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How to plan the factory layout of multiple injection moulding equipment units?

2025/08/18 By le zhan

When we deploy multiple injection moulding equipment in a customer’s factory, we’re not just planning the layout; we’re building a manufacturing ecosystem. Good planning translates floor space into predictable output, repeatable quality, and manageable costs. Consider a medium-sized injection moulding plant with ten injection moulding machines and a target monthly production volume of 500,000 parts. With an average cycle time of 20-30 seconds and an average cavity count of four, the layout must support continuous production, fast material flow, robust utilities, easy maintenance, and integrated process control.

To this end, our design utilises cells grouped by product family, each connected to a centralised material supply, mould temperature controller, and a distributed control backbone connected to the MES. This creates a scalable and reliable platform, rather than a collection of ad hoc equipment.

Planning Injection Moulding Equipment for Efficiency

Before planning the layout, engineers conduct a site assessment to translate production targets into space requirements. First, they perform a cycle time calculation. For example, they can use a monthly output of 500,000 parts in 22 16-hour production days to derive hourly requirements, which in turn determine the cell size and number of machines. Next, plan the shop floor structure, designing linear lines for high-volume single-part production, U-shaped cells for flexible moulding-to-post-processing cycles, or island clusters for product mix agility. Ensure that each injection moulding cell maintains a minimum clearance of 2.0 to 2.5 meters for mould changes or robot reach, while also providing a 0.6 to 1.0 meter service corridor behind the injection moulding equipment for utilities and maintenance.

Additionally, locate quality inspection and packaging near the moulding cells to minimise internal transfer time. Plan logistics routes so that raw material receiving, storage, drying, and central conveying are located upstream of the cells, and finished products are located downstream, minimising cross-flow. Finally, plan for future expansion by maintaining a continuous floor space and utilising modular utility taps, which allow for the addition of machines or automated cells with minimal disruption.

injection moulding machine 19-2

Determining Utilities, Power, and Environmental Systems

We accurately estimate the power requirements for electricity, compressed air, chillers, and material dryers by summing peak loads rather than averaging them. For example, a 1,500-2,500 kN injection moulding machine might consume 20-50 kW of peak power during moulding and 2-5 kW at idle. Ten such injection moulding machines require 200-400 kW of peak power, plus a 25-30% margin to accommodate surges and future growth. Therefore, the layout provides three-phase power distribution with local motor starters, surge protectors, and dedicated grounding to reduce electrical noise. Engineers plan centralized compressor units and dryers to maintain the dew point of sensitive plastics below -20°C.

Also, 20% of backup power is reserved. For thermal control, Topstar calculates chiller capacity based on machine heat dissipation and allows for N+1 redundancy. Engineers plan centralized compressor units and dryers to maintain the dew point of sensitive plastics below -20°C.

Ensuring a Continuous Supply to Injection Moulding Equipment

Centralised resin storage and drying systems can significantly reduce contamination, moisture-related defects, and labour costs. For factories with multiple injection moulding equipments, a central material management system is implemented, equipped with automatic feeders, vacuum conveying, and a desiccant or dehumidifying dryer sized according to total melt demand. Furthermore, engineers place color change and dosing stations for compound or additive mixing near specific units, and they arrange conveying lines with quick-disconnect devices to enhance flexibility. They also use moisture and contamination testing devices to define areas for receiving and isolating new materials, and they position auxiliary equipment (re-crushers, pelletizers, scrap collection devices) to minimize cross-traffic and dust. Properly designed material flow reduces cycle scrap, shortens mould change downtime, and improves first-pass yields.

Layout of Surrounding Automation, Robotics, and Auxiliary Equipment

Automation can reduce cycle-to-cycle variability and labour costs, but requires space and control planning. When placing injection moulding equipment, we allocate space for the injection moulding machine’s robots and ensure unobstructed part paths to conveyors, vision inspection systems, or pick-and-place points. Engineers group peripheral equipment, such as pelletizers, mold temperature controllers, dryers, and chillers, to consolidate standard service and maintenance tasks. For high-volume production lines, they design inline automation to incorporate stacking molds with stacking conveyors, rotary indexing devices for multi-shot or multi-stage processes, and robotic parts handling for direct packaging. Furthermore, for sensitive and precision products, they incorporate safety zones, light curtains, and interlocks into the cell layout.

Bridging the gaps between equipment with intelligent controls

Integrating MES as the Backbone of Digital Control

In modern injection moulding plant layouts, control systems are integrated into a central MES system, enabling the entire fleet of injection moulding equipment to operate collaboratively as a coordinated production asset. Engineers employ distributed control, where each injection molding machine uses a unified control language for real-time motion and safety functions, and it communicates with higher-level systems via Industrial Ethernet or fieldbus. This distributed approach reduces wiring time, minimises latency for time-critical tasks, and simplifies troubleshooting. Under this unified control system, the MES coordinates production scheduling, OEE monitoring, and traceability, and provides performance metrics back to the planning level. Furthermore, integrated energy management monitors machine-level power consumption, enabling peak shaving and driving cost-saving measures during periods of high electricity prices.

Making factory layouts more intelligent and digital

Designing a factory layout for multiple injection moulding machines is a systemic issue that involves integrating space planning, utility sizing, material flow, automation, and control, all of which are interconnected. Starting with throughput targets and production time calculations, we gradually progress to cell expansion, centralised utilities, and distributed control systems. Furthermore, integrating MES and energy management enables operations to optimise output and costs, while also accommodating future expansion through modular utility ports and reserved space.

 

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