Moldsonics Wins the PHÖNIX Spin-off Award

March 2026 | General, Awards, info@moldsonics.at

From Research to Production

Industrial innovation rarely happens overnight.

The Austrian PHÖNIX Startup Award honors companies that successfully translate scientific research into marketable solutions. In 2026, Moldsonics received the award in the spin-off category.

The origins of this development date back to 2009, when Dr. Bernhard Praher began his initial research. In 2021, Moldsonics GmbH was finally founded by DI Dr. Bernhard Praher and Dr. Thomas Mitterlehner and DI Dr. Klaus Straka .

The journey from research to industrial application took many years and numerous iterations.

 © Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH/APA Photo Service

Production Reality

Translating research into production is a challenging process.

Production facilities operate around the clock. Processes vary. Stability is crucial.

What works in the lab must prove itself in real-world operations—during tool changes, material variations, and shift work.

From concept to production solution

The industrialization of a technology takes place in many stages.

The first working version took over a year to develop. This was followed by numerous iterations, tests, and adjustments until a stable production solution was achieved.

This part of the innovation process often goes unnoticed.

What's changing with Moldsonics

Today, Moldsonics focuses on three key production areas:

Wear Monitoring inExtrusion Processes
Accurate cooling time determinationin plastic injection molding
Reduced heating time in silicone and rubber processing

The goal is always the same: Save seconds. Prevent downtime. Avoid scrap.

The PHÖNIX Award recognizes companies that have successfully bridged the gap between research and industrial application.

For Moldsonics, the award marks an important milestone—and at the same time underscores the company’s clear focus on the areas of production where the greatest impact can be made today.

The Moldsonics booth at the Phoenix Awards ceremony

 © Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH/APA Photo Service

The Austrian Startup Award PHÖNIX is awarded on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism and the Federal Ministry for Women, Science, and Research . The award is organized by the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) in cooperation with the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

Flow front detection in injection molding: Patented direct measurement

February 2026 | General, Awards, info@moldsonics.at

The flow front is one of the most critical—and at the same time least transparent—phases in the injection molding process.

The switching point is often defined indirectly based on pressure curves or empirical values. To avoid short shots or flash, the settings are chosen conservatively.

This increases the cycle time.

Why this patent is relevant

Indirect switching strategies result in safety margins.

Typical consequences in production:

Longer cycle times
Unstable filling processes for complex geometries
Rejected due to material or temperature drift
Extended sampling periods

Even an increase of just 0.5 seconds per cycle can result in a several-percent drop in output for production tools.

The patented process replaces estimates with a defined trigger signal as soon as the melt reaches a specified position.

The switching point becomes reproducible.

Typical applications

Cascade injection molding
PUR flooding
Monitoring the flow front velocity
Precise definition of the switching point
Trigger for venting or needle closure

Direct flow front measurement ensures stability in the filling process, particularly when dealing with reactive materials or multiple injections.

Engel 1 1 e1772551495307 Moldsonics spin-off

Technological progress

The patented measurement principle enables:

✔ Real-time transparency in the filling process
✔ Reproducible switching points
✔ Reduced cycle times
✔ Faster mold validation

This isn't about sensor technology.

It's all about production levers: measurable stability, shorter cycles, and predictable output.

Moldsonics at K 2025: Ultrasound in Practice

October 2025 | General, info@moldsonics.at

Many production problems go unnoticed

In plastics processing, many problems only become apparent once scrap has already been produced. Wear and tear develops gradually. Material behavior varies from batch to batch. Cycle times are often chosen conservatively.

For manufacturing companies, this means a loss of efficiency.

At the K 2025 in Düsseldorf , Moldsonics demonstrated how real-time insights into the process can change this situation.

Live ultrasound on multiple machines

Visitors were able to experience Moldsonics not only at our own booth in Hall 12 / F35-04, but also directly on our partners’ machines.

Our systems have been used by companies such as ENGEL, Zechmayer, EREMA, HAIDLMAIR, Axxicon, PureLoop, Schöfer, and Digital Moulds —in applications ranging from injection molding and recycling to digital mold monitoring.

This made it clear what was actually happening in the process.

USE CASES

From the trade show to production

K 2025 has once again demonstrated that reliable plastics production starts with an understanding of the process.

When wear, flow behavior, and material behavior become visible, processes can be stabilized and optimized more quickly.

And in mass production, even a few seconds per cycle quickly add up to a measurable increase in productivity.

6DC Engel Haidlmair DigitalMoulds scaled Moldsonics spin-off

Schoeffer KraussMaffei scales up Moldsonics spin-off

Thomas Mitterlehner on stage at Towards Zero

Screenshot 2025-12-02 152531 Moldsonics Spin-off

WhatsApp Image 2025 10 17 at 1:39:14 p.m. 1 Moldsonics spin-off

Moldsonics Wins the 2025 Young Entrepreneur Award in the "Visionary" Category

October 2025 | General, Awards, info@moldsonics.at

In plastics manufacturing, many critical aspects of the process remain invisible. Material behavior varies from batch to batch, wear develops gradually, and cycle parameters are often selected conservatively.

For manufacturing companies, this means uncertainty and a loss of efficiency.

Modern manufacturing therefore requires one thing above all else: greater transparency in the process itself.

Award at the 2025 Young Entrepreneur Awards

At the 2025 Young Entrepreneur Award , Moldsonics won first place in the “Visionary” category of the Young Economy of Upper Austria.

The award recognizes companies that are helping to shape the future of industry through new technologies and innovative approaches.

For Moldsonics, this is a recognition of the work done by the team led by Thomas Mitterlehner, Bernhard Praher, and Klaus Straka, which translates research into industrial applications.

WhatsApp Image 2025 10 03 at 08:38:41 Moldsonics Spin-off

cityfoto download 169 6S5A2035 scaled Moldsonics spin-off

Winning the 2025 Young Entrepreneur Award is a major milestone for Moldsonics.

Above all, however, it highlights a fundamental trend in modern manufacturing: production processes are becoming increasingly measurable and transparent.

And when processes become measurable, the result is more stable, efficient, and resource-efficient production workflows.

cityfoto download 239 6S5A2300 scaled e1772634374135 Moldsonics spin-off

Moldsonics & BOOXit receive EU funding as part of DEREMCO

September 2025 | General, info@moldsonics.at

Precise processing of recyclates - with intelligent sensor technology and smart product design

Moldsonics and BOOXit were selected as part of an open call for the EU project DEREMCO . Together, we are working on an industrial use case that demonstrates how recycled fiber-reinforced composites can be reliably incorporated into high-quality plastic products—with the help of smart sensor technology and sophisticated product development.

What is Deremco?

DEREMCO (De- & Remanufacturing for Circular Economy) is an EU-funded innovation project involving over 30 partners from across Europe. Its goal is to enable the economic and technical reuse of fiber-reinforced plastic composites—and thereby establish a sustainable, circular plastics economy.

230212 Deremco Logonero Moldsonics Spin-off

The project addresses one of the most pressing problems in the plastics industry: how can complex, connected plastic structures be efficiently dismantled at the end of their useful life, recycled and transferred to new high-quality applications? DEREMCO provides systemic approaches for this, in which material, design, processes and market are considered together.

➡ More information

Common goal: High-precision products made from recycled material

BOOXit and Moldsonics are pooling their expertise in the funded implementation experiment:

BOOXit is developing a new generation of smart, stackable reusable boxes that require no additional outer packaging. This demands the highest level of dimensional accuracy and reproducibility—even with varying material batches.
Moldsonics contributes ultrasonic sensor technology that measures the solidification process of the plastic directly in the injection mold. This allows process-critical parameters such as shrinkage and crystallization to be monitored inline and precisely controlled.

The main focus here is on the question: Is it possible to process recycled materials with high dimensional accuracy?

– The answer is: Yes – with the right sensors.

Interface Moldsonics scaled Moldsonics spin-off

Why this is important

Recycled materials are still considered unreliable in plastics processing—too inconsistent, too unpredictable. This is precisely where the joint project between Moldsonics and BOOXit comes in: using data-driven processes and intelligent monitoring, it makes quality transparent and controllable.

The sensor technology used is not merely a monitoring tool, but an active component in optimizing the injection molding process. Thanks to this technology, companies can reduce their setup times, avoid scrap, and improve material efficiency. This makes a genuine contribution to sustainability in plastic injection molding—one that is economically measurable and technologically scalable.

In addition, the project is helping to increase acceptance of recycled plastics in high-end applications—such as logistics, the automotive sector, and medical technology—where dimensional accuracy is a key requirement.

                                                               © BOOXit

EN Co-funded by the EU POS, the scaled-up Moldsonics spin-off

About the promotion

This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the EU project DEREMCO. Moldsonics and BOOXit were selected as implementation partners in an open call.
Project ID: 101084037
Duration of the overall project: December 2022 - November 2025

Learn more

🔗 www.moldsonics.at
🔗 www.booxit.at
🔗 LinkedIn – Moldsonics

EDISON Prize ChangeMaker 2025 for Moldsonics

August 2025 | General, Awards, info@moldsonics.at

We are very pleased: Moldsonics has been awarded the EDISON Changemaker Award 2025 - a special prize for young technologies that have the potential to change the industry in the long term.

The Changemaker is a separate category within the EDISON ideas competition - awarded by tech2b in cooperation with the WKO Upper Austria. Unlike other categories such as Greentech, Hightech or Medtech, it is not possible to apply directly for the Changemaker. The award goes to the project that the jury considers to have the the greatest market potential and the strongest appeal. and the strongest appeal.

Why Moldsonics?

Our ultrasonic sensors measure important quality parameters such as flow behavior, solidification or wear - without contact and directly in the injection moulding process. In this way, we help to avoid rejects, save energy and make processes more stable - especially where skilled workers are in short supply and efficiency counts.

This is not a solution for the moment - this is technology that changes processes permanently.

"We have built something that has a deep impact on industrial processes - not a short-term solution, but in-depth technology for the industry of tomorrow.

Why this price counts

The EDISON Award is more than just an award. In a multi-stage process, ideas are not only evaluated, but also developed further: through coaching, business planning and strategic consulting. Those who are selected as changemakers are not only convincing in terms of technology - but also in terms of impact, relevance and feasibility.

We would like to thank tech2b, the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce and the jury for this recognition. And to everyone who is working with us on this vision - critically, creatively and with vision.

We are not at our destination - but at a very good starting point.

https://www.edison-der-preis.at/