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

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

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

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Spritzgießsimulation

Simulation

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Spritzgießmaschinen

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Kreislaufwirtschaft

There Is More beyond the Horizon

Which injection molding machine is the right one for which application? Below we will demonstrate why performance is not always performance, but physics is always physics.

Direct drives such as planetary roller screw drives are very precise and durable

16:9

How Feed Rate, Injection Volume and Filling Time Correlate with Injection Unit Performance

Kugelgewindetriebe

Maschinenelemente

Getriebe

Elektrische Antriebe für Spritzgießmaschinen

Antriebe

Elektrische Antriebe

Elektromechanische Maschinen

A Question of Class

Guido Frohnhaus has been Managing Director Technology & Engineering at Arburg for a good two years now. The pandemic restrictions meant that he has made very few appearances outside the company so far, but, as he says himself, he spent the time getting to know the in-house processes at all levels and in great detail. In this interview with Kunststoffe, the 52-year-old talks about the course he plans to set and how crucial the high level of in-house manufacturing and programming expertise is for the company’s independence.

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

“Gestica Will Be the Fixed Star in the Customer’s Universe”

The fifth broadcast by arburgXvision was all about the exciting question of how productivity can be optimized by bringing together technology, organization and digitalization in the ideal manner.

Christoph Kiefer, Team Manager Technical & Commercial Sales Support (left), and Dr Thomas Walther, Head of Application & Process Development (center), had a discussion with presenter Guido Marschall on how to increase production efficiency by taking advantage of “hidden benefits“

Automatisierungstechnik

5. arburgXvision: „Savings through Hidden Benefits!“

Once again, the K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany, lived up to its claim to be the leading trade show for plastics technology. At least in the field of injection molding, there were exciting global innovations to see – if you looked closely.

Fig. 1. Smart Operation – the machine is operated with only four buttons (© KraussMaffei)

Injection Molding Trends at K 2019

Smart Factory

Energieeffizienz

Mikrospritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Fließpressen

Handling, Handhabungstechnik für die spanende Fertigung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrieroboter

Montagetechnik

Montage-Spritzgießen

Knickarmroboter

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Technical Excellence thanks  to Digital Assistance

In the second part of the series, calculations were carried out on the throughput behaviour, pressure build-up capacity and the melting process on the basis of an exemplary geometry. These results are now to be examined in more detail and subsequently optimized.

Through empirical tests and simulation-supported test series, a screw can be designed in a tailor-made manner for the respective application 

Part 3 of the Series Deals with the Tests to Optimize the Screw Geometry

All about Plasticizing Screws

iQ process observer, the new process monitoring platform from Engel monitors hundreds of parameters from the injection molding cell in the background.

The injection molder is truly not a friend of changes – if they occur in the running process. The iQ process observer helps him to keep an eye on the process and thus keep a handle on the quality

A Process Monitoring Platform Monitors Several Hundred Parameters Simultaneously

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Prozessvisualisierung

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

IoT-Plattformen für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

An Eye on the Process –  a Handle on Quality

The central control unit of the injection-molding machine is used by the machine operator for control, regulation and optimization of the entire production process. In order to directly integrate external systems as well as proprietary solutions that do not have a standardized interface, Engel uses a technology that is already widespread in day-to-day routine. Via a browser, the new Webviewer can be reliably integrated into the CC300 control panel of the injection-molding machines.

The Webviewer in the machine control system integrates not only ancillary equipment  with web interfaces, but also data from internal and external systems that are accessible via browsers. 

New Webviewer Merges Web and Control Applications

Bedienterminals

Computer Hardware

Central Control Unit Makes Use  of Web Technology

With Moldex3D 2021, the supplier of software in German-speaking countries SimpaTec, by its own account, succeeded in improving both prediction accuracy and tailored solutions. Thus, for shrinkage and warpage predictions, which are frequently required in injection molding, the new version now combines the material and stress properties of the plastic at the phase-switchover to the holding pressure phase.

Moldex3D 2021 offers users improvements that make routine workflows easier

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Virtual Product Development – Precise and Tailor-Made

MS-Schramberg has a track-record of developing precision polymer parts for the automotive industry. The example of a gear wheel demonstrates how the efficiency of component optimization can be boosted through the use of simulation.

After component optimization, the gear wheel lay within the desired tolerance as soon as it went into series production

Optimizing a Tricky Component Geometry Using Sigmasoft Virtual Molding

Magnete

Mechanische Konstruktionselemente

Systematic Approach to a Precision Polymer Gear Wheel

The digital shadow is the core concept of the Cluster of Excellence “Internet of Production” at RWTH Aachen University. It represents the data trace of an asset to describe its real behavior. In the Plastics Innovation Center 4.0 (PIC 4.0), digital shadows, e.g. the data trace of a sensor, are used to optimize processes taking into account real behavior and to determine simulation quality.

The construction of the PIC 4.0 proceeds and throws its shadow on the Campus Melaten.

Part 7 of the Series: How the Digital Shadow Enlightens Real Processes in the PIC 4.0

Sensorik für Kunststoff-Verarbeitungsmaschinen

Digitaler Zwilling

Out of the Shadow into the Light

Internal pressure loads are typical for fiber-reinforced plastic components. To increase the burst strength of components, the fiber orientation can be modified in a targeted way during injection molding by means of a rotating mold core. A newly developed simulation method allows this modified fiber orientation to be taken into account at the design stage.

Practical implementation of a mold system with rotating core.

Mold System with Rotating Core Improves Mechanical Properties

Werkstoffprüfung, mechanisch

Messtechnik

Werkstoffprüfung

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Design Methodology for Parts Subject to Internal Pressure

CoreTech System announced the appointments of Dr. David Hsu as its new Chairman, and Dr. Venny Yang as the new CEO. Dr. Rong-Yeu Chang, founder of CoreTech System, announced his resignation and assumed new roles.

Dr David Hsu (left) and Dr Venny Yang (right) have taken over the roles of chairman and CEO, respectively, from Dr Rong-Yeu Chang (centre)

CoreTech System Appointed New Chairman and CEO

Skilful application of the evaluation and analytical options afforded by process simulation, including designing the best temperature-control system and making comparisons with alternative manufacturing processes, smoothes the way to efficient product development and manufacturing. Doing this from the very start of a project enables investments to be weighed and qualified, and technical, economic or environmental concerns to be taken into account, as exemplified here by a part with a high-gloss surface.

3D CAD view of the conformal temperature-control system for injection molding a fascia with a high-gloss surface.

Predicting the Surface Finish of High-Gloss Plastic Parts

Dynamische / variotherme Temperierung

Lackieren

Chemisches Bearbeiten (Auftragen)

High Gloss – Paintless and Painless

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.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

Sustainability thanks to Digitalization

“Mold Strategy 2.0 – New Ideas for Reducing Costs”

The ninth broadcast by arburgXvision was about strategies for significantly increasing the utilization rate of injection molding machines.

In the ninth episode, Arburg experts Christoph Blöchle and Christian Homp presented strategies for significantly increasing the utilization rate of injection molding machines. In addition to the expert presentations, there were instructive live links hosted by Philipp Jarosch in Arburg’s Training Center.

Around 450 people watched the interactive internet TV program live on 28 October 2021. Anyone registered with “arburgXvision” can watch this and all previous episodes in the Media Center. In two hours, the experts competently shared valuable ideas and inspiration and interacted live with viewers to answer key questions. The main topics in theory and practice were strategies for protecting, preparing and monitoring injection molds as well as tips for combating wear.

Interaction of Machine, Mold and Controller

Christoph Blöchle, Technical Sales Manager at Arburg, argued that “each mold is only as good as the machine that it runs on”, adding that the aim was to produce high-quality mass-produced parts with an optimal price/performance ratio. This requires a low machine load, little wear on the mold, and fault-free operation. “In other words, ‘Mold Strategy 2.0’ means the perfect interaction of machine, mold and controller,” Christoph Blöchle underlined in his technical presentation. Machine technology plays a major role when it comes to symmetrical force application, platen parallelism and force distribution on the tie bars, for example. Key tips from an expert on protecting your mold: If there are process variations, the machine alignment should be checked first and the toggle-type clamping units adapted to different mold installation heights to ensure constant clamping force.

Strategy: Increase Reliability – Reduce Wear

“The best mold strategy is actually really simple: increase reliability and reduce wear,” declared Christian Homp, Team Manager Applications. He went on to stress how important it was to find the perfect compromise between controllable technology and a high utilization rate. “This starts with the selection of the right material, but also covers the issue of the use of hot runners and ejectors, considerations on flow path wall thickness ratios, and the selection of the right injection unit, drive technology and peripheral equipment,” said Christian Homp. As a supporting tool, he presented the “MachineFinder”, which can be used to determine the optimum machine technology for the requirements of the part and mold. He also explained how assistants such as the “aXw Control ScrewPilot” and “aXw Control ReferencePilot” provide support in a way that is easy on the mold. In addition, Homp talked about how various monitoring functions can be used to prevent damage to the mold during ongoing processes and how maintenance points can be programmed depending on the cycle.

Philipp Jarosch, Team Manager of the injection molding facility, used two Allrounders in Arburg’s Training Center to demonstrate which mistakes to avoid when preparing machines and molds and the various monitoring options available. He first showed how problems closing molds can be solved by levelling the machine correctly instead of increasing the clamping force and hence wear. During the second live link, the injection molding expert demonstrated how mold breathing could be monitored, for example, using a compression path sensor. He also explained how wear can be detected and how forces can be monitored and maintenance points set using the Gestica controller.

Mold and Machine Will Communicate with Each Other

With moderator Guido Marschall, the experts reiterated how important it is to take a holistic view of the manufacture of a new product and to involve application technology advice at an early stage. “A well-designed mold strategy helps to protect your investment, reduce production costs, and increase part quality,” Christoph Blöchle emphasized. The direction in which Arburg is heading in terms of mold strategy was formulated by Christian Homp as follows: “In future, the mold will communicate directly with the machine controller and facilitate production. At Fakuma 2021, we and one of our mold partners demonstrated for the first time how this can be done.”

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG  

https://www.arburg.com

Moderator Guido Marschall and Arburg experts Christian Homp and Christoph Blöchle (from right) discussed how the right mold strategy pays off for injection molding companies

2021-11-11 Arburg xvision EN

Entitled “Sustainable production: Conserving resources in the plastics industry”, Arburg’s last program of 2021 will address a particularly relevant topic. Experts Bertram Stern, Sustainability Manager, and Dr Philipp Kloke, Application and Process Development Engineer, will explain important aspects of sustainable and future-proof production and show how recyclates and bioplastics can be processed reliably and efficiently. Several live links will also give viewers a deep insight into injection molding machine production in Lossburg, Germany.<br/><span class="webadresse">https://www.arburgxvision.com/en/</span>