At the 2019 K fair, Arburg and Simcon showcased a filling process proceeding in real-time, as a 3D animation, on the display of a machine control panel, for an example of sunglasses, made of PA12. All that was needed to prepare this, was to load the simulation model, as well as the geometry of the part, directly onto the machine controls. This sounds almost too easy to be true. Right?

Interview with Eberhard Duffner and Paul F. Filz by the Magazine Kunststoffe

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

Interview

To be able to cost efficiently design complex molds, e. g. for BMC components, it is essential to take into account the mold cooling. Thus, the mold costs increase in a linear relationship with the number of heating cartridges provided. It is therefore desirable to aim for as few cartridges as possible, but at the same time, this can have a disadvantageous effect on the homogeneity of the temperature distribution and the robustness of the process. Until now, these conflicting goals were largely resolved based on experience. But it can also be done systematically. 

Simple Answers to Complex Questions in Mold Design 

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Temperiertechnik

DOE-Software

Determining the Optimum Heating Concept for BMC 

Anyone seeking to replace a metal component by a plastic one, to reduce the number of component parts from eight to three and simultaneously cut both the weight and manufacturing costs needs to take great care to ensure that all specifications are met – especially if the component is used in a hot gearbox and is subject to high mechanical stress.

Production-Ready Plastic Shifter Fork Offers a Maximum of Functional Integration

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Verstärkungsstoffe

Produktentwicklung (F+E)

Innovationsentwicklung

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Inserttechnik

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Replacing Metal in the Gearbox

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.

Injection Molding Trends at K 2019

Schaumspritzgießen

Smart Factory

Energieeffizienz

Mikrospritzgießen

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Spritzgießmaschinen

Fließpressen

Handling, Handhabungstechnik für die spanende Fertigung

Automatisierungstechnik

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrieroboter

Montagetechnik

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0

Montage-Spritzgießen

Knickarmroboter

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Technical Excellence thanks  to Digital Assistance

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.

Strategic Approach through Classification according to Product Groups

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Medizinprodukte

Medizintechnik

Mold Platforms for IVD Consumables

In plastics processing, efficient production methods are required, especially for articles with high volumes and exacting quality requirements, and these must be constantly optimized. The container specialist Walther Faltsysteme has been successfully working together with the Austrian moldmaker Haidlmair for many years.

Walther Faltsysteme Combines Three Mold Technologies from the Haidlmair Group

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

Paletten und Behälter

Logistik

Verpackungstechnik

Heißkanalsysteme

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

With Broad Sword and Data Collector

Electrical components are made from conductive and nonconductive materials. Pressure of competition makes it necessary to reduce the number of components and work steps and to streamline assembly. The moldmaker Mühlbeyer uses a hybrid technology for manufacturing stators and rotors, in which the contact material and plastic are permanently bonded in one production step.

Overmolding as a Prerequisite for Cost-Efficient, High-Quality Electric Motors

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

Injection Molds for Insulating  Stators and Rotors

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.

Innovative Injection Molding in Times of Pandemic

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

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

Digitale Transformation

Biokunststoffe

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

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

Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences has succeeded in developing an injection mold that does not require conventional liquid-based temperature control. Heat equalization is effected by means of heat pipes instead. Mold design and heat-pipe selection are based on the outcome of thermal simulations, which yield reliable results thanks to an unconventional approach. 

Simulating Heat Flow in Injection Molds with Heat Pipes 

Prozesssimulation

Kupfer

"No Cool" Molds, Properly Simulated 

The optimization of injection molding processes by using software to simulate mold filling and solidification is standard today. However, this has its limits, especially if the material properties or the flow behavior are not known with sufficient accuracy. The services offered by Beaumont, such as material testing, injection molding tests or the optimization of flow channel systems, can help here.  

MF Software Exclusively Distributes Beaumont Products in Europe 

Werkstoffprüfung

Rheologie

Higher Productivity and Better  Process Control 

Users can now precisely simulate and design the mold temperature control already at the planning phase. 

Cooling Simulation with Temp-Flex Hoses 

Precise Simulation of Thermal Behavior 

Susanne Schröder will become editor-in-chief of the magazines Kunststoffe and Kunststoffe international on December 1, 2020. The current editor-in-chief Dr. Karlhorst Klotz will leave the company by mutual agreement.

Werkzeuge für Leichtbauwerkstoffe

Präzisionswerkzeuge

Tiefziehwerkzeug

Werkzeugüberwachung

Toolmanagement

Werkzeugwechselsysteme, Spritzgieß

Modulare Werkzeugsysteme

Absaugungen für Werkzeugmaschinen

Betriebsausrüstung / Betriebsmittel

Absaugvorrichtungen

Fluorkunststoffe

Thermoplaste

Werkzeugverwaltungssoftware

Prüfen von Kunststoffen

Messtechnik

Presswerkzeuge, Kunststoff

Werkzeugreinigung, Kunststoffe

Standardkunststoffe

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Lohnfertigung

Technische Kunststoffe

Füllstoffe für Kunststoffe

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Kunststoffhandel

Handel

Betriebstechnik für Kunststoffverarbeitung (Peripherie)

Kunststofffasern

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Change in the Chief Editorial Office of Kunststoffe

A tool logbook on paper is often not to hand just when you need it most. Or it is incomplete, since it is time consuming to keep the information up to date. A cloud-independent, electronic tool log, which is directly integrated into the tool could make all the relevant data available directly.

The Electronic Tool Logbook as a Combination of Operating Manual and Check List

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Messdatenerfassung und -verarbeitung

Papierlose QM-Dokumentation

Qualitätsmanagement

Dokumentationsmanagement

Werkzeugkonstruktion

Mobile Datenerfassung

Lagertechnik

Fernwartung / Ferndiagnose

Dokumentenmanagement, CAQ

Data Management at the Tool

Marbling is often a real eye-catcher in plastic components. However, the effect is difficult to create and there are some pitfalls when it comes to reproducibility. Novel nozzles for injection molding machines in combination with a special dosing technology allow marbled molded parts to be produced far more easily in a much more robust process.

A 3D-Printed Nozzle and Modified Dosing Method Deliver Reproducible Marbling  in a Robust Process

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Additive Fertigung

Farben, flüssig

Additive

Exciting Design instead of  Exciting Manufacturing

Hybrid production chains have been increasingly in the spotlight in recent years. This also applies to the combination of conventional manufacturing and additive processes in tool construction. With the example of an injection molding tool, it is shown how mold inserts produced by additive manufacturing can greatly shorten cycle times, and thereby significantly reduce unit costs. The important thing is to find a suitable combination of processes from the variety available.

Additive Manufacturing and Hybrid Molds in Combination with Conventional Machining

HSC- / HPC-Bearbeitung

Spanende Verfahren

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, Metall

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

The Potential of Redesign and  Part Consolidation

A Bike Frame from an Injection  Molding Machine

Controlling Complex Development and Manufacturing Processes, Using Simulation

The toolmaker Siebenwurst uses injection molding simulation to optimize part design and production processes in its routine workflows. Among other things, Simcon’s software ensures the quality and dimensional accuracy of the plastic frame for the first series-produced injection molded e-bike.

The small river Altmühl flows peacefully through the valley of the same name in the Bavarian Upper Palatinate. When visitors enter the production hall of the model and mold maker Christian Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co KG in Dietfurt, Germany, they quickly leave this tranquility behind.

More than 400 engineers and technicians work here, serving the most prestigious OEMs and suppliers to the German automotive industry. Every year, they design and manufacture around 150 injection molds, mainly for instrument panels, window frames, radiator grilles and many other large plastic components. Other clients of this high-tech supplier include manufacturers of household appliances and companies in the field of climate and environmental technology.

The company, which was named Toolmaker of the Year 2018, has recently created the backbone for the first series-produced e-bike: an injection molded plastic frame (Title figure).

Siebenwurst manufactured the components for the start-up Nuvelos (see Box p. 27), a fully owned subsidiary of the automotive supplier Rehau. Apart from their extraordinary design, the bicycles made a name for themselves especially with their composite frame, which performs at on the same level of strength as aluminum or steel frames. This is also an achievement of the development team led by Frank Bäcker, Head of Development and Design at Siebenwurst.

Bicycle frames are a rather unconventional product for toolmakers. But: “The principle that complex thermoplastic support structures replace traditional aluminum or steel components is becoming increasingly common in the automotive industry. Often, this is also in combination with overmolded steel insert elements”, the industrial engineer Bäcker explains.

The asymmetrical frame is composed of two injection-molded half-shells (Fig. 1), which are joined to form a robust structure, and an additional organic sheet glued into the battery compartment. “The components consist of a polyamide with a 50 % glass fiber content. To ensure that they meet the requirements perfectly and can be injection molded without defects, we first tested all relevant aspects in a feasibility analysis using simulation. This is how we optimized mold, component and process.”

Simulation Reveals Distortion Problems and Gap Formation

To simulate and optimize, the experienced mold designers deploy the software solution Cadmould 3D-F, by simulation specialist Simcon kunststofftechnische Software GmbH, Würselen, Germany. The results were valuable: the simulation showed that shrinkage and warpage would have caused problems in the initial design of the frame halves. Gaps of up to 5 mm would have arisen at the mounting points of the headset and rear wheel.

Cadmould simulation was then used to test numerous compensation measures. At the same time, it was necessary to maintain a balance between the strength of the frame and the use of materials. After all, lightweight construction is at least as important for bicycle frames as it is for vehicles powered solely by engines. By optimizing the mold design (Fig. 2), and by modifying and repositioning reinforcement braces in the part, the designers were able to find a solution. Doing this in a simulation environment helped avoid time-consuming and cost-intensive physical correction loops, down the line.

“Thanks to Cadmould, we can precisely determine filling and temperature behavior, filling pressure, cooling time and holding pressure on the basis of plastic material data, long before a single real component is produced,” summarizes Daniel Maier, Project Manager R&D at Siebenwurst. The calculations help us to identify possible problem areas and potential for improvement at a very early stage. In addition, this helps to identify the best combination of component, tool and process (Fig. 3).

Siebenwurst also uses the simulation software to evaluate customer specifications such as injection concepts and points, and identify suggestions for better solutions, which are then developed with the customer. The production process is always thought through end-to-end – including part handling and machine requirements for filling pressure, clamping force and demolding.

By testing and comparing numerous variants quickly, easily and cheaply simulation practitioners can achieve the best machine capacity and performance. “Our users simulate the effects of changing parameters like number, dimensions or position of injection nozzles or the flow paths – and so they get the learnings and benefit without having to modify a physical mold.” says Barbara Schumann of Simcon.

Component Changes during the Design Phase of the Tool

More often than not, Siebenwurst accompanies and supports their clients’ project development from the very beginning. This means that the tool designers ongoingly evaluate feasibility of the 5 to 40+ tonne tools, from the very beginning, in parallel to product design. A constant exchange of information and sophisticated time management are crucial for successful simultaneous engineering, with overlapping process steps.

This method also enables the toolmaker to quickly and efficiently adapt to part changes during the design phase of the tool, thus enabling shorter product cycles and an increasing number of variants, according to the requirements of the customer. Even production machine capacity planning and raw materials and standard part procurement are already done during the design phase. This collaborative and parallel process makes it possible to achieve the very best products, together.

At Siebenwurst, design and production are consistently planned centrally using a system in which every design, every production step, and every individual part are represented and scheduled. The production control center includes a display of the real-time status of all projects. In addition to securing project deadlines, this also optimizes the continuous utilization of the more than 50 machines. Project planning for development, construction and sampling is based on weekly templates. These contain appropriate planning sequences and important milestones, depending on the tool size and current capacity utilization.

Precise organization and task control ensures optimal quality for every single tool that is produced in the Altmühltal – and ultimately, this is what made the success of Rehau’s e-bike project possible. “Cadmould has helped to make this possible. Simulation software has been an important component here and in all of our other projects as well. We use it throughout the entire process, from preparing a quote to the completion of a project,” says design and development manager Bäcker. “Simulation software is essential for a thorough evaluation of the feasibility and profitability of projects.”

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