Arburg Plastic Freeforming is predestined for the additive manufacturing of medtech components. The associated Freeformer-type additive manufacturing systems process the same plastic pellets that are used in injection molding. That makes the open systems very economical to use.

In the AKF process, resorbable original materials such a plate-implants similar to bone, can be manufactured. They are gradually replaced by endogenous tissue

Medical Product Manufacturers Are Processing Original Materials Using the Freeformer

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, andere

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Additive Fertigung

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Andere Werkstoffe

Arburg Kunststoff Freiformen

Verfahren für die additive Fertigung

Freiraumverfahren

New Possibilities for Use  in the Human Body

Up to now, the integration of electronic components and consequently, the production of customized 3D-printed sensors has presented a challenge. Now, together with the companies Arburg and Balluff, Fraunhofer IPA has achieved a breakthrough.

Demonstration model of customized sensor at different production stages: CAD concept (top left), after integrationof the electronic components (top right) and as a finished demonstration model (bottom)

16:9

Technik Trend

kunststoffe-international.com

Sensoren

Logistik

Lagertechnik

Sensors from the Printer

tesa develops e. g. adhesives for smartphone components and investigate the added value that additive manufacturing with plastics freeforming can bring.

“Printed” pressure-sensitive adhesives can be used, for example, to bond smartphone components together, without producing any waste

tesa Uses Freeformer for Novel Bonding Applications

Klebstoffe

Verbindungstechnik Verfahren

Chemisches Fügeverfahren

What Holds the World together

Additive manufacturing has the potential to manufacture tablets individualized for the particular patient, and thereby further digitalize the pharmaceutical industry. In medication development, the properties of a tablet, such as its shape, dosage or release of the active substance, can be individually tailored – by making just a few changes to the digital 3D print file. Merck scientists have used a Freeformer for their lab tests.

Merck researcher Dr. Thomas Kipping (right) and Nabil Lamrabet value the advantages that the Freeformer offers as an open system.

The Freeformer Allows a Tailor-Made Combination of Several Active Ingredients

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, Kunststoff

Patient-Specific Tablets

Researchers on the CAMed project being conducted by the Medical University of Graz are working on producing custom implants in the hospital using 3D printers.

The 3D-printed rib made of PCU possesses the necessary stiffness and fit for insertion directly into the chest cavity.

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Qualitätsmanagement

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Qualitätssicherung

Bone Implants Straight from  the Hospital’s Printer

Thin wall packaging manufacturers think in terms of efficiency gains in tenths of a second. Every cycle time reduction leads to increased productivity. Another factor influencing part costs is the energy efficiency of the production equipment. In these two key dimensions, Netstal was able to optimize the smallest model in the Elios series with 4500 kN clamping force.

The optimized Elios 4500 with electrically operated toggle levers enables users to achieve cycle time reductions and savings in power consumption (the photo shows the previous variant).

Higher Output and Reduced Energy Consumption

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Energieeffizienz

Elektrische Antriebe für Spritzgießmaschinen

Antriebe

Elektrische Antriebe

Spritzgießmaschinen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Clamping Unit of the Elios 4500 with Fully Electric Drive Concept

Flashing lights, injection molding machines and a fresh mind

A visit to Arburg in the North Black Forest.

Schröder, Susanne

Unternehmen

kunststoffe.de

On the Spot at Arburg

Mechanical engineering, artificial intelligence and a spirit of optimism

Visit to Engel in Schwertberg / Upper Austria.

Verpackungstechnik

On the Spot at Engel

In the fiscal year 2021, the Wittmann Group realized the third highest figure in its corporate history.

Record Year for Wittmann

Engel’s new “Parameter Limits” feature provides a remedy. It supports injection molders in keeping the parameters constant within a process window.

With the new Parameter Limits feature, tolerance ranges for up to 150 process parameters can be fixed directly in the machine control system for up to 150 process parameters. A change of the selected setpoint values is then only possible within the defined process window.

Simple Determination of Process Windows and Quality beyond Parameter Limits

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Automatisierungstechnik

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Prozessvisualisierung

Keeping Setting Parameters  under Control

Time to take stock: in what condition and with what agenda is the industry presenting itself after two-and-a-half years of a difficult climate? We have conducted a survey: insights into the dominant themes of the age.

Preview of K 2022: Kunststoffe Questionnaire on the Situation in Injection Molding Machine Construction

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Mess-, Steuer- und Regelgeräte

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Harsh Realities

Arburg has been dealing with the issue of sustainability and resource efficiency for a very long time. The machine supplier is being integrated more and more by its customers into evaluations of climate-change activities along the supply chain.

Raw materials extraction through to delivery account for just 5 % of the CO2 emitted by an injection molding machine over its entire life cycle.  

Arburg Devises an Informative Product Carbon Footprint Calculation

Recycling

CO2 Footprint of Injection Molding Machines

The iQ product family from Engel will gain a new member at K 2022. iQ hold control automatically determines the optimum holding pressure time for the particular mold with no input from the operator.

 The optimum holding pressure time is often lower than that established at the beginning. In these cases, the cycle time is shortened.

iQ hold control Determines the Optimum Holding Pressure Time

Smart Factory

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Energiedatenmanagement

Holding out for Higher Quality

At the Deutsche Kautschuk Tagung (German Rubber Conference), held at the end of June in Nuremberg, Germany, Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG presented itself with a liquid silicone application running on a Boy XS.

With this silicone unit as special equipment for the Boy XS the medical syringe plugs were injection molded. 

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Boy Presented New LSR Application

 At KraussMaffei’s booth, automotive door modules are produced from former caps of insulin pens. The system supplier is presenting not only the machine hardware necessary for this but also new digital solutions.

Digital solutions are an essential component of the material loop from the insulin pen cap to the car door module.

From the Insulin Pen Cap to the Automotive Door Module

Arburg presents a total of four Allrounder exhibits and two Freeformers on show. All machines will be connected live to the Arburg host computer system ALS for demonstration purposes and to the arburgXworld customer portal, another focus of the trade fair display. Detailed information on the arburgGreenworld environmental and recycling program will round off Arburg‘s involvement in Chinaplas.

Zhao Tong, Director of Arburg‘s organizations in China, notes the importance of the event in Shanghai (25 to 28 April 2022): „Chinaplas is the most important trade fair for us in the entire region. It is important that we showcase cutting-edge technology here, because the high-end market in China is also constantly growing and gaining in importance. Arburg has chosen the focal points of its trade fair activities accordingly. With our injection molding machines and automation systems, we offer optimal solutions for individual series production, and with the Freeformers, further solutions for the production of prototypes and small series. Then there are tools like arburgXworld and the ALS host computer system for supporting service and production management, and the arburgGreenworld environmental and recycling program for greater resource conservation and production efficiency.“

Zhao Tong sees the electric Allrounder 470 A with 1000 kN clamping force, size 290 injection unit and Gestica control system as an important highlight. A Multilift Select with a load capacity of six kilograms completes the configuration. The powerful injection unit with 35 mm three-zone screw can produce even complex parts in multiple molds quickly and to a high standard without any problems. As a sample for the trade fair, the electronic ‚connector‘ part will be produced on this machine in a 16-cavity mold. Each part weighs 0.59 g, and the 16 connectors will be produced in a cycle time of around six seconds. The machine‘s energy requirement is very low, which increases economy and efficiency. This means that the Allrounder also fits in very well with the company‘s efforts as part of the arburgGreenworld program.

Fast: Medical Technology on a Hybrid Machine

On a hybrid Allrounder 470 H with a clamping force of 1000 kN, size 400 injection unit with 35 mm standard screw and Gestica control system, pipette tips will be produced from PP in a 64-cavity mold. The cycle time for this high-speed product is only seven seconds, which is partly due to the machine being equipped with powerful memory technology and the aXw Control ScrewPilot for reproducible injection and high molded part quality. The shot weight is 64 grams. The complex automation comes from regional Chinese manufacturer Ningbo Welllih Robot Technology Co, LTD. In addition to a Luxor80 granule feed from Motan, a hot runner system from Husky and two HB-Therm temperature control devices are also used.

A face mask will be injection molded in a 4-cavity mold from Polarform Werkzeugbau GmbH. The sample part will run on a 570 E Golden Electric Allrounder during Chinaplas. The high-end system with this machine for LSR processing is a novelty in Asia. The Allrounder 570 E Golden Electric is defined here as an entry-level machine with maximum precision for the special application of LSR injection molding. It has a clamping force of 2000 kN and a size 800 injection unit with a 45 mm LSR screw and no mixing or compression zone. A special non-return valve is also used for low-viscosity material.

A Wacker Chemie AG LSR optimized for medical technology is processed. The molded part weight is around 42 grams and the cycle time some 60 seconds. The extreme undercut of the mask and different wall thicknesses with the very thin lip make the injection molding of these parts highly complex. The gripper on the Multilift Select robotic system with a 15-kilogram load capacity in transverse design ensures precise, smooth removal. It comes from Barth Mechanik GmbH, and the dosing system from Chinese manufacturer Mucomac in Shenzhen.

The system is completed by a CoolShot cold runner system from Ewikon with electrically needle-type shut-off system and a cooling unit from Shini in Taipei. For medical technology, which is also one of the most important industries in this region, clean production with maximum process control is indispensable. Arburg can fully guarantee this with this configuration.

The largest Arburg machine at Chinaplas will be a hydraulic Allrounder 820 S optimized for fiber direct compounding (FDC). The machine has a clamping force of 4000 kN and a size 3200 injection unit equipped with a 70 mm special screw for long glass fiber processing. The aXw Control ScrewPilot, which allows reproducible mold filling via the control of injection pressure and speed is also included as necessary basic equipment. A platform will be produced with a PP as base material. The single-cavity mold has a hot runner with needle-type shut-off nozzles. The molded part weight is 700 g and the cycle time some 80 seconds.

The FDC lightweight construction process is characterized by high material availability and up to 40 per cent lower costs compared to special long-fiber granules. FDC molded parts are used in all innovative sectors of plastics processing, such as automotive construction or the aerospace industry. The physical properties that can be achieved are due to the individually adaptable long fibers. The FDC unit directly on the injection unit is integrated into the Selogica control system, as is the entire process, and includes a servo-electric lateral feeder with built-in cutting device, an adapted cylinder, and special screw geometry.

The molded parts are removed from the single mold via a Multilift Select robotic system with a load capacity of 15 kg. Downstream, the items are weighed inline via a scale automation system for quality assurance, entered into the process documentation, and then deposited on a conveyor belt.

Business Potential in China and Asia Remains High

According to Zhao Tong, the exhibits at Chinaplas 2022 are a perfect match for the current market requirements in China: „The automotive industry is becoming increasingly energized by developments and applications in the field of e-mobility. In medical technology, Arburg can make an important contribution to more stable supply chains thanks to its central production, its on-time delivery, and the high reliability of its Allrounders. More and more companies are also looking to IT solutions such as the arburgXworld customer portal and the ALS host computer system to increase their production efficiency. With our products and technologies that are ‚Made in Germany‘, we are in the right place at the right time. Because – and this is also demonstrated by our involvement in Chinaplas – we can offer our customers regionalized services to fully support them in increasing quality, efficiency and resource conservation in their companies.“

Shanghai venue: 25 to 28 April 2022, Hall 2.1, booth G62

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG  

https://www.arburg.com

A highlight at Chinaplas 2022 is an electric Allrounder 470 A with Gestica control system.

Arburg will be demonstrating the potential of freeformers for additive manufacturing on two exhibits at Chinaplas 2022.

Zhao Tong, Managing Director Arburg China

2022-03-23 Arburg Chinaplas

issue 04/2023

issue 03/2023

issue 02/2023

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