Induction as contactless heating technology is also attractive for composite materials. The efficiency of the technology has so far been limited by the resulting complex temperature distribution. Therefore, it is necessary to fundamentally investigate the influences of the laminate parameters on the induction heating behavior of CFRP. 

Influences of Laminate Parameters on the Induction Heating Behavior of CFRP 

Heizung

Polyamide

Polypropylen

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

Faserverarbeitung

Industrieroboter

Induction Heating of CF-Reinforced Polymers 

Thermoplastic injection molded parts can be reinforced with local continuous fibers in combination with metallic load application elements. This also makes them suitable for structural applications such as transverse control arms and transmission mountings. A 3D winding technology was tested for potential use in a large-scale production process.

Robot-based fiber winding of complex injection molding inserts. The complex contours cannot easily be draped with flat reinforcing semi-finished products

Local Continuous Fiber-Reinforcement through 3D Skeleton Winding Technology

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Leichtbau

UD-Tapes

Verstärkungsstoffe

Montagetechnik

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Three-Dimensional Fiber Skeleton

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

Industrie 4.0

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Medizintechnik

Pressen von Kunststoffen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Reinraumtechnik

Betriebsausrüstung / Betriebsmittel

Spritzgieß-Zubehör und Einzelteile

Spritzgießmaschinen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Technische Kunststoffe

Temperieren

Wärmebehandlung

In addition to excellent mechanical characteristics and suitability for recycling, the key feature of hybrid lightweight structures made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics is that automated, large series production is possible. New mold and process technologies were successfully developed within the scope of the ReLei research project, enabling the production of complex shaped sandwich elements in an efficient combined process.

In the ReLei project, several research and industry partners developed a rear shelf based on a fiber-reinforced polyamide as an example for manufacturing a complex sandwich structure

Thermoplastic Sandwich Structures for Large Series Applications

Spritzgießen

Schaumspritzgießen

Fasern

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Making It Big with Small Bubbles

A production cell which produces automatically around the clock. Three six-axis robots which are fully integrated in the control system and operate in a synchronized manner. An injection molding solution in which machine, robotic systems and peripherals are supplied from a single source. All this is not a pipe dream of an efficient injection molding solution, but every day, well-proven reality at a plastics processor in Upper Franconia, Germany. 

Injection Molding Machine and Three Six-Axis Robots Work Together in Perfect Synchronization to Save Cycle Time 

Automatisierungstechnik

A Trio Working in Synchronization 

Over the past 20 years, Hehnke has developed from a two-man contract manufacturer to a high-volume vehicle component manufacturer. Where once simple applications worked, today complex turnkey systems ensure high quality serial production of complete functional units for motor vehicles. One example is the production of sensor housing covers for the electronic accelerator pedals of several premium automotive manufacturers. 

Hehnke and Arburg Implement a Fully Automatic Facility with Integrated Stamping, Bending and Injection Molding  

Hybridtechnik

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

Electronics Set the Pace  

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 

Automatisierungskomponenten

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Mensch-Maschine-Interface

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Greifer

Additive Fertigung

Systemperipherie

Handhabungsroboter

Qualitätssicherung

Digital Integration – Flexibly Automated Plastics Processing 

Hörl Kunststofftechnik sees its core business in the production of small and micro parts made from technical plastics for the automotive and electronics industry. In operating and expanding its fully automated injection molding production, the supplier works closely together with Arburg. The machine manufacturer supplies turnkey systems that are precisely matched to manufacturing requirements. 

Automation in Injection Molding: More Control and Flexibility in Production 

Error-Free Coupling 

Proco Machinery Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, a manufacturer of automation systems for the blow molding industry, has launched a breakthrough collaborative robotic automation system that works interactively with co-workers, requires no special guarding, and needs minimal training for teaching new tasks. 

Robo Packer 

Verpackungsmaschinen

Collaborative Robotic Automation System 

Wittmann Group, Vienna, Austria, manufacturer of parts-removal devices for the injection molding industry, has broadened its robot range for both ends of the manufacturing spectrum, offering now W853 pro and W863 pro for large machines and he WL80 robot for smallest injection molding machines. 

Extended Robot Range 

New Robots for Large and Small Injection Molding Machines  

Yaskawa Motoman presents the new ArcWorld 2000 welding workcell, a modular solution specifically designed for robotic welding of large workpieces. This powerful, flexible, pre-engineered solution is perfect for low- to medium-volume manufacturers with a medium to high mix of parts. 

ArcWorld 2000 Welding Workcell 

Robotic Welding of Large Workpieces 

The French robot manufacturer, Sepro, sees the future of the industry in networked and flexible systems. At the K 2016 the company that has so far been successful even without any notable revenues from Asia will be presenting the largest robot in the product range to date. 

Sepro Sets New Sales Records and Gears itself for Further Growth 

Allez les Bleus 

Engel Austria GmbH, Schwertberg, Austria, is expanding its range of robots for K 2016: The Engel easix series will include a Scara version, while a new servo sprue picker will be added in the lower requirements range. 

Faster Pick-and-Place and Greater Dynamism 

Scara Robot and Sprue Picker Expand Automation Range 

Decorative films are increasingly replacing painting in order to flexibly combine a high quality surface finish of the vehicle interior with small batch sizes and low unit costs. With DecoJect, systems integrator Engel presented the next development step in collaboration with partner companies at K 2016: the combination of injection molding with in-mold graining in a highly-automated roll-to-roll process. The film solution makes it easier to harmonize the vehicle interior when using different base materials. 

DecoJect Process Combines In-Mold Graining with Injection Molding 

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

Oberflächentechnik

High Quality Interior Components at Low Unit Cost 

Every three years, the showcase of plastics technology, the K fair, takes place, where one can deduce the current state of the industry. What is occupying the experts today, and what will still be flourishing in the future? The following article describes some of the development paths and trends. At the end of the day, there is a lot of tried-and-tested technology that is being continually refined and improved. There were also some innovative and visionary applications to be seen. 

Industry 4.0 Comes to Injection Molding and True Innovations at K 2016 

Instandhaltung

Polyethylenterephthalat

Mehrfarben-Spritzgießmaschinen

Normalien und Heißkanaltechnik

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Spritzprägen

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Schäumen / Reaktive Verarbeitung

Injection Molding 4.0 – Visionary and Tried-and-Tested Solutions 

A group of researchers at Saarland University and the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) are working on a new, smart type of robotic arm.

Imagine flexible surgical instruments that can twist and turn in all directions like miniature octopus arms, or how about large and powerful robot tentacles that can work closely and safely with human workers on production lines. A new generation of robotic tools are beginning to be realized thanks to a combination of strong muscle and sensitive nerves created from smart polymeric materials. A research team led by the smart materials experts Professor Stefan Seelecke and Junior Professor Gianluca Rizzello at Saarland University is exploring fundamental aspects of this exciting field of soft robotics.

In the factory of the future, man and machine will work side-by-side – in harmony, as a team, joining forces whenever necessary – just as if the robot co-worker was made from flesh and blood. While collaborative robots (“cobots”) are already being deployed in industrial production lines, real hand-in-hand teamwork involving robots and their human counterparts is still some way off. The problem lies in the physical proximity of human co-workers, whose actions – unlike those of a robot – do not follow predictable algorithms. A human worker can become tired or distracted and may act suddenly or even illogically as a result. This has clear implications for safety and explains why the robot arms currently used on production lines are often housed in cages. For anyone who gets too close, things can get dangerous. Typically, industrial robots are large, heavy machines. But they are also powerful, fast and agile and are used for a wide range of operations, like welding, assembling, painting, stacking and lifting. However, the motions that they execute are dictated wholly by the programs that control them. And if someone gets in their way or too close, the consequences can be serious.

The team led by Professor Stefan Seelecke and Junior Professor Gianluca Rizzello of Saarland University and the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) in Saarbrücken, Germany, are working on new, smart types of robot arms. “Our technology is based on smart polymer systems and enables us to create novel soft robotic tools that are lighter, more manoeuvrable and more flexible than the rigid components in use today,” explains Stefan Seelecke. An accidental shove from one of these robotic arms of the future would be more like being pushed by a human co-worker.

The material used for these new soft robot arms is a special kind of polymer known as a “dielectric elastomer”. The Saarbrücken researchers are using this composite material to create artificial muscles and nerves. The special properties of dielectric elastomers make it possible to develop systems inspired by the ingenious designs found in nature. These elastomers can be compressed, but can then be stretched to regain their original shape. “We print electrodes onto both sides of the elastomer material. When we apply a voltage, the two electrodes attract each other, compressing the polymer and causing it to expand out sideways,” says Dr. Gianluca Rizzello, Junior Professor for Adaptive Polymer-Based Systems. The Italian research scientist has been working in Seelecke’s team since 2016. The elastomer can thus be made to contract and relax, just like muscle tissue. “We exploit this property when designing our actuators,” explains Rizzello. By precisely varying the electric field, the engineers can make the elastomer execute highfrequency vibrations or continuously variable flexing motions or even remain still in a particular desired intermediate position.

The researchers then combine a large number of these small muscles to create a flexible robot arm. When combined in this way to form a robot tentacle, the interplay between the muscles produces motions that mimic those of an octopus arm that can twist and turn in all directions. Unlike the heavy, rigid robotic limbs currently in use, which, like humans, can only execute motions in certain directions, these new robot tentacles are free to move in almost any direction. Gianluca Rizzello together with his doctoral student Johannes Prechtl recently won the Best Paper Award at the RoboSoft 2021 conference for their work on developing a prototype dielectric-elastomer-based tentacle – just one of the numerous accolades earned by Professor Seelecke’s research team. The team hopes to have the tentacle prototype fully developed in about a year’s time.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Control Polymer-Based Components

When it comes to imparting intelligence into polymeric materials, Gianluca Rizzello is something of an expert. He provides the control unit with the input needed to move the arm in an intelligent manner – a highly complex and ambitious task. “These systems are significantly more complex than the robot arms in use today. Using artificial intelligence to control polymer-based components is substantially more challenging than controlling conventional mechatronic systems,” explains Rizzello. As the elastomer muscles also have sensor properties, they can act as the system’s nerves, which means that the robot arm does not need to be equipped with additional sensors. “Every distortion of the elastomer, every change in its geometry causes a change in the material’s capacitance, which enables the team to assign a precise electrical capacitance value to any specific deformation of the elastomer. By measuring the capacitance, we know exactly what shape the elastomer has adopted, which allows us to extract sensor data,” explains the engineer.

This quantitative data can then be used to precisely model and program the motion of the elastomer arm. The focus of Rizzello’s research work is on developing intelligent algorithms that can train these novel robot tentacles to move and respond in the required manner. “We are attempting to uncover which physical properties are responsible for the behavior of these polymers. The more we know, the more precisely we can design the algorithms to control the elastomer muscles,” says Dr. Rizzello.

The technology will be scalable. It can be used to create miniature tentacles for medical instruments or to make large robot arms for industrial applications. But unlike the heavy robot arms in use today, the robot limbs built from smart elastomers will be far lighter. “Our robot arms don’t need to be driven by motors or by hydraulic or pneumatic systems – they can be powered simply by the application of an electric current. The elastomer muscles can also be produced in shapes that meet the requirements of a particular application. And they consume very little electric power. Depending on the capacitance, the electric currents that flow are in the microampere range. This type of soft robot technology has huge promise for the future as it is both energy efficient and cost-effective to manufacture,” says Stefan Seelecke in summary.

This research is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the Priority Programme SPP2100 “Soft Material Robotic Systems”.

ZeMA - Zentrum für Mechatronik und Automatisierungstechnik gGmbH Gewerbepark

https://www.mechatronikzentrum.de

Universität des Saarlandes Lehrstuhl für intelligente Materialsysteme 

https://www.imsl-uds.net

Junior Professor Gianluca Rizzello with “dielectric elastomers”. The Saarbrücken researchers are using this composite material to create artificial muscles and nerves for use in flexible robot arms

16:9

2021-07-27 TN Uni Saarland + Zama

Technik Trend

kunststoffe-international.com

issue 02/2023

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