Various applications on all-electric and hydraulic molding machines enable Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH & Co. KG of Meinerzhagen, Germany, to place different technical and industrial focuses. Among other things, multi-component and internal gas injection molding take center stage. All machines reflect complete integration. 

Overview of the new Condition Monitoring System with sensorical measuring of the machine status data from Wittmann Battenfeld (© Wittmann) 

Wittmann Battenfeld 

Spritzgießmaschinen

Spritzgießen

Vertically and Horizontally Cross-Linked 

Engel Austria GmbH, Schwertberg, Austria, prides itself in the quality, efficiency, and economy of highly integrated production solutions. For their presence at this year's Fakuma, they have selected the first clearmelt component for an exterior application, an e-mac all-electric injection molding machine in a new clamping force class, a new compact pipe distributor for cleanrooms, and higher precision liquid silicon rubber (LSR) processing. 

Engel 

Process Improvement on Short Terms 

In live applications of clamping forces ranging from 500 to 2000 kN, KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH of Munich, Germany, will feature all-electric PX and hydraulic CX series injection molding machines. Liquid silicone rubbers will also be processed on all-electric machines. In addition to innovations in machine technology – all machines are equipped with the new, expanded APC plus (Adaptive Process Control) – KraussMaffei is focusing on glossy finishes that can be achieved by inductive mold temperature control. 

KraussMaffei 

Prozessregler

Workflow- / Prozessmanagement

Freedom of Design due to Inductive Mold Temperature Control 

In a total of 14 exhibits (eight at the own booth), Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG of Neustadt-Fernthal, Germany, presents its competence as a machine manufacturer for nearly all capacities and series, starting with the compact Boy XXS and Boy XS, going on to encapsulating and additive injection machines, and culminating in the Boy 100. 

Poffertjes silicone baking pan produced on an automated Boy 35 E VV (© Dr. Boy) 

Dr. Boy 

From Tabletop to Poffertjes 

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH, Schwaig, Germany, has developed a web-based software solution to provide its customers with a central platform for a wide range of services. The modular myConnect system will open up access to a full range of online services from the injection molding machinery manufacturer. 

Online Service Platform myConnect 

Central Platform for a Wide Range of Services 

In the Industry 4.0 era – or more generally speaking, in the midst of the "digital transformation" currently taking place in the world – the networking of injection molding machines, robots and peripheral equipment is proceeding apace. It is necessary to face the new challenges in the field of plant security. 

Wittmann Takes Care of Cyber Security when Networking Injection Molding Machines, Robots and Peripherals 

Industrie 4.0

Software / Betriebssysteme / KI

The Attacker Remains Outside 

In preform manufacturing, power supply outages reduce system availability levels and have a negative impact on unit costs. In the form of its new CPP option, for challenging industrial situations Netstal-Maschinen AG, Näfels, Switzerland, is offering a practical solution for its PET-Line that can be amortized within a very short period and reliably ensures maximum system availability. 

Reliable Prevention of Short Shots 

Polyethylen

Qualitätssicherung

CPP Option for PET-Line Systems 

Leading up to the NPE, the Plastics Academy is inducting ten new members into its "Plastics Hall of Fame" this year, among them Dr. Karlheinz Bourdon, Senior Vice President Integration at the KraussMaffei Group. Our conversation on this occasion also covered the high points of injection molding machine development during his career and the integration of KraussMaffei into the company group of the Chinese owner. 

Interview with Dr. Karlheinz Bourdon on the Occasion of His Induction into the  "Plastics Hall of Fame" 

Innovationsmanagement

"Only Cooperation Can Get Us Ahead" 

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH, Schwaig, Germany, presents the compact injection molding machine for high-speed applications Intelect S. This means that in the high-speed segment up to 1.800 kN both standard and high-speed machines will now run with all-electric drive technology. "Our in-house drive technology has advanced to a level that delivers not only fast cycle times and unparalleled process stability but also guarantees maximum energy efficiency," CEO Gerd Liebig explains 

Drive Technology for All-Electric Injection Molding Machines 

Medizintechnik

All-Electric Machine Series for High-Speed Parts 

The announcements in the field of injection molding give the impression that the developments of recent years are continuing. These include the increasing digitalization of injection molding production, as well as highly integrated production cells that combine very different competencies. The spotlight shines not only on the machinery, but rather on optimum system solutions for integrating molds and individually configured peripheries in the digital and the real world. 

Fakuma 2018: Injection Molding Networked and Integrated 

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

ERP-Systeme

Treibmittel

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Spritzprägen

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

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Schaumspritzgießen

Temperiertechnik

Reinraumsysteme / -technik

The Communicative Machine 

Unplanned production downtime can have far-reaching consequences in an injection molding company until delays in delivery. In the form of e-connect.monitor, Engel offers a solution for analyzing the condition of critical machine components, which avoids unanticipated downtime. Following the introduction of two modules for monitoring plasticizing screws and ball screws, the company is now presenting further e-connect.monitor modules for condition monitoring of hydraulic pumps and hydraulic oil. 

Avoid Standstills by Permanently Monitoring Hydraulic Pumps and Hydraulic Oil 

Instandhaltung

Hydraulik-Komponenten

Hydraulikpumpen

So that the Heart of the Machine  Beats Longer 

Making a racket is part of the trade. In the past, tradesmen would do this at markets by swinging wooden rattles to attract attention. Today, instead, it is the industry which is trying to make its developments heard and accepted, for example at trade fairs and in the media. What has injection molding technology had to offer recently, aside from Industry 4.0? The answer is process developments that in the main expand the range of applications for plastic parts, mechanical assistance systems that enable consistently high part quality to be achieved more reliably, and the huge field of temperature control. 

New Ways to Attain Special Part Properties Are Advancing the Art of Injection Molding 

Steuern, Regeln

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Making a Racket for Plastics  

In one of the cavities, a control display is created in so-called dead-front design with a touch sensor. In the adjacent cavity, a component is made with faux-concrete surface aesthetics that can be lit from behind. At the Fakuma trade show, KraussMaffei and Leonhard Kurz demonstrate the degree of functional integration made possible by combining the IMD and IML film processes. The new IMD SI Duo film feed is the first-ever solution capable of positioning two decorative strips independently of each other. The first series application is already up and running. 

KraussMaffei and Leonhard Kurz Optimize the Combined IMD and IML Film Processes 

Industrieroboter

Oberflächentechnik

Kapazitive Sensoren

Three at One Blow 

The injection molding machine manufacturer Engel is improving employee safety in plastics processing with its newly developed safety guarding according to EN ISO 14120. Its modular concept supports straightforward configuration and installation. Thanks to the extensive selection of safety panels and functional elements such as control cabinets, cable ducts, and swivel and sliding doors, individual layouts can also be realized at reasonable cost. 

Newly Developed Modular Safety Guarding for Flexible Installation 

Arbeitsschutz, -sicherheit

Modular Safety 

Long glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene and polyamide are used in automotive lightweight construction especially where high impact toughness, very good crash behavior and low weight are required. However, care must be taken during injection molding, since not every screw is suitable for these materials. To maintain the fiber length reliably and obtain a uniform distribution of the fibers, Engel has developed a new plastification system especially for processing long glass-fiber-reinforced materials. 

Plastification System Optimized for Processing Long Glass Fiber Materials 

Faserverarbeitung

Better Part Properties thanks to Fewer Fiber Breakage 

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 CO2 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.”

Engel Austria GmbH  

https://www.engelglobal.com

“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

2021-06-22 Engel financial year

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