Higher Margins Per Cup: The Optimised e-motion for Thin-Wall Packaging

All-electric food packaging? At Fakuma 2026, ENGEL uses a yoghurt cup to show why the answer is yes. When billions of cups are produced each year, every tenth of a second reduction in cycle time has a measurable impact on margins. The new generation of the e-motion 380 is designed specifically for the demands of high-volume production. With a dry cycle time of as little as 1.2 seconds, it provides the basis for short cycles, high output and lower unit costs.

Until now, high-volume thin-wall packaging has largely been the preserve of high-performance hybrid and hydraulic machines. At Fakuma 2026, ENGEL will demonstrate that all-electric technology can not only match their speed, but also deliver a decisive advantage in energy efficiency. In a live demonstration on its stand, ENGEL will show that all-electric machines can consume around 30 per cent less energy than comparable hybrid or hydraulic solutions. In high-volume production, this significantly reduces unit costs and has a direct positive impact on profitability.

Customer Benefits: Increased Output, High Availability

Short dry cycle times allow more production cycles and therefore higher output. At the same time, the e-motion is engineered for reliable 24/7 operation in the packaging industry. In high-volume production, energy efficiency is important, but so is stable output without unplanned interruptions. ENGEL previously demonstrated the capabilities of all-electric technology in thin-wall applications at the K Trade Fair, where it presented a thin-wall PET application based on injection compression moulding.

A New Performance Benchmark: the 2026 E-Motion Series

With the enhanced series, ENGEL is now moving into conventional thin-wall polypropylene applications, including dairy and other food packaging. The e-motion 380 makes its Fakuma debut as the first machine of the new generation, featuring comprehensive advances to both the clamping and injection units. This makes it the most powerful all-electric machine in the ENGEL portfolio. In future, the entire e-motion series will be equipped with this clamping unit, taking it to a new level of performance.

“We are demonstrating that all-electric technology can also meet the requirements of conventional thin-wall food packaging, while offering potential for efficiency gains,” says Christoph Lhota, Vice President Medical and Packaging at ENGEL. “Equipped with a screw diameter of 70 mm, the new injection unit achieves injection speeds of up to 500 mm per second – a production-ready level of performance previously associated primarily with hybrid or hydraulic machines.”

A Wall Thickness of 0.28 mm: the Application in Detail

At the show, the e-motion will produce an in-mould labelled (IML) yoghurt cup live in a six-cavity mould. With a wall thickness of just 0.28 mm and a flow-length-to-wall-thickness ratio of 370, the application places exacting demands on the entire injection moulding process. This is precisely where the injection unit demonstrates its strengths The finished cup weighs just 6.33 grams.

As the mould opens, a side-entry robot removes the finished parts from both sides and inserts new labels for the next cycle – a process requiring high rates of acceleration and deceleration.

Performance Through Partnership

This level of performance is possible through a close teamwork within a well-coordinated network of specialist partners spanning the entire process chain. Campetella supplies the IML automation, Bazigos the mould, MCC Verstraete the labels, Borouge International (formerly Borealis) the material and Piovan the material handling system. ENGEL integrates all these components and, at the customer’s request, assembles and tests the complete production cell, including automation, at its own facility – providing a genuine single-source solution.

“Close cooperation with specialist suppliers across the entire process chain is extremely important to us – this performance can only be achieved when every component works seamlessly together,” concludes Christoph Lhota.

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