRASCREW compressors, ULTRASEC and ULTRADRY dryers and ULTRAK activated carbon towers.
Gardner Denver, Elmo Rietschle, Thomas, Speck Pumpen (Circutec) and Speck Triplex.
Preventive and corrective maintenance, original spare parts and emergency support, by our own team.
Source: Ultra Controlo Industrial 2026 catalogue, pp. 3, 10, 16, 17 and 22.
For rubber and plastics, the US Department of Energy sourcebook (2016) lists tool powering, clamping, controls and actuators, forming, mould press powering and injection moulding as example uses of compressed air.
The DOE sourcebook (2016) sets no general rule for moulding plants; it says the choice between a lubricant-free and a lubricant-injected compressor should weigh the specific end use, including the risk and cost of product contamination.
In the device of US patent 9,364,992 (2016), a vacuum tank with a vacuum pump performs the vacuum suction during moulding, and the patent says that providing the tank reduces the decompression loss.
The DOE sourcebook (2016) says that, as a rule in a base load situation, vacuum generators running less than 30 percent of the time are more economical than a central vacuum system; otherwise they are less effective at pulling a vacuum and cost as much as five times more to operate than a dedicated vacuum pump.
A 1999 UK government guide for plastics processors warned that using compressed air as a blast for conveying granules or product may be very costly, and suggested feeding small quantities of polymer through a central vacuum system to keep it dry.
The machines, the air demand and pressure, the vacuum level and the cycle. We reply with the equipment that fits.
