KB Components acquires Placell AB in Gislaved, Sweden and will integrate the operations in its European Injection Molding business. After completion of the acquisition the company will be renamed to KB Components Placell AB.  

Integration to the European Injection Molding Business 

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Spritzgießmaschinen

Spritzgießen

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

KB Components Acquires Placell AB 

Engel Austria GmbH, Schwertberg, Austria, presents the next generation of the all-electric e-cap injection molding machine series for beverage caps. The production of 29/25 lightweight caps on a new e-cap 380 machine makes it clear how continuously increasing requirements can be combined with the shortest cycle times, the highest precision and lowest energy consumption. 

Engel Presents the Next Generation e-cap 

Kunststoff-Verpackungsmaschine

High Stability and Precision  

Wittmann Battenfeld USA is providing essential machinery and equipment to battle the pandemic. 

The Company has been Deemed an Essential Business by the State of Connecticut 

Automatisierungstechnik

Wittmann Battenfeld USA Open for Business During COVID-19 Crisis 

The EMVA announces that based on the high dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic development the EMVA Business Conference 2020 in Sofia is cancelled.  

One-day Conference in Online Format is Planned for June 

Extrusion

Europa

EMVA Business Conference in Sofia is Shifted to 2021 

Additional to the production of protective glasses, Arburg has now launched a further project against the spread of the corona virus and produces reusable face masks. 

High-quality Face Mask Made of LSR 

Silikone

Arburg Manufactures High-tech Masks 

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

16:9

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Instandhaltung

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dienstleistungen

Lohnfertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0

Instandhaltungssoftware

Optimize Processes Efficiently with Engel performance.boost

The Wilhelm Böllhoff GmbH & Co. KG employs Arburg’s ALS host computer system as a uniform MES at locations all over the world. Not only all their injection molding machines are networked with information technology via ALS, but hundreds of machines and turnkey systems for metalworking and assembly, as well. Some 3000 injection molds are also managed. This generates transparency in everything from order planning and process optimization to maintenance.

The process status of every machine can be viewed via the ALS terminal

Böllhoff Uses ALS as a Uniform Global MES for Injection Molding and Metalworking

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Big Data für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Qualitätssicherung

Energiemanagement

Energieeffizienz

Completely Joined to the Host Computer System

In cars, LEDs are taking over ever more applications and are increasingly used as differentiating design elements. In order to ensure a high luminous efficiency even with complex geometries and elongated structures, Engel has developed a new plasticizing process for manufacturing light guides.

The transformation of the automobile also strongly affects the vehicle interior. Light is gaining in importance as a design element

The Principle of Starve Feeding: Injection Molding Ultrahigh Purity Light Guides

Farbmessgeräte

Messtechnik

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

LED / OLED-Systeme und Faseroptik

Lichttechnik

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Less Granules  Stock Means More Quality

Mold breathing provides useful information about the processes that occur in the mold and the cavity. Mold-maker Schneider Form and injection molding machine-maker Engel have recognized the potential which this process variable offers and have worked intensively on it for several years, albeit by adopting different approaches. They recently carried out joint tests on bumper molds using a two-platen injection molding machine with a clamping force of 40,000 kN and then swapped experiences.

Bumper molds were the focus of mold-breathing studies aimed at process optimization. The photo shows an example from the bumper portfolio of Schneider Form

Comparative Methods for Determining Mold Breathing

Energiemanagement / Smart Home

Installationstechnik

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Druck- / Kraftsensoren

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Using Breathing Signals for  Process Optimization

They are needed in thousands of units in Dutch greenhouses: plant pots. TN Plastics from Netherlands produces these thin-walled containers with Arburg injection molding machines in high quality and large volumes, around the clock, 363 days a year and above all resource-efficiently – using the own PP recyclate.

The terracotta-colored plant pots consist of 100 % recycled material. The recycling loop is based on a take-back system operated by the dealers

How TN Plastics Produces Thin-Walled Containers Resource-Efficiently

Production Brought to Growth

The quality of injection molded parts and the process stability are still heavily dependent on the knowledge and experience of the process technician. However, the ever increasing degree of freedom creates complex interrelationships between part quality and process parameters. At K 2019, IKV and an industrial consortium will demonstrate how algorithms based on artificial intelligence can support machine operators during the process setup by using machine data and quality data.

Fully interconnected manufacturing cell with data feedback to the injection molding machine

Model-Based Process Setup by Fully Interconnected Production in Injection Molding

Beyond Human Capabilities

ARBURG is one of the world‘s leading manufacturers of plastic processing machines. The product portfolio encompasses ALLROUNDER injection moulding machines with clamping forces of between 125 and 6,500 kN, the freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing, plus robotic systems, customer and industry-specific turnkey solutions, and further peripheral equipment.

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG  

https://www.arburg.com

Abkantmaschinen, -pressen, -bänke

Blechbearbeitungsmaschinen

Maschinen für die spanlose Fertigung

Additive Fertigung

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

Antriebselemente

Lineartechnik

Maschinenelemente

Ceramic-Injection-Moulding, CIM

Condition Monitoring für die Qualitätssicherung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Kennzahlen

Qualitätsmanagement

Kennzahlen, Q-Leitstand, Q-Monitor

Kühlelemente, aktive

Kühlkörper

Elektromechanik

Software

Management-Informationssysteme

Medizintechnik

Mehrfarben-Spritzgießmaschinen

Mikrobauteile

Montage

Montagetechnik

Mikrospritzgießen

Mischer

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

NE-Metalle

Metall Werkstoffe

PUR-Schäummaschinen

Schäumen / Reaktive Verarbeitung

Partikelschäumen

Produktionssystem

Rapid Manufacturing

Rapid Prototyping

Reinraumsysteme / -technik

Reinraumtechnik

Betriebsausrüstung / Betriebsmittel

Reporting-Tools

Rückverfolgbarkeit, Traceability

Schnecken und Zylinder

Simulation

Spanneinrichtungen

Systemperipherie

Spritzgieß-Zubehör und Einzelteile

Stetigförderer

Fördertechnik

Logistik

Trockner

Vorbeugende Instandhaltung für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Injection molding manufacturer Engel and technology group Heraeus have succeeded in slashing cycle times in the injection molding of amorphous metals. In so doing, the two system partners have rendered these alloys, which possess special properties, amenable to large-scale production over a wide range of end uses. The K 2019 trade fair will see two-component parts made of amorphous metal and silicone being produced for the first time – inside a fully automated manufacturing cell.

Premiere for the two-component AMM process. A silicone seal is directly molded onto the parts, which are made of amorphous metal

Engel and Heraeus to Demo a New Processing Unit for Large-Scale Production

Hybridtechnik

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Amorphous Metals Combined  with Elastomers

ENGEL, headquartered in Schwertberg, Austria, is one of the globally leading companies in plastics processing machines. From individual injection moulding machines to integrated and automated production cells, ENGEL offers customised solutions for thermoplastic, thermoset and elastomer processing from a single source. ENGEL injection moulding solutions are used, for example, to manufacture automotive components, housings and other parts for electrical and electronic products, household goods, toys and leisure articles, packaging, and products for medical technology and health care. ENGEL‘s leading market position is founded on two cornerstones: on the one hand, high-technology business that initiates permanent further development and on the other hand, large-scale production to make our cost-intensive development work financially affordable. With nine production plants in Europe, North America and Asia, as well as subsidiaries and representatives in more than 85 countries, ENGEL has a global presence. From its foundation in 1945 to the present day, ENGEL has always been 100 percent family-owned.

Engel Austria GmbH  

https://www.engelglobal.com

Industrieroboter

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Pressen von Kunststoffen

Technische Kunststoffe

Thermoplaste

Temperieren

Wärmebehandlung

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

It is not new to state that injection molding is a cyclic process. However, injection molding manufacturers are now concentrating on another cycle. Machine concepts for processing bioplastics or recyclates are being optimized, the energy efficiency of machines increased, and rejects minimized in order to contribute to the circular economy.

Circular Economy and Digitalization Are Key Issues for Machine Manufacturers

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

The Eternal Circle

Shortly before the start of the live e-symposium 2021, event host Engel gives an optimistic outlook for the current fiscal year. New challenges await the injection molding machine manufacturer, above all the current supply bottlenecks in raw materials and components.

Shortly before the start of the live e-symposium 2021, event host Engel gives an optimistic outlook for the current fiscal year. “Our order books are as full as they last were in 2018”, reports CEO Dr. Stefan Engleder. “We have genuinely sky-rocketed out of the crisis.” At the same time, new challenges await the injection molding machine manufacturer and system solution provider from Austria, above all the current supply bottlenecks in raw materials and components.

The change came about in November 2020. Even demand from the automotive industry picked up again after two very difficult years. As a result, the 2020/2021 fiscal year came to a conciliatory end. With 6400 employees around the world, the Engel Group generated EUR 1.1 billion in sales revenues. Although sales revenues again fell compared to the previous year with a minus of 15 %, the company is expecting growth again for the current fiscal year. “If the upward trend consolidates, growth in the order of up to 20 percent is realistic,” says CSO Dr. Christoph Steger.

The regional distribution of sales at the end of the 2020/2021 fiscal year reflects the impact of the crisis. Europe contributed 45 % of Group sales revenues, well below the previous year’s share of 54 %. The Americas accounted for 30 %– compared to 25 % the year before – and Asia for 23 %, compared to 20 % the year before. “The Americas and Asia – and China in particular – were the first to see the economy pick up again, and strongly,” says Steger. “But meanwhile, Europe is also clearly back on track.”

There were also shifts in the distribution of sales by business line. The Technical Moulding Division in particular saw significant growth. Technical Moulding includes the domestic products, sports, games and leisure segments, which experienced increased demand worldwide during the Corona pandemic. There was also further growth in the Medical business unit. Plastic products are making an important contribution to the fight against the pandemic. Engel has processed Covid-19-related orders with higher priority since the beginning of the pandemic.

Delivery Capability Ensured despite Shortage of Materials

“Plastics are and will remain the material of the future – this is reflected in the strong and, above all, fast-growing demand,” says Steger. Although the strong order situation gives rise to optimism, there is still a degree of uncertainty that makes planning difficult. “We have to be prepared for markets becoming more volatile and demanding more flexibility from us.” “We have geared up for crises,” Stefan Engleder continues. “Our global production network, and the stronger focus on decentralized expertise in sales, service and processing engineering help us to act in a versatile way.”

The Corona pandemic has not been defeated, the Engel Managing Directors emphasize. Lockdowns in individual countries, and travel restrictions with quarantine rules are still making daily business difficult. But the biggest challenge at the moment is delivery bottlenecks in raw materials and components. “The supply situation will see us face a couple of challenges in the next few months”, says Engleder. Although Engel is able to ensure global delivery capability thanks to its international network of plants and the dual-sourcing strategy established several years ago, the cost gap is continuing to widen. The markets are overheated, and rising inflation is aggravating this effect”, says Engleder. “This will also have an impact on prices in machine manufacturing.”

Sustainability and Digitalization Drive Growth

The innovation and growth drivers currently include three major topics in particular: sustainability, digitalization and the transformation of the automobile. All three areas are closely interlinked. “Sustainability only works with digitalization” is the core message of this year’s Engel live e-symposium. “Digitalization helps us to leverage the full potential of the injection molding machine, and to make production more efficient and sustainable by doing so,” says Stefan Engleder. “If we genuinely make use of digitalization, the CO<sub>2</sub> reduction targets set by politicians will suddenly no longer seem impossible.” With innovative products and technologies, Engel makes an important contribution towards building up a circular economy for plastics, and this in turn plays an essential role in improving sustainability in the plastics industry.

Sustainable mobility, in turn, is the driver for transformation in the automotive industry. Regardless of which alternative drive technology prevails in the long term, the proportion of plastics in automobiles will continue to rise. Lightweight remains a key prerequisite for sustainable mobility and requires innovative injection molding solutions.

Innovative Strength is the Basis for Success

Innovative strength is an important basis for success, especially in challenging times, and the springboard when the economy picks up again. “We have continued to pursue our development goals with undiminished vigor over the past year and a half,” reports Engleder. Each year, Engel invests EUR 70 million in research and development. In the inventor rankings published annually by the Austrian Patent Office, the company is consistently among the top ten companies with the most patent applications. In the latest report for 2020, Engel ranks fourth.

“Our products, technologies and solutions, put us in an excellent position to optimally meet our customers’ current and future requirements,” emphasizes Engleder. “Together, we will master the challenges that lie ahead well.”

“We have continued to pursue our development goals with undiminished vigor during the challenging months, which is now benefitting the digital transformation, especially in the context of our sustainability efforts.” Dr. Stefan Engleder, CEO, Engel Group

Engel is again operating at full capacity, including headquarters in Schwertberg, Austria

“Plastics are and will remain the material of the future – this is reflected in the strong and, above all, fast-growing demand.” Dr. Christoph Steger, CSO, Engel Group