In the wake of the developments in processing methods, the technology of ancillary equipment is also making advances. The key drivers of the developments are cost savings from increasing the energy efficiency of dryers and greater precision in dosing equipment.

From Drying with Compressed Air, through Precision in Dosing, to Conveying “Mikado Sticks”

Dosier- und Mischgeräte

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Klotz, Karlhorst, Dr.

Dosiergeräte

Trockner

Farbdosiergeräte

Dosieranlagen, allgemein

Dosierer

Trockner, Granulat-

Materialhandling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Fördersysteme

Closing a Gap

CMG Granulators will be at Plastics Recycling World Expo 2021 in Essen, Germany, as well as at Packaging & Recycling 2021 in Milano, Italy, both trade fairs taking place on 29/30 September 2021.

High capacity shredding & grinding system

CMG Granulators: Trade Fair Presences in September

Injection molding machine manufacturer Engel and the peripheral equipment manufacturer Koch have jointly developed an OPC UA interface for the integration of machines for mixing and dosing thermoplastic materials on injection molding machines.

Engel and Koch enable the integration of dosing and mixing units with the injection moulding machine control unit via OPC UA.

Schnittstellenbasierte Automatisierungszelle

Automatisierungstechnik

Automatisierungszellen

Spritzgießmaschinen

More Convenient Dosing and Mixing

Kreyenborg has planned, delivered, and put into operation a tailor-made mixing system, to be used by a customer for a wide range of regrinds.

Two Universal Quick Mixers are part of the customized mixing system.

Flexible Mixing System for the Recycling Sector

Pumps, filters and pelletizers for the polymer industry.

Maag‘s melt pump Entrex has been upgraded for processes dealing with higher contamination levels and larger particles on the recycling market.

Messe Chinaplas

kunststoffe-international.com

Sortierer

Maag Group at Chinaplas 2023

Munich-based mechanical engineering group KraussMaffei is repositioning itself and uniting all divisions under a single brand. At a time of accelerated technological change, the company is increasing its efforts to develop new products for digital solutions and new business models – and that includes plastics recycling.

Everything remains different: Dr. Frank Stieler, CEO of KraussMaffei

KraussMaffei Consolidates Three Divisions and the Previous Group Brands under a Single Brand

Extrusion

Spritzgießen

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0

Kunststoff-Recycling

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Compoundieren

Moving with the Times

With its Industry 4.0 solution portfolio, the Wittmann Group is receiving a positive echo in the market. This virtually extends the injection-molding machine into a smart workcell. For the near future, the company is tooling up for the demands of a circular economy – and declining demand.

Finger on the pulse with Industry 4.0 solutions: Michael Wittmann, Managing Director of the eponymous corporate group

Wittmann Continues to See Itself Well Placed as a One-Stop Supplier

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Energieeffizienz

Immediately Ready for Use

A year to forget is nearing its completion. To brighten up this dreary fall season without a major event like Fakuma, injection molding machine builders have concocted various strategies.

Fig. 1. Ingrinder system solution: the sprue picker guides the removed sprue via vacuum conveyance to the integrated granulator

Injection Molding Machine Builders Are Discovering New Ways to Reach Their Customers

Vernetzung / Cloudlösung für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Schneidmühlen

Silikonkautschuk

Kautschuk / Elastomere

What Can You Do at Fall Fairtime,  When There Aren’t Any?

Over past months, many in-house workflows and development processes have slowed down and also changed. Nevertheless, time has not stood still, also not in injection molding technology. The debate and development have been shaped by two themes: digitalization and the circular economy. Below are some examples of developments and projects that underpin this trend.

Two displays are seamlessly integrated into the continuously 3D-formed instrument panel

Innovative Injection Molding in Times of Pandemic

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Folientechnik (IMD, IML, FIM, u.a.)

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Spritzgießsimulation

Simulation

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Kreislaufwirtschaft

There Is More beyond the Horizon

Arburg has adopted a clear message for its trade fair appearance at the K 2022 in Düsseldorf: „There is only a Plan A“.

In the arburgGreenworld pavilion of the VDMA Circular Economy Forum, an Allrounder 370 A with recyclate package is manufacturing “Greenline” wall plugs from Fischer.

16:9

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

Sustainability thanks to Digitalization

Whether it is the cycle time, energy consumption or process stability: the levers for greater efficiency and quality in the injection molding process are many and varied. With the new performance.boost Engel offer its customers an expertise as a service for process analysis and optimization.

With its expert knowledge, the company identifies process optimization potential and provides user support during their implementation. The results include shorter cycle times, superior part quality, greater process stability, lower energy consumption or a longer machine service life

Instandhaltung

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dienstleistungen

Lohnfertigung

Instandhaltungssoftware

Optimize Processes Efficiently with Engel performance.boost

Unforeseen downtimes in serial production are always accompanied by high costs, making it essential for machines to be serviced in time. Because sensor, transmission and data storage technology have taken a big leap forward in recent years, predictive maintenance has already been realized in some industries, demonstrating a tangible benefit of Industry 4.0. The WZL and the WBA have developed a guideline for this.

Fig. 1. The guideline for the development of predictive maintenance solutions is divided into three phases: analysis, design and implementation

Guideline to the Development of Predictive Maintenance Systems for Serial Producers and Toolmaking Companies

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Sensoren verschiedener Messverfahren

Fertigungsautomation

Sensorik / Aktorik

Fernwartung / Ferndiagnose

Machine Learning

Datenanalyse

Dienstleistungsqualität

Qualitätsmanagement

Instandhaltungsmanagement (TPM)

Vorbeugende Instandhaltung für die Qualitätssicherung

Werkzeugbau

Machine Learning für die Qualitätssicherung

Symbiosis of Toolmaking and  Serial Production

HiQ Flow is Wittmann Battenfeld’s answer to the challenge of fluctuating shot weights in injection-molded parts. The assistant system modifies the process parameters in the course of the same shot to counteract viscosity fluctuations caused by batch fluctuations in the material or by the use of regrind.

The HiQ Flow software corrects viscosity deviations during the injection and holding pressure phases within the same shot, based on the measurement values taken from the injection molding machine

Dynamic Adjustment of Switchover Pressure and Holding Pressure to Achieve a Constant Part Weight

No More Weight Problems

Part 2 of the series on the Plastics Innovation Center 4.0 (PIC 4.0) at RWTH Aachen describes the procedure by which industrial use cases of a Smart Factory are identified and converted into real testbeds within the PIC 4.0.

The PIC 4.0 extends the infrastructure of the Institute for Plastics Processing in Industry and Craft at RWTH Aachen University

PIC 4.0 Elaborates Holistic Solutions for Industrial Demands

Use Cases of Digitized Plastics Processing

Maintaining competitiveness while producing in Germany requires not only cost-efficient production, but also high-quality products. Vorwerk Elektrowerke is accepting this challenge. In collaboration with the Institute of Product Engineering at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, the company is testing a 100 % inline quality monitoring system as well as a quality prediction using machine learning.

Customers who choose the Kobold VK 200 vacuum cleaner expect top quality. To ensure this, efforts for the introduction of Industry 4.0 measures are taken in the production plant in Wuppertal, Germany

Successfully Managing Digital Transformation with Automation and Artificial Intelligence

Kameras, intelligente

Bildverarbeitung

Inline Quality Monitoring and  Data-Based Quality Prediction

For Moretto, a leading company in the production of automated systems for the plastics processing industry, the K 2022 was a successful fair both in terms of visitors number and for the great amount of high quality requests received.

The main topics of the trade fair – circular economy, digitalization and environmental protection – are also messages that characterize Moretto‘s corporate culture and spirit.

Moretto‘s “green soul” finds expression in the development of innovative technologies that allow better production, in less time and with maximum control, according to energy efficiency criteria. Precursor in the field of sustainability and energy saving, Moretto has taken up a path of research and design that leads to the development of solutions guaranteeing efficient and energy-saving production processes for years.

This attention is reflected not only in the products, but also in a series of eco-responsible activities and investments that involve the entire company including economical, ecological and social objectives. An example is the intelligent energy management: each company building is in fact equipped with an electricity meter for the different work shifts to organize production according to energy efficiency criteria. The company car fleet is equiped with new electric cars and charging stations. The various initiatives also include the choice made by Moretto to use only energy from renewable sources in its plants. Noteworthy is also the intervention made by Moretto in 2018 following the Vaia storm – an extreme meteorological event in Triveneto region, Itally, causing the destruction of tens of thousands of hectares of Alpine forests. Moretto contributed to the repopulation of 220 hectares of mountain forest with 90,000 new trees as a sign of renewed hope for the future.

168 patents prove the company´s level of innovation that anticipates market demands. An attitude that could be seen in all the machines displayed at the Moretto stand, in the attention to detail, in the construction elements designed to facilitate the operator work, in the studied mechanisms that optimize production processes. Machines designed to last over time and able of adapting to the evolving customer demands. An example is X Comb, a high-performance dryer that responds to multiple technical molding applications by adapting to the changing supply conditions facing the market. A highly energy-efficient product for demanding sectors such as medical, optics and electronics that continues to receive great success worldwide.

Intelligent, flexible, data-driven. These are the characteristics of modern production plants. Moretto, through dedicated equipment and well-trained personnel, achieves total digital connectivity between machines, processes and plants without forgetting the most natural ‚connectivity‘, the one among people. In fact, at the centre of everything for Moretto remain interpersonal relationships, ideas and concepts sharing, conviviality. This was precisely the fair mood. Eight days full of handshakes, meetings with historical and new customers, business. A continuous connectivity that will surely give rise to new interesting challenges and opportunities.

For Moretto, the K show proved to be not only a great exhibition, but also a contact and sharing opportunity.

2022-11-23 Moretto

Read one of the rare <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/specialistarticle/in-the-spirit-of-leonardo-264118" target="_blank">interviews with Renato Moretto</a>, founder and President of Moretto, given to <i>Kunststoffe international</i>.

“Let‘s be honest. On the fair eve, there were some doubts about the market response in terms of visits. The unpredictability and uncertainty related to the historical period we are living through and the aftermath of Covid pandemic did not allow us to make any predictions. However, I must admit that starting from the first day, any doubt was dispelled.”