Injection molding cell combines high article variance with automated product changeover.

With the turnkey solution, 159 product variants can be manufactured.

16:9

Flexible Production Concept Combines High Article Variance with Automation

Automatisierungszellen

Automatisierungstechnik

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Automatisierungskomponenten

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Inserttechnik

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Multiaxialroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

One System, 159 Variants

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

Schaumspritzgießen

Smart Factory

Energieeffizienz

Mikrospritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Spritzgießmaschinen

Fließpressen

Handling, Handhabungstechnik für die spanende Fertigung

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Industrieroboter

Montagetechnik

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0

Montage-Spritzgießen

Knickarmroboter

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Technical Excellence thanks  to Digital Assistance

Pharmaceutical crimp caps generally consist of a thin aluminum sheet and a plastic component, and are used to seal medical vials, for example for vaccines. Through a combined deep-drawing and backmolding process with previous inline laser treatment of the thin aluminum sheet, the process can be significantly shortened. The media-proof joining together of the two materials is carried out through a mechanically interlocking connection.

A crimp cap for injection vials is manufactured in a two-step process.

Combined Deep-Drawing and Backmolding Process with Mechanically Interlocking Joint

Hybridtechnik

Aluminiumlegierungen

Metall Werkstoffe

NE-Metalle

Laserbearbeitungen

Oberflächentechnik

Tiefziehen

Verfahren für die spanlose Fertigung

Simulation Stanzen / Umformen

Laserstrukturieren

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

Process Chain for the Production of Hybrid Medical Products

For the production of plastic components for an automotive air suspension system, LKH Kunststoffwerk Heiligenroth GmbH & Co. KG uses two flexible systems from the injection molding machines manufacturer Arburg. These produce up to six part variants and, thanks to an integrated laser station, each part is traceable via an individual data matrix code (DM code).

The gripper of the six-axis robot first removes the finished parts from one of the mold halves. It then places the pre-heated inserts into the opposite mold half

LKH Produces Fully Automated Traceable Part Variants for the Automotive Industry

Laserbeschriftung

Light Suspension

NP Germany’s turnkey system around a vertical Arburg injection molding machine takes up a quarter of the production hall.

Benedikt Niglis, head of project (left), and Plant Manager Mario von der Heyde are more than proud of their complex turnkey system

NP Germany: Extraordinary Turnkey System for Automotive Products

Inspektionssysteme

Fertigungsautomation

Bildverarbeitung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Qualitätssicherung

Dance of the Robots

The production of functional control panels in a one-step injection molding process also makes production attractive for processors in Western Europe.

So-called disappearance or dead-front effects are integrated into the control panel.

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Kapazitive Sensoren

Messtechnik

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

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

HMI, Bedienelemente, Displays

Elektronik

Kfz-Elektronik

Wipe-Clean Control Panels

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.

The shifter fork creates a positive lock between the gear wheel and the shaft so that the engine power can be transmitted to the wheels

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

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Replacing Metal in the Gearbox

Aside from offering high mechanical strength, versatility and durability, polymer materials are ideal for applications in the electrical industry because of their ability to isolate electrical current.

For the conduction cooled MicroTCA systems, Harting processes LCP, a material that is flame-resistant, dimensionally stable at high temperatures, chemically resistant, and has only a low thermal expansion

Connectors for Industrial Lifelines: High-Tech Injection Molding at Harting

Polymere, flüssigkristalline

Thermoplaste

Heißkanalsysteme

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Stanzen

Schneiden

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

Well-Balanced Hot Runner Technology for LCP Processing

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.

Various plastic-coated stators. During overmolding of the sheet components, not only insulation but also technical functions can be incorporated

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

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Injection Molds for Insulating  Stators and Rotors

For the first time a readable digital watermark, imperceptible to the naked eye, has been incorporated into an injection-molded flip cap.

On the flip cap, the digital watermark is not visually perceptible, but can be read like a code by specialized high speed camera

Integration of Digital Watermarks in Complex Injection Molded Packaging Products

Barcode-Systeme

Identtechnik

Inspektion, Analyse und Sortierung von Rohmaterial

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Key to Purity of Recycled Resins

The article demonstrates the use of digital twins for molds in injection molding through the integration of track-and-trace technologies for data collection.

An RFID reader records whether a mold is ready for the setup process

How Track-and-Trace Technologies Can Support Mold Management

RFID

RFID Teileidentifikation

Digitaler Zwilling

The Digital Mold Twin

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

Werkstoffprüfung

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Design Methodology for Parts Subject to Internal Pressure

Family molds belong to the state-of-the-art in injection molding – at least when wall thicknesses and volumes of individual components vary considerably. Using a trial mold soon ready for series production, Synventive demonstrates that – though demanding – optimal process control can be achieved using the right technology. The filling of each mold cavity is controlled individually and in real time. The Kunststoffe editorial team were among the first guests at the new Tech Center.

View into the mold space of the Engel Duo 2700 at the Tech Center. In the background, a 6-axis robot with 180 kg load-bearing capacity which removes the components.

Single-Shot Injection Molding of Heterogeneous Components

Schröder, Susanne

Leading-Edge Process Control

The plastics processor TKW Molding, which specializes in safety-related automotive components, is responding to the increasing requirements of its tier 1 and OEM customers by extensively automating its injection molding production. This also encompasses downstream process steps, such as integrated component testing, traceable part deposition and packaging. The company has been working closely with Arburg in this field since 2020.

A robotic system removes the parts from TKW’s 8+8-cavity mold.

Fully Automated In-Mold Assembly Process at TKW Molding

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

KFZ-Zulieferer

Safely Belted in

The aim of this joint project is to develop a production cell in which a rear license plate light can be manufactured with hybrid processes without any additional steps such as bonding. Some of the necessary analyses and pre-testing of the material combinations resulting from the structure of the product – plastic housing and optics plus metal conductive tracks – are presented in this article.

Lighting  solutions on various products. 

Manufacture of a Rear License Plate Light in a Highly Integrated Production Cell

LED / OLED-Systeme und Faseroptik

Lichttechnik

Polymethylmethacrylat

Polycarbonat

What Is the Most Suitable  Material Combination?

A Machine Strategy with  Extra Automation

At Goerlich, a Turnkey Plant Replaces Two Machines with a Vertical Clamping Unit

The aim of the project was clear: a highly automated turnkey system must replace several decentralized, operator-guided machines in order to be able to mass produce enclosures for a vacuum sensor with three inserted pins in a way that is smooth, automated and therefore faster than before in large-scale production, and error-free. The plastics processor Goerlich chose the machine manufacturer Arburg as a partner in its goal of achieving greater production efficiency.

From electronic components to housings: the potential applications of plastics technology in the electrical industry cover a wide range of shapes, sizes and applications. They also include many electrical components in automotive production, which are produced by injection molding. In its involvement in the electrical industry, Goerlich Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Wilsdruff, Germany, relies on its precision, experience with different materials and state-of-the-art technologies.

Many Subprocesses Implemented  in a Confined Space

The housing for a vacuum sensor consists of a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT-GF30) reinforced with 30 % glass fibers and integrating three metal pins. The fully automated plant, which the injection-molding machine manufacturer Arburg has conceived together with Goerlich, and in which the housings are produced, will in the future be able to manufacture three versions by exchanging the corresponding mold inserts. The plant replaces two decentralized operator-controlled machines with a vertical clamping unit (type: Allrounder 320 C), including testing technology, which were previously necessary for series production.

Andreas Armbruster from Arburg’s Turnkey Project Planning team explains the extensive specifications that the system had to meet: “The biggest challenge was implementing the various production steps within the required short cycle time. Above all, the feeding of the 24 very delicate pins from the punching strip to their insertion into the 8-cavity mold is correspondingly demanding.” According to Armbruster, what is special about the system is that the many sub-processes can be implemented in a very confined space with straightforward technology (Title figure). Without this automation solution, the annual production volume would only be achievable by deploying considerably more staff.

Automated Parts Testing in  Multiple Steps

The injection mold was developed and constructed in Goerlich’s mold shop. Besides a hot runner with cold sub-distributor, it is also equipped with hydraulically operated slides for precise receiving of the pins. The gold-plated plug contacts are fed on the conveyor from upstream and separated out. A Scara robot places these on a loading plate with rotary drive in the correct position for pickup by a Multilift V robotic system (Fig. 1). The pins are inserted into the mold slides without force, as is the removal of the eight finished parts on the ejector side of the mold.

After the contacts have been overmolded, the four sprue sub-distributors are first demolded and ejected into the machine stand. The robotic system places the eight connectors on a testing device with slide and NC axis for exact positioning. By moving the slide to different positions, a continuity and high-voltage test with 1000 V and a light test are carried out in succession, followed by the marking of the OK parts. Finally, a turntable distribution system that rotates back and forth through 180° ensures that parts are ejected into PE bags using separated cavities.

A hybrid Allrounder 470 H with a clamping force of 1000 kN and size 290 injection unit is used in the turnkey system (Fig. 2), which is equipped with several core pullers and special signals. The combination of an electric toggle-type clamping unit and a dynamic injection unit enables simultaneous movements. This results in time advantages in series production. The Selogica control system is highly valued because it supports communication between the various plant control systems, thereby ensuring fully coordinated production processes.

Thomas Ehrlich (Fig. 3), operations manager at Goerlich, is very satisfied with Arburg as a system supplier: “With this turnkey system in particular, Arburg’s project management team ensured that there was thorough and rapid communication and coordination between the suppliers, and hence a solution-oriented approach to the project.” Goerlich relies exclusively on Arburg for its injection molding production. The 34 Allrounders, including two-component and vertical machines, process special plastics such as PEEK, PSU, PEI, and LCP.

When asked why the company was pursuing this one-machine strategy, operations manager Thomas Ehrlich answered: “The Allrounders are reliable machines with which we can produce our portfolio for our customers in excellent, high-quality continuous operation. There is no reason for us to change or add anything, quite simply because we have been very satisfied with Arburg, its range of machines, and its service since the beginning of our working relationship in the 1980s. The smooth implementation of the turnkey system has once again confirmed our strategy.”

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG  

https://www.arburg.com

Görlich Kunststoffverarbeitung und Werkzeugbau GmbH 

https://www.goerlich-verbindet.de/

Ausgabenartikel

All upstream process steps are integrated in a very small space: after the pins have been  punched out (right), a Scara robot places them in the correct position on a loading plate (left) so that the Multilift V robotic system can pick up 24 pins and insert them into the mold

Fig. 1. The tasks of the gripper at the Multilift V are extremely varied and demanding in this application

Fig. 2. Goerlich manufactures enclosures for vacuum sensors efficiently and flexibly with its compact turnkey system

Fig. 3. Thomas Ehrlich, operations manager at Goerlich, is delighted with the increase in efficiency that the turnkey system brings to his injection molding production

Name - Hauptartikel

 Susanne Palm works in corporate communications at Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany.

<b>Goerlich Kunststofftechnik GmbH</b>, Wilsdruff, Germany, manufactures switches, plug connectors and technical components for the automotive, telecommunications and electrical industries by injection molding. The company was founded in 1978 by Rudolf Görlich in Leingarten near Heilbronn, Germany, and today has its sole headquarters near Dresden, Germany. In 2019, before the beginning of the Corona crisis, Goerlich achieved sales of EUR 10.3 million with about 100 employees.