+86 17727725162 jqj014950@topstarltd.com

Home / Topstar EU Injection Robot vs Traditional Robots: Energy Savings & Speed Differences

Topstar EU Injection Robot vs Traditional Robots: Energy Savings & Speed Differences

2026/01/04 By le zhan

Injection Robot 4-5

Shortening each injection molding cycle by a fraction of a second can reduce robot energy consumption by nearly half, while maintaining the same production output. This is the practical benefit sought in modern injection molding production. Therefore, choosing the right injection robot is not just about specifying parameters; it is a strategic decision that affects cycle time, energy consumption, maintenance costs, and total cost of ownership (TCO). Topstar’s EU servo injection molding robots are made of lightweight, high-strength A6061 material to improve overall operational performance. Maximum speed is increased by 10%, and acceleration and deceleration times are reduced by 20%. The DC bus technology used also saves 10% in energy consumption, reducing electricity costs by 10%. Compared to many traditional designs, this allows for faster movement speeds and lower energy consumption.

Mechanical Design of Injection Robot: The Importance of A6061 Material

The core of mechanical performance lies in the design of the injection molding robot’s arm. The Topstar EU injection robot‘s arm is made of A6061 aluminum alloy, reducing structural weight while maintaining rigidity. A6061 is an aluminum alloy with an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, good fatigue resistance, and high machinability. By using A6061 for the robotic arm’s main components, Topstar reduces the arm’s rotational inertia. This reduced inertia brings two important advantages to the injection molding robot:

Faster movement speed: Lower inertia means the servo motor requires less torque to accelerate and decelerate the same load. Therefore, compared to steel robotic arms with equivalent load capacity but greater weight, the Topstar EU robot’s maximum speed increases by approximately 10%. For the short-distance pick-and-place movements common in injection molding cycles, this 10% improvement can significantly shorten cycle times.

Shorter acceleration and deceleration times: A lighter robotic arm is easier to start and stop. Topstar’s data shows that acceleration and deceleration times are reduced by approximately 20%, resulting in more precise motion control and faster, safer repositioning. Shorter acceleration and deceleration times increase throughput and smooth motion, reducing part oscillation and improving placement accuracy. In contrast, many traditional injection molding robot arms use heavier steel or cast iron components to achieve maximum rigidity, but at the cost of higher inertia.

A6061 Material

DC Bus Technology in the Injection Robot

The energy efficiency of injection robots increasingly depends on how effectively they capture and reuse energy during deceleration and idle periods. Topstar’s EU injection robots utilize DC bus energy regeneration and local energy management strategies to capture braking energy and reduce overall power consumption.

When the injection molding robot decelerates, its servo motors act as generators, converting kinetic energy into electrical energy. Unlike many traditional systems that dissipate this energy as heat through braking resistors, the DC bus energy recovery system recovers it and returns it to the DC bus. The total DC bus can power other axes or nearby systems, or local capacitors or batteries can store it for subsequent acceleration events. This reduces the facility’s net energy consumption from the power grid.

In a typical injection molding cycle, DC bus regeneration technology can save approximately 10% of energy. The specific energy savings depend on the motion profile—systems with frequent starts and stops and large decelerations benefit the most. Energy reuse reduces peak power demand, thereby lowering demand charges and enabling smaller upstream power infrastructure. Traditional injection robots lack DC bus energy regeneration capabilities and typically dissipate deceleration energy as heat, thus missing the opportunity for energy recovery. In high-volume injection molding production lines, where injection molding robots cycle thousands of times a day, energy losses from braking add up to a significant expense.

DC Bus Technology in the Injection Robot

Servo Drive Automatic Shutdown and Reduced Idle Power Consumption

Another area of ​​energy waste is idle and standby power consumption. Traditional injection molding robots typically keep servo drives and control electronics in a ready state, continuously consuming power even when they are in a cycle waiting state. Topstar’s EU robots address this issue with intelligent servo drive automatic shutdown functionality.

When the robot enters a confirmed standby window (e.g., extended cycle pauses, machine downtime), the controller safely shuts down the servo amplifiers while maintaining the robot’s position using mechanical brakes or low-power holding circuits. The servo drives can be quickly re-initialized as needed to resume motion. Modern design minimizes restart delays, thus avoiding process interruptions.

Our test studies revealed that the automatic shutdown of the servo system further reduced power costs by approximately 10%. This energy-saving effect complements DC bus energy regeneration; energy regeneration saves energy during motion, while automatic shutdown reduces energy consumption during idle states. In contrast, traditional robots without this feature continuously consume idle power and generate heat.

Cycle Time and Actual Production Efficiency Improvements

While energy saving is important, manufacturers also value production efficiency. Shorter cycle times directly increase output and spread capital costs over more parts.

Assume a traditional injection robot contributes 0.6 seconds to an injection cycle (pick, place, retract). The Topstar EU injection molding robot achieves a 10% increase in maximum speed and a 20% reduction in acceleration/deceleration. These two improvements together narrow the robot’s motion window. Conservatively, depending on the trajectory’s complexity, this can reduce the robot’s operating time per cycle by 15% to 20%.

This practical result translates into higher hourly output, and even small reductions per cycle accumulate to significant effects over thousands of cycles. For example, on a medium-volume production line running 100,000 cycles per week, a 15% reduction in robot operating time can be equivalent to an extra shift’s capacity without adding a second production line. Simultaneously, faster injection molding robots reduce the injection molding machine’s idle time, making it easier to optimize clamping/opening timing and reduce press dwell time. This translates into less scrap and less manual intervention. Additionally, shorter cycle times, combined with DC bus regeneration and servo shutdown, reduce total energy consumption per part.

Improved injection molding production efficiency

Reliability, Maintenance, and Cost

Topstar’s lightweight robotic arms and efficient drive strategies affect maintenance and reliability metrics, which directly impact the total cost of ownership. In terms of maintenance and reliability, they feature lower dynamic stress, reduced inertia, and smoother motion curves, thus reducing stress on mechanical joints and bearings, leading to lower failure rates and longer preventive maintenance cycles. Simultaneously, the system reduces heat load; energy recovery and idle shutdown reduce the heat generated in the drive cabinet, thereby lowering cooling requirements and extending component lifespan. From a cost perspective, DC bus energy regeneration and standby shutdowns significantly reduce energy consumption. Combined with shorter cycle times, the energy savings per part are substantial.

Overall, the Topstar EU injection robot system combines mechanical design, servo control, and energy architecture to deliver a better total cost of ownership than many traditional designs, especially in high-cycle production.

Bringing you faster speeds and better energy efficiency

Choosing the right injection robot means balancing speed, energy consumption, reliability, and integration. Topstar’s EU series injection molding robots, featuring a lightweight A6061 aluminum alloy robotic arm, DC bus energy regeneration, and servo automatic shutdown, offer significant advantages over traditional injection molding robots. These features enable approximately 10% higher maximum speed, 20% shorter acceleration/deceleration times, and significant energy savings. These improvements work together to achieve faster cycle times, lower energy consumption per part, and lower operating costs.

 

 

Prev: How to use an electric injection molding machine to solve PET preform thickness errors?

Next: Is it possible to achieve ultra-long stroke mold opening on a plastic injection molding machine?

TRENDING POSTS

HOT TOPIC

Get A Quick Quote