For the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, 2020 is an anniversary year in three different ways. The RWTH Aachen University is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and is marking the occasion, by hosting the International Colloquium of Plastics Technology for the 30th time – with special feature on the previous day. A preview of the celebrations.

A Varied Menu

Extrusion

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Spritzgießen

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Temperiertechnik

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Extrusionswerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Additive Fertigung

Extrusionsanlagen

Reason to Celebrate 30th International Colloquium of Plastics Technology and  70 Years of the IKV

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.

Successfully Managing Digital Transformation with Automation and Artificial Intelligence

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Kameras, intelligente

Fertigungsautomation

Bildverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Datenanalyse

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Inline Quality Monitoring and  Data-Based Quality Prediction

The Circular Economy is not only the theme topic at the K 2019. It is also the “green” thread running through the fair exhibit by Engel, the provider of injection molding machines and integrated system solutions. Industry 4.0 is turning out to be a driving force for recycling. This is a most timely insight, since the branch is in for several economically cool years.

Engel Supports Strong Involvement by the Plastics Industry in a Circular Economy

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

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Spritzgießmaschinen

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Organobleche (gewebeverstärkte Thermoplast-Halbzeuge)

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

A Second Life for Plastics

Lightweight parts, energy-saving processing or the practice of combining several process steps into one can all be subsumed under one current buzzword: sustainability. A technology that is highly promising in this regard is thermoplastic foam injection molding.

New Developments in Thermoplastic Foam Injection Molding

Schaumspritzgießen

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

A Special Process that Is Becoming a Sustainable Normal Case

According to researchers of the University of Sydney recycling robots could help solve soft plastic waste crisis.

Abfallverwertung

Energieeffizienz

Prozess- und Umwelttechnik

Technik Trend

kunststoffe-international.com

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Artificial Intelligence against Soft Plastic Waste

At present, two automation trends are in evidence among plastics processing companies: On the one hand, the complexity of systems is increasing, while on the other, customers are seeking flexible solutions owing to ever faster product changes, increasing version diversity and, consequently, ever smaller unit volumes per order, down to one-off parts. This means, for example, that high-volume products can be individualized as one-off parts in a flexibly automated, digitally integrated production system by combining injection molding, generative production and "Industry 4.0" technologies. 

Automated Production Makes It Possible to Increase Part Quality, Process Reliability and the Productivity and the Flexibility of the Production Processes 

Automatisierungstechnik

Automatisierungskomponenten

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Mensch-Maschine-Interface

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Greifer

Systemperipherie

Industrieroboter

Handhabungsroboter

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

Digital Integration – Flexibly Automated Plastics Processing 

Two worlds met at Hannover Messe 2015: that of additive manufacturing and that of injection molding. At the largest global industrial trade show, Arburg presented a completely interlinked process chain at the end of which visitors received a personalized component. This easy way of individualization enables producers to open up new market potentials for single-unit parts, which could not be produced economically up to now.   

The Special Exhibition for "Additive Manufacturing" of the International Leading Trade Fair "Digital Factory" Highlights Additive Manufacturing Processes for Industrial Applications 

Oberflächenveredelung

Advanced Single-Unit Production  

Preventive maintenance, autonomous readjustment in ongoing processes, large-scale production in lots of just one item, human-machine collaboration – K2016 had a treasure trove of Industry 4.0 technologies in store for visitors. Injection molding machine makers and their partner companies from the fields of toolmaking, automation and sensor technology especially did not hold back on their sample applications. 

K 2016 Makes the Digitization of the Industry Tangible 

Instandhaltung

ERP-Systeme

Steuern, Regeln

Werkzeugwechselsysteme

Werkzeugwechselsysteme, Spritzgieß

Instandhaltungsmanagement (TPM)

A Treasure Trove of "Industry 4.0" Technologies 

With K 2016 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and formnext in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, professionals with an interest in additive manufacturing had two opportunities last year to gain a sense of the spirit of innovation in the industry. One issue was particularly prominent: the increase in production efficiency. This improves the economy of using the different 3D printing processes. 

A Diversity of Suppliers and Physical Cross-Linking Make Possible New Business Models and Application Scenarios for Additive Manufacturing  

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Manufacturing

Selektives Laserschmelzen von Kunststoff, Metall, Keramik

Selektives Lasersintern von Kunststoff, Metall, Keramik

Faserverarbeitung

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

All Elements at a Glance 

Lightweight construction, small batches, and progressive integration of electronic functions: general industrial trends are spilling over into the injection molding industry. Recent years have seen the development of remarkable solutions for meeting all kinds of requirements. Machine manufacturers have not been idle though: precision-regulated processes form the basis for many applications, and now it seems that the self-optimizing injection molding machine is no longer a fantasy. 

Visible and Invisible Innovations Continue to Confer Benefits on the Industry.  And on Mankind, too? 

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Metallpulver-Spritzgießen

Oberflächentechnik

Laserstrukturieren

Nobel Prize for Injection Molding 

3-D printing is increasingly being touted as the ultimate solution for the production world of the future. It remains to be seen whether that is justified – at any rate the bandwidth of applications and technical developments continues to grow steadily. That applies particularly to the possibilities of additive manufacturing with thermoplastics – recently also with endless-fiber-reinforcement. 

Additive Manufacturing with Thermoplastics 

Thermoplaste

3-D Printing for Production 

Modern mobility concepts are undergoing a fundamental transformation in the face of rapid population growth and the concentration of people in conurbations. The growing need for clean energy and universal mobility is being taken into account in various parts of the world with the development of low-emission vehicles. Lightweight design is a crucial interface and key technology in this regard. 

Opportunities and Challenges in the Resource-Efficient Lightweight Construction for Electromobility 

Elektromobilität

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

Hybridtechnik

KFZ-Zulieferer

Electrifying Lightweight Design 

The fact that plastics can be easily modified enables quick and simple function integration in the electronics industry. Furthermore, multi-component processing is opening up ways for inexpensive production of functionalized, e. g. conductive, structures. Additive production methods are now expanding this principle also to small series. 

Additive Processes Are Paving the Way for Function Integration in Small Series 

Gedruckte Elektronik

Electronic Components from the  3-D Printer 

Buzz words such as rapid prototyping (RP) and additive manufacturing (AM) are more relevant than ever in medicine. But only a few experts would know that the additive processes underlying these concepts have been employed in healthcare with growing success for more than three decades. Major care centers now routinely employ 3-D planning and 3-D printing in highly specialized surgical disciplines, such as oral and maxillofacial surgery. 

An Innovative Manufacturing Process for Custom PEEK Implants 

Polyetherketon

Medizintechnik

Custom Implants for Humans  from a 3-D Printer 

Additive manufacturing conquers medical engineering. The DLP-method, actually used in dentistry, allows customized and accurate in every detail production of medical devices out of photopolymers for long time application. To establish this material for applications within the body, it has to meet requirements like biocompatibility, sterilizing capability and resistance against body fluids. 

Material for Additive Manufacturing of Medical Devices 

How Compatible Are Photopolymers? 

German Scientists want to develop an app for automatic monitoring of print quality in additive manufacturing at batch size 1.

Scientists from Hanover and Aachen are working on a solution to support small and medium-sized companies in particular in the approval of patient-specific medical devices from the 3D printer

3D printing enables a batch size 1 production, meaning no products are alike because each part is individually designed for the customer. Among others, this is interesting for the medical technology sector. Additively manufactured dental splints, hearing aids and even implants can be perfectly adapted to the body of an individual patient and still be produced cost-effectively. One challenge for companies, however, is quality assurance. Personalized medical devices are subject to strict safety requirements. Manufacturers must be able to guarantee that there are no invisible cracks or pores in the component and that the geometric requirements and desired material properties are achieved. Scientists from Hanover and Aachen are working on a solution to support small and medium-sized companies in particular in the approval of patient-specific medical devices from the 3D printer: they want to develop an app that helps with quality assurance.

The more individualized the production, the more difficult quality assurance becomes. In the case of goods manufactured in large series, it is often sufficient to carry out quality tests on a few randomly selected products in order to be able to draw conclusions about the entire batch. This is not possible with single-item products. Here, each component must be examined in detail to ensure quality.

Detecting possible defects in patient-specific 3D printed products during production is the goal of a new research project being conducted jointly by scientists at the Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover (IPH) gGmbH and the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University.

Artificial Intelligence to Detect Production Errors

The researchers want to equip an industrial 3D printer with sensor technology to seamlessly monitor the printing process. The sensor data will be evaluated in an app using Artificial Intelligence via a quality model to reliably detect production errors. The scientists at the IPH and the WZL are focusing primarily on medical technology, because in this industry the degree of individualization of products and the associated quality requirements are particularly high, and proof of a quality assurance system must be provided as part of an approval process. In the research project, the IPH is responsible for sensor technology and data collection, while the WZL is responsible for creating the quality model and programming the app.

Quality in 3D printing is influenced by many factors: the type of material used, the ambient temperature, the temperature at which the filament is melted, the printing speed, the vibrations of the print head and quite a few other parameters. “Additive Manufacturing processes are very sensitive to external influences,” says project engineer Anne Rathje from IPH. “Our goal is to get more safety into the process and avoid errors.” Particularly treacherous, she says, is that many errors are no longer visible from the outside once the component has finished printing. “For example, if the print head clogs briefly in between and then continues to print normally, you won’t see it later,” Rathje says.

For the research project, IPH is using the X500PRO industrial printer from German RepRap GmbH. The printing material used is the plastic acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), which has a comparatively high strength but is very sensitive to temperature.

The scientists want to use various sensors to monitor the print quality. Conceivable options include sensors that measure the temperature of the build plate or build chamber, infrared sensors that can be used to determine the temperature directly at the print head, vibration sensors and optical measurement technology. Acoustic signals – in simple terms, sound recordings – are also useful for quality monitoring. These could be used, for example, to determine if the print head is clogged or if the filament breaks in the system. “You can hear that,” says Anne Rathje. “The challenge, however, is to process the signals in such a way that ambient noise is filtered out” – for example, the whirring of the motor in the 3D printer, the noise of the computer or a slammed door. To distinguish important from unimportant sounds, the researchers want to use Machine Learning, a form of Artificial Intelligence. By training the program with as many sound recordings as possible, it learns better and better how to reliably detect errors based on acoustic signals.

The App Provides Data – the Users Have to Interpret It

Ultimately, the goal is to develop an app that automatically evaluates all sensor data. “Our goal is to reduce the effort involved in quality assurance in 3D printing and also to enable laypersons to monitor the print via an intuitive app,” says Anna-Lena Knott from the WZL. Users do not have to interpret the sensor data – the app monitors the entire printing process, documents errors and provides feedback on print quality. In the event of serious errors that could render the component unusable, the app stops the printing process and informs the user. The print settings can then be adjusted and specialist personnel called in if necessary.

The IPH and the WZL are working closely with industry on the research project. The project advisory committee includes manufacturing companies from medical and dental technology and other industries, as well as manufacturers of 3D printers.

The IPH and WZL are working closely with industry on the research project. The project advisory committee includes manufacturing companies from medical and dental technology and other industries, as well as manufacturers of 3D printers. The research project, entitled “Sensor- and app-based validation of process and product quality for effort-reduced certification of personalized medical devices (SAViour),” will run until January 2023 and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen University 

https://www.wzl.rwth-aachen.de

IPH Inst.f. integrierte Produktion Hannover gGmbH 

https://www.iph-hannover.de

Quality monitoring: the scientists will attach sensors to the printer to detect faults such as a clogged print head

3D printed dental splints: thanks to additive manufacturing, medical products can be individually adapted to the patient’s body and still be produced cost-effectively

3D printers in the dental lab: Rainer Ulbricht Dental-Technik GmbH already uses additive manufacturing and participates in the SAViour research project

Professional 3D printing system: in the research project, IPH uses the X500PRO industrial printer from German RepRap GmbH and equips it with sensor technology

2021-05-10 TT WZL und Fraunhofer IPH

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issue 05/2021

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