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Haitian MA and Jupiter series: reading the model numbers
What the series names and numbers actually tell you about a machine, where the two-platen architecture earns its price, and what to expect from each on the used market.
Why the series matters when you are buying used
Machine designations are not marketing. They encode the clamp architecture, the drive generation and the size band, and those three things determine what parts you will be buying for the next decade and who can service the machine. Two used machines of the same clamping force from different series are not interchangeable purchases.
What follows describes the equipment, so you can identify what you are being offered. Always verify the specification against the actual machine plate — the plate is what the contract should cite, not a catalogue.
The MA series: the volume workhorse
The MA (Mars) line is the toggle-clamp, servo-driven range that covers the small and medium tonnage market — roughly 90 t up to around 1,000 t. It is by a wide margin the most numerous injection molding machine family in the world, and for a used buyer that installed base is the point:
- Parts are the easiest to source of any machine family. Screws, barrels, seals, heater bands, contactors and controller components are available from multiple suppliers, and often in local markets across South and South-East Asia rather than only by import.
- Technicians know it. Whoever you hire in a moulding region has probably worked on one. That is worth more in practice than a specification advantage.
- Resale holds up. When you upgrade in five years, a machine everyone recognises is a machine that sells.
- Generations matter. Successive MA generations differ in drive and controller. Note which generation a machine is and confirm controller parts are still obtainable before you commit.
The model number carries the size: an MA-series designation in the 4700 range corresponds to roughly 470 t of clamping force. Read the digits as tonnage in decanewtons and it makes sense.
The Jupiter series: two-platen, large tonnage
Above roughly 1,000 t the toggle clamp becomes awkward — long, heavy and slow. The Jupiter line is the two-platen large-tonnage range, and the architecture is the reason to choose it:
- 20–30% shorter footprint than an equivalent three-platen machine. On a large machine that is metres of floor you do not have to build.
- Longer mould-opening stroke for the same machine length, which matters for deep parts — bins, crates, pallets.
- More even clamping force across a large platen, because force is applied through the tie-bars rather than through a toggle linkage.
- Fewer wear points in the clamp itself, though the hydraulic clamping and locking system is more complex and worth close inspection.
Large used machines are scarce. Few are made relative to the small-tonnage market, fewer come up used, and a good one is usually sold before it is properly advertised. If you need one, inspect early and be ready to reserve.
What to check, by series
| Check | MA / toggle machines | Jupiter / two-platen machines |
|---|---|---|
| Clamp | Toggle pin and bush play; link wear | Locking mechanism and clamp cylinders; tie-bar nut engagement |
| Parallelism | Dial gauge measurement | Dial gauge measurement, all four corners |
| Hydraulics | Standard circuit; leaks at valve block | Larger circuit, more actuators — inspect every cylinder |
| Footprint | Straightforward | Confirm the shipping split and reassembly plan before purchase |
| Shipping | Usually one 40 ft container | Broken down; flat rack or break bulk |
Trademark notice
Trademark notice: we are an independent reseller of pre-owned machinery and are not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by any machine manufacturer named on this page. Manufacturer names and model designations are used only to identify the equipment being described, and belong to their respective owners.
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