The ZKW Group manufactures premium lighting systems for automotive customers. In order to be able to produce trouble-free and in permanently high quality in the injection molding process, several hundred temperature control units from HB-Therm are also used, among others.

ZKW manufactures both complete lighting systems and the necessary components, such as diffusers and lenses or the associated electronics

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The ZKW Group Manufactures Innovative Lighting Systems for the Automotive Industry

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Temperiergeräte

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Gießanlagen

Temperiertechnik

Kfz-Leuchten, Beleuchtung

Elektronik

Kfz-Systeme

KFZ-Zulieferer

Dienstleistungen

Where Night Becomes Day

Many so-called “low carbon footprint technologies” are already available and could be utilized immediately in plastics processing. But what carbon reduction measures are not only environmentally effective? Using practical examples, gwk shows how the use of efficient temperature-control technology rapidly pays off economically, too.

Fig. 1. Differences in power consumption and quantity ratio

Even in Difficult Economic Times, It Is Worthwhile Investing in Energy-Efficient Temperature Control

Energieeffizienz

Advantages through Sustainable Temperature-Control Technology

New polymer composites for the production of multi-layer small tubes are being developed to give products specific functions. With suitable co-extrusion dies and a thermal barrier option, even complex layer composites with melt temperature differences of more than 50 °C can be processed reliably and in high quality.

CV-T 5-layer co-extrusion die in pilot plant operation: tubes with small cross-sections that fulfill a multitude of demands can be produced by  co-extrusion

Combining Polymers with Very Different Processing Temperatures

Extrusion

Baugewerbe (Hoch- und Tiefbau)

Medizintechnik (KU)

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Bautechnik, Sanitär

Rohr- und Profilextrusion

Extrusionswerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Extruder-Folgeeinrichtungen

Extrusionsanlagen

Extrusions-Zubehör

Automotive

Fahrzeugbau

Co-Extrusion with Thermal Control

In order to minimize the risk of contamination in the production of medical products, Scholz HTIK (High Tech in Kunststoff) decided to change its temperature control processes from oil to water as a heat transfer medium.

P230S temperature control unit with mobile water treatment system waterCare in operation

Processing of High-Performance Plastics without Purity Problems

Medizintechnik

Temperature Control with Water up to 230 °C as a Substitute for Oil

Starting with the systematic design of manufacturing processes and the precise simulation of part manufacture, through smart tooling technology and sophisticated melt guidance, to efficient mold temperature control, numerous exhibitors have many innovations in the field of tooling technology on offer at K 2019.The current debates concerning marine pollution as well as anthropogenic climate change and its consequences seem to be having an effect at this world-leading trade show for plastics processing in Düsseldorf, Germany. A number of companies are noting the growing customer interest in sustainable, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient modes of production, and offering products and services intended to satisfy this interest.

Resource-Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Products Are the Trend in  Tooling Technology

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Messtechnik

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Normalien für die Kunststofffertigung

Normalien

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

Heißkanalsysteme

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Kaltkanalsysteme

Exhibitors See Green

Hammann markets its own developed pulsed flushing process under the name Comprex. The flushing technology is a purely physical process, which does not use any chemicals – just air and water.

Multi-cavity mold for manufacturing preforms for PET bottles © Hammann

Cleaning of Mold Cooling Channels for PET Preforms

Werkzeugreinigung, Kunststoffe

Avoiding Shutdowns

Comprehensive standard equipment, lifetime warranty on key components – HB-Therm presented at Fakuma 2021 the new Series 6 generation of temperature control units. With the Thermo-6 temperature control units, the Swiss company has also further developed equipment technology, improved energy efficiency and expanded digital services.

This is what the Thermo-6 series looks like. The smallest of the three was introduced to the market in October 2021. The larger and more powerful variants are expected to follow in 2022 and 2023.

HB-Therm: Sixth Unit Generation Celebrated Premiere at Fakuma

Spritzgießen (KU)

Tailored to Injection Molder’s Needs

The consumables required for In-vitro diagnostics are manufactured in a production process that is subject to high requirements in terms of precision and quality, but also the complex cleanroom manufacturing environment. This has implications for the entire plant technology – especially toolmaking.

64-cavity tool for pipette tips. The hot runner system is balanced across all cavities

Strategic Approach through Classification according to Product Groups

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Medizinprodukte

Mold Platforms for IVD Consumables

SPS – Industrial Automation Fair (SIAF) Guangzhou and Asiamold, the first China fairs to be hosted by Messe Frankfurt in 2021, concluded on 5 March after three days, with the visit number increasing an impressive 27% to 63,968.

Sensorik für Werkzeugmaschinen

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Verfahren für die additive Fertigung

Lohnfertigung

SIAF Guangzhou and Asiamold Conclude Successfully

When no injection molder could be found who could process the company‘s own electroluminescent foils to a high standard in series production, the Swiss lighting technology specialist Lumitec, with the help of its machine supplier Arburg, took over the injection compression molding technology virtually „overnight“.

The panels are installed in sports car seats and glow as a welcome when the car door is opened. The assembly elements are subsequently ultrasonically welded to the component

Lumitec Masters Injection-Compression Molding thanks to Arburg Application Technology

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

Spritzprägen

A Luminous Greeting

The design of parts and components made of fiber-reinforced composites needs to take the coefficient of thermal expansion into account because it determines the extent to which a material changes in length when heated or cooled. Neglecting this quality criterion can have far-reaching consequences

Thermomechanical analyzer TMA 402 F3 Hyperion Polymer Edition

The Coefficient of Thermal Expansion Can Help to Ensure Product Quality

Prüfen von Kunststoffen

Thermische Mess- und Prüfverfahren

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

A Change of Length Has Consequences

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.

In physical foam injection molding, a blowing gas is injected into the polymer melt during plasticizing

New Developments in Thermoplastic Foam Injection Molding

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Spritzgießmaschinen

A Special Process that Is Becoming a Sustainable Normal Case

Pipette tips feature a challenging wall thickness/length ratio, an inner geometry that is key for analysis results, and a tip opening just a few tenths of a millimeter wide. They have been in extremely high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, which is why the mold construction and hot runner specialist Männer has developed a mold with an innovative cluster concept.

At the Männer test center in Bahlingen, Germany: an injection mold for manufacturing pipette tips, shown here in operation. Automation of the system is currently being set up

Pipette Tips: Männer Presents a Mold with Replaceable Clusters

Maintenance During (Nearly)  Uninterrupted Production

Space-saving machine concepts for demanding production environments are booming. A real-life example of a slit micro-membrane for pharmaceutical glass vials shows how intelligent machine functions make an important contribution to supporting machine operators and continuous documentation of the production process.

Injection molding and slitting of an LSR membrane for a glass-vial closure for pharmaceutical products make high demands on precision

KraussMaffei Delivers a Customized Solution for LSR Processing

Automatisierungszellen

Automatisierungstechnik

Mikrospritzgießen

Silikonkautschuk

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Transparency in Production

RKT has been manufacturing plastic products for medical and industrial technology for 45 years. Discs for the rapid analysis of multi-resistant hospital germs are a lighthouse project within the sophisticated product portfolio.

 A six-axis robot picks the molded parts out of the mold under an inert gas atmosphere and conveys them into the cleanroom for further processing and packaging

High-Tech Production of Life-Saving Disks for Fast Analysis of Dangerous Germs

Reinraumsysteme / -technik

An All-Round Winner

Sixth Unit Generation Celebrated Premiere at Fakuma 2021

Comprehensive standard equipment, lifetime warranty on key components – HB-Therm presented at Fakuma 2021 the new Series 6 generation of temperature control units.

According to HB-Therm CEO Reto Zürcher, insights such as the practicality of the units in daily use and a brilliant touchscreen for convenient operation with modern designs and colors were not only derived from a comprehensive market analysis, but also from collaboration with key customers who brought the needs of injection molders into the evolution phase. “Our thoughts were influenced not only functionally but also visually. In addition, of course, we verified our findings repeatedly in practice for their suitability for everyday use. For us, highest quality has a clear foundation: And that means testing, testing and testing again!”

In addition to the lifetime warranty on the heater uniquely offered by HB-Therm for the predecessor units, customers of Thermo-6 units also benefit from a lifetime warranty on the ultrasonic flow meter. All components were designed to be extremely robust and durable. Martin Braun, CTO of HB-Therm says: “This step has been made possible by the expertise gained from the development of the high temperature water units Thermo-5 up to 230 °C!”

Based on the proven technology of the Thermo-5, the new units have been consistently enhanced, standardized and modelled with useful aids such as a visual alarm via LEDs in the front base area. The very low maintenance requirements also make the Thermo-6 attractive in terms of upkeep.

HB-Therm considers the standard integration of a speed-controlled pump in the new unit series to be part of its environmental commitment. With the Energy-Control Assistant, an optimal operating point can always be achieved, even without any prior knowledge on the part of the user.

The result is up to 85% less power consumption. In addition, a new sealless Direct-Drive pump is used for the units up to 100 °C, which was developed exclusively for HB-Therm together with a renowned pump supplier. This canned motor pump sets new standards in efficiency and compactness.

“A pump that does not always run at full load not only saves energy, but also has a longer service life. In addition, speed-controlled pumps can be used universally for large and small molds, thus reducing the variety of types of temperature control units. One unit for all tasks”, explains Martin Braun, Head of Development at HB-Therm.

A difference to the Thermo-5 that immediately catches the eye is the touch display of the Thermo-6, which is four times larger at seven inches. The operation is clearly oriented towards modern smartphones, allowing users to master the Thermo-6 in no more than ten minutes. Individual settings and favorite selection modes, plain text instructions with QR codes for further information, wizards for setting up the units, swiping and scrolling also make it easy to find the desired operating pages quickly on the display of the new Series 6 units. Graphic and text pages make intuitive navigation easy. The Expert system helps, warns, reports and optimizes unit operation. In this way, even complex setting procedures are very easy to handle.

The process data is recorded locally. Unit history and unit-specific documents such as certificates, calibration data, operating and assembly instructions can be displayed quickly and clearly on the new, large screen. Clearly arranged, setters and operators can always find exactly the parameter page they need quickly and with just a few clicks.

HB-Therm defines digitalization as contemporary, mobile, independent, useful and supportive. The future-oriented hardware and software architecture of the Series 6 allows comprehensive access to the digital world of HB-Therm. The digital solutions in addition to the standard OPC-UA Ethernet interface on each Thermo-6 are called Gate-6 and e-cockpit.

Gate-6 is an interface server that establishes the connection (gateway) to the Android app e-cockpit and the digital services of the HB-Therm world as well as between several Thermo-6 and/or Thermo-5 units and other external systems such as injection molding machines.

Gate-6 accesses the functions of the HB-Therm cloud via the LAN connection of the units. This allows users to send analysis data, track the “digital twin” in the company’s Ticket system, generate unit statistics and overviews as a part of customer service, the keeping of a maintenance overview as well as the preventive maintenance of the connected units.

The e-cockpit app is a mobile application for smartphones and tablets and accesses a Gate-6 locally as well as the temperature control units connected to it. It secures access to the company’s Ticket portal with several functions. Via this access, the user can, among other things, process error messages and warranty cases as well as obtain technical support. Ticket is therefore a central application that brings together data from several Gate-6 interface servers and temperature control units and makes it available online. This requires a central data server and Internet access. Recorded data and settings are only sent to HB-Therm Support if they have been released by the customer and in accordance with the highest security standards.

In addition to the standard features already mentioned, the Cleanroom package, OPC UA interface and pump status monitoring are now also standard. A separate screen protector is also no longer necessary, as the new screen has a very robust design. Also new, but available at a later date, will be filter screen monitoring. This makes it easy to clean clogged filters whenever the need for it actually arises.

HB Therm AG  

https://www.hb-therm.ch

This is what the Thermo-6 series looks like. The smallest of the three was introduced to the market in October 2021. The larger and more powerful variants are expected to follow in 2022 and 2023

HB-Therm attached great importance to the design from the very beginning. The units can also be customized in terms of color according to the customer’s wishes

The smallest of the new Thermo-6 series was presented for the first time at Fakuma 2021