How do you bring 65 injection molding machines and various assembly lines – most of the manufacturing cells in the cleanroom – as well as, soon, a large number of ancillary equipment under one digital roof? A field report.

The Arburg host computer system ALS is the link between the shop floor and ERP system and connects order management with process and quality monitoring.

16:9

The Arburg Host Computer System as a Basis of Higher Productivity and Product Quality

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Automatisierungstechnik

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

Kennzahlen, Q-Leitstand, Q-Monitor

Qualitätssicherung

Rückverfolgbarkeit, Traceability

Qualitätsmanagement

Energieeffizienz

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Montagelinien

Montagetechnik

Montage

Medizintechnik

Reinraumsysteme / -technik

Medizinprodukte

Case Files for Patient Safety

The algorithms for identifying faults and optimization possibilities stored in assistance systems of injection molding machines are continually being expanded.

Intelligent assistance systems in the injection molding machine control help the machine operator to perform the work more efficiently.

Digitalisierung

Spritzgießmaschinen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Intelligent Assistance Relieves the Strain on Production Staff

The “HiQ Melt Premium” assistance system is an indicator of melt quality and reduces the reject rate through interaction with the IM machine operator.

Software helps machine operators select the most resource-saving  settings.

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Mahlen

Resource-Saving  Assistent

The mold breathing signal provided by the iQ clamp control digital assistance system can serve as an effective instrument for process optimization and quality monitoring – provided that one knows how to interpret it.

With the aid of the iQ clamp control assistant, the mold breathing is measured and analyzed to determine the optimum clamping force.

iQ clamp control digital assistance system can serve as an effective instrument for process optimization and quality monitoring 

Sensorik für Kunststoff-Verarbeitungsmaschinen

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Mold Breathing as the Key to Process and Product Quality

With the duo 5500 combi M technology center machine, Engel offers the opportunity to implement a variety of injection molding technologies for large components.

32 m long, 13  m wide, 6.8 m high and weighing 545 t: The large Engel duo 5500 combi M machine with a clamping force of 55,000 kN has recently been installed at the Technology Center in St. Valentin, Austria, for customer trials.

Composite-Halbzeuge

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Schaumspritzgießen

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

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

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Spritzprägen

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Oberflächentechnik

Injection Molding Technologies  on a Mega Scale

Three solutions for increasing the productivity in the automotive, medical and packaging industries are presented by Tederic at K 2022 with the Neo injection molding machine series. T

The Neo·Ec combines electrical and hydraulic drives.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Polylactid

Thermoplaste

Applications in Three Key Sectors

Producing centrifuge tubes for medical technology by the single-step IML process slashes reject rates, compared with the classic two-step counterpart.

Thanks to functional IML labels, the centrifuge tubes can have a filling scale and temperature-sensitive elements, for example. The latter use a color change to indicate when the cold chain has been breached.

Bedrucken

Chemisches Bearbeiten (Auftragen)

Automatisierungszellen

Labeling

Fertigungsautomation

Identtechnik

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

Messtechnik

Putting an End to Rejects

A case study shows that the biodegradability of plastics in healthcare offers hardly any advantages. The use of bio-based raw materials also has its hurdles.

The rack seen  in nature with which it should have been in harmony after the completion of this study.

Biokunststoffe

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Do Bioplastics Have a Future  in Healthcare?

 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.

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Kreislaufwirtschaft

From the Insulin Pen Cap to the Automotive Door Module

This year, the world’s leading trade show K has succeeded in presenting practical solutions for greater resource efficiency on a broad front. A first foray through the trade show grounds.

K 2022 gave numerous practical examples showing visitors how recyclates can be reliably processed with digital aids.

State-of-the-Art Injection Molding Solutions for Greater Resource Efficiency.

State-of-the-Art Injection Molding Solutions at K 2022

Solar / PV

Energieerzeugung

Erneuerbare Energie

Temperiertechnik

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Silikonkautschuk

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Compoundieren

It Can Be Done!

The iQ motion control assistance system from Engel optimizes the acceleration phases of mold movements and thus shortens cycle times.

The pressure to work efficiently is huge, especially in the packaging industry. The production of thin-wall containers clearly shows the potential of  iQ motion control to shorten cycle times.

iQ motion control Shortens Cycle Times in High-Performance Injection Molding

Software

Elektrische Antriebe für Spritzgießmaschinen

Antriebe

Elektrische Antriebe

How about a Little Bit Faster?

The road to the energy-optimized injection molding cell is often stony. A saving plan can be drawn up when there is transparency about the individual consumers.

The most varied measures help to save energy, but not all of them are equally profitable for every company.

Transparency as a Basis for  Energy Efficiency

New process technologies, new machines – a selection of what will be on show at Fakuma 2023.

Making its debut at Fakuma 2023 is the next representative of the hybrid Hidrive series with new machine technology: an Allrounder 520 H in the “Premium” performance variant.

Solutions for Injection Molders

Asset administration shells form the basis for interoperable production. In the InterOpera project, four submodels were developed for injection molding.

Asset administration shells attribute asset types (here: injection molding machines) with standardized properties and characterize the instances with specific values.

Big Data

Datenanalyse

The Interoperable  Injection Molding Production

Engel has used its new “e-connect” strategy to expand its existing customer portal into a scalable digital ecosystem.

Networked into the future with digital solutions from Engel.

Vernetzung / Cloudlösung für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

One Platform for All Injection Molders

Netstal presents new solutions for high-performance injection molding in Düsseldorf.

Netstal presents new solutions for high-performance injection molding in Düsseldorf. For example, an Elion 1200 all-electric machine will produce pipette tips in 64 cavities.

At the Netstal booth, the attention of visitors will be drawn by two powerful production systems. “Processors face tough competition from the challenge to increase their productivity and minimize costs per manufactured part. Short cycle times, maximum precision and high reliability of the machines are the principal levers. But the efficient use of resources is also relevant, for example minimized energy consumption or lower wall thicknesses,” says Renzo Davatz, CEO of Netstal and member of the executive committee of KraussMaffei. The appropriate solutions are at hand.

An Elion 1200 all-electric machine will produce pipette tips in 64 cavities. The system solution includes a precision mold from Otto Männer and a high-speed handling system from MA micro automation. It processes an electrically conductive compound from Premix, specially developed for manufacturing pipette tips for in vitro diagnostics. The pace is set by the energy-saving injection molding machine equipped for medical production, which achieves a cycle time of about 5.3 s, which is particularly fast for this application. The machine is equipped with the “Smart Operation” 4-key control unit (Fig.). This option allows users to achieve additional productivity increases by automation, standardization and shortening of recurring process steps in shift operation. For customers from medical technology, the regular calibration of the injection molding machines acc. to ISO 17025 is also interesting – Netstal has been an accredited calibration lab since the end of 2021.

The enhanced Elios 4500 is celebrating its trade show premiere. By conversion to an all-electric positive connection, the dry cycle could be accelerated by 0.1 s. Users not only benefit from increased productivity, but also from the optimized energy efficiency: with respect to the dry cycle, the average power consumption falls by 7 kW. Another bonus is provided by the 450 mm shorter machine length. The machine will manufacture thin-walled 150 ml yogurt cups by in-mold labeling (IML) from a certified renewable PP from Sabic. The material is based on tall oil, a waste product of paper manufacturing. One cup weighs only 6.5 g. The 12-cavity mold, like the handling system, is from IML Solutions. The cycle time is about 5 s. The in-mold labels from Verstraete are provided with digital watermarks of the HolyGrail 2.0 initiative. Codes invisible to the human eye are printed on the entire surface of the label. The machine-readable codes contain information about the contents, packaging material and origin and thus permit homogeneous separation of different types of plastic.

As a member of the OPC Foundation, Netstal is advancing the development of the OPC UA interface standards for plastic machinery. At the tradeshow booth, Netstal will present the complete ancillary integration of a manufacturing execution system from bfa solutions, temperature-control equipment from HB-Therm and Gammaflux hot runner control equipment. In addition, Netstal participates in the OPC US showcase from VDMA. All the Netstal machines exhibited at K, including those at partner booths, are integrated in the umati demonstrator. The show visitors can scan the QR codes applied to the machines with their smartphones and thus obtain information about machine, status, the current job as well as process values in real time in the umati app.

NETSTAL Maschinen AG  

https://www.netstal.com

aXos control unit with “Smart Operation:” the guided machine operation enables users to achieve additional productivity increases.

2022-10-10 - Netstal

issue 05/2025

issue 04/2025

issue 03/2025

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