The Zahoransky subsidiary in Coimbatore, India, has been managed by a new dual leadership team since March 1, 2022. For the first time, there is also a woman in the top management circle, Sathyapriya Balakrishnan.

The new dual management team for India: Sathyapriya Balakrishnan (Managing Director) and Reinhard Schnurr (Managing Director)

16:9

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Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Personen

kunststoffe.de

Zahoransky Introduces Expanded Management Team in India

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

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Injection Molds for Insulating  Stators and Rotors

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.

Tool insert for a spacer of a glass fiber-reinforced PA66. The example shows that hybrid manufacturing is suitable and provides added value, even with comparatively simple parts

Additive Manufacturing and Hybrid Molds in Combination with Conventional Machining

HSC- / HPC-Bearbeitung

Spanende Verfahren

Werkzeugkonstruktion

Additive Fertigung

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, Metall

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

The Potential of Redesign and  Part Consolidation

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

Fertigungsautomation

Identtechnik

RFID Teileidentifikation

Digitaler Zwilling

Software

Simulation

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

Messtechnik

Werkstoffprüfung

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Spritzgießsimulation

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Design Methodology for Parts Subject to Internal Pressure

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.

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

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

Automatisierungszellen

Automatisierungstechnik

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

A Machine Strategy with  Extra Automation

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

Heißkanalsysteme

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Leading-Edge Process Control

For a cutlery series made of a new biopolymer, three full hot runner molds with digital process monitoring were developed in close cooperation with mold maker Uniform and hot runner specialist Ewikon.

The 16-drop family mold on the machine. The removal and packaging of the parts are fully automated

Complete Digital Hot Runner Solution for Automated Biopolymer Processing

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

Biokunststoffe

Virtual Reality für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Process Reliability Is Crucial

The Reversecube two-part cube mold is used to produce 60 million multicomponent parts per year on one production line and in the same process. The cycle times must be kept very short while at the same time maintaining stable processes and a high part quality. Sensor-based monitoring and automatic process control is therefore deployed in the form of Fillcontrol from Priamus. It consists of hot-runner balancing, viscosity and compression control as well as automatic holding pressure changeover.

The two halves of the Reversecube cube mold, in stacked arrangement, rotate in 90° steps. Bottom: injection and cooling component 1, analogous to the component 2 above, which is offset by 180°

Automating Injection Molding with Process Control – with the Example of a Cube Mold

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Steuern, Regeln

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Werkzeugtemperatursensoren

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Qualitätssicherung

Quality Assurance for Multiple Cavities

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

Hybridtechnik

Polymere, flüssigkristalline

Thermoplaste

Stanzen

Verfahren für die spanlose Fertigung

Schneiden

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

Well-Balanced Hot Runner Technology for LCP Processing

Molding Solutions – a business within Barnes – is bundling the expertise of its members and will be represented with its mold and hot runner technology and controls at its own booth as well as at those of partners.

Digital Watermark Technology: 6-cavity Foboha mold with laser engraved inserts to apply the digital watermark.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Molding Solutions at K Show

Plastics processors have a wide range of colors at their disposal to color their products. Choosing the right color can ultimately be the key to success. But colors are just as subject to trends as materials and designs. Kunststoffe asked manufacturers of pigments, masterbatches, and colorants which colors would be particularly popular in the coming year.

Colors inspired by nature will also be very much in demand in2021. They give products a more sustainable appearance

Trend Report on the Coloration of Plastics

Pigmente

Additive

Pigmente, bunt

Masterbatches

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Streifinger, Florian

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Farbkonzentrate (Batches)

Farbstoffe

Effektpigmente

Farben, flüssig

What Will Be the Color of 2021?

HeiQ – Heitkamp Kunststofftechnik took over sales responsibility for injection molds from Rouxel Mold in Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands.

The French manufacturer of injection molds wants to expand into international markets thanks to HeiQ.

French Rouxel Mold Expands Market

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.

Two displays are seamlessly integrated into the continuously 3D-formed instrument panel

Innovative Injection Molding in Times of Pandemic

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

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

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Nachhaltigkeit

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Spritzgießmaschinen

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Kreislaufwirtschaft

There Is More beyond the Horizon

The toolmaking industry of the future is facing significant changes in its range of services and its value creation processes. It is difficult to predict exactly how the collaboration of German tool manufacturers with series production will be structured in the future. However, it can be assumed that digital networking and sustainability will play a key role.

What the Two Trend Topics Mean for Collaboration between Toolmaking and Series Production

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Energieeffizienz

Vorbeugende Instandhaltung für die Qualitätssicherung

Datenanalyse

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Toolmaking of the Future –  Digitalized and Sustainable

Exciting Design instead of  Exciting Manufacturing

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

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.

Marbled molded parts have been around since the early days of plastics when, for example, combs or buttons bearing a marbled pattern were produced. In some cases, the marbling happened unintentionally because homogenization in the plunger injection molding machine had still not been perfected.

With the advent of screw injection molding machines, not only plasticizing capacity has increased, but above all significantly better melt homogenization has become possible, paving the way for colored molded parts without any color streaks on their surfaces. In addition, mixing elements are sometimes deliberately installed in injection units in order that mixtures of uncolored pellets and masterbatches may be converted into streak-free molded parts.

Now, marbling effects are created either mechanically with the aid of special marbling screws or by means of two-component injection molding machines. In the latter, two molding compounds of different color are injected into one cavity, usually by sequentially opening and closing valves which are located either inside the mold or between the machine nozzle and the mold. However, the production of reproducibly marbled parts in two-component injection molding machines is relatively costly, as two injection units are required and have to be operated.

Since parts with marbled surfaces often look very attractive and unique, they are still in demand, even though the manufacturing process is complex. A process by which they might be produced reliably and reproducibly without major technical outlay would therefore appear desirable. An ability to specifically influence the marbling patterns would also give designers additional freedom over the visual design. BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany, has developed one such process that allows marbled molded parts to be produced with little outlay.

Marbled molded parts typically have patterned visible surfaces bearing such effects as color shading, color streaks, lines and texture. The formation of the effect varies with the proportions of the different colors and the base color of the part. Although marbled molded parts manufactured in a production run are not absolutely identical, they look essentially very similar. Some of the patterns achieved with this technology are reminiscent of the appearance of natural materials, such as marble or wood. For high-contrast, clearly defined marbling patterns to be achieved, the admixed color batch must not be completely homogenized. At the same time, though, all the pellets must be completely melted and homogenized in order that the finished molded parts may possess the specified properties.

Initial trials conducted by BASF on molded parts revealed that the patterns differed according to whether they were produced with a needle-valve or an open nozzle. The number of flights of a screw tip was even discernible on the parts’ surfaces. The patterns arise from the separating and merging of melt flows in the channels of the plasticizing unit. This insight prompted a decision to rethink the nozzle of the injection molding machine and to employ different melt channel geometries in the nozzle cap. For this purpose, a recess for accommodating interchangeable inserts was created in a standard nozzle cap. As a result, the channel geometry in the nozzle can be changed to create all manner of patterns (Fig. 1). A symmetrical arrangement of straight channels, for example, results in symmetrical patterns.

Marbling proves to be particularly effective in the case of flat molded parts. But it is also possible to create three-dimensional articles that possess highly attractive marbled surfaces (Fig. 2). The marbling pattern is determined by the nozzle design and the mold’s gating system and the subsequent spreading of the melt. Thus, it is also influenced by the location of the injection point and the filling behavior of the melt in the direction of flow during injection into the cavity. Figure 1 shows the many possibilities for symmetrical parts that are gated centrally. Attractive patterns may also be achieved by using molds equipped with hot runners and tunnel gates (Fig. 3). The resulting molded parts are not centrally gated and so the pattern of marbling streaks is completely different from those shown in Figure 1.

Additive manufacturing processes offer a very high degree of design freedom over the production of nozzle inserts. In particular, they can be used to create channel geometries that cause the melt to swirl as it flows into the mold (Fig. 4). This affords a way of producing mirror-image patterns and rotationally symmetrical patterns. The swirling of the melt is clearly visible in the pattern shown in the Title figure and Figure 1. Such patterns were previously not feasible with conventional processes.

The nozzles can be produced by additive processes such as laser welding and layer fusion processes, such as fused deposition modeling (FDM) and fused filament fabrication (FFF). Catamold pellets from BASF, for example, can be used to manufacture the nozzle and nozzle inserts. Here, a filament made of Ultraform, a polyoxymethylene (POM) from BASF that contains metal powder, is printed by the FFF method, followed by debinding and sintering. The final step of the process entails adjustment work such as fitting the printed insert into the nozzle cap.

The marbled parts can be produced on standard injection molding machines fitted with just one plasticizing unit. All that is necessary is to synchronize the dosing of the material with the injection molding cycle. The materials are fed as usual into the existing feed opening in the hopper area of the plasticizing barrel. Conventional, only slightly modified dosing devices fitted with two hoppers are used (supplied, e. g., by motan GmbH, Konstanz, Germany). The base material, which is usually mixed with a color batch, is supplied in the conventional way, while a further high-contrast color batch, e. g. black, is fed into the plasticizing unit separately with great precision.

As mentioned, the process can be carried out on commercial injection molding machines without the need for specialized equipment. Ideally, the sole requirement on the injection unit is that it meets certain specifications, e. g. a low ratio of shot volume to barrel size. The injection molding process itself is not different from usual, and the process parameters are normally the same. The various influencing factors on marbling are summarized in Table 1.

Correct dosing and the combination of “contrast” batches and coloring component are also important in the production of marbled molded parts. The choice of color combination is key to a successful marbling outcome. If the contrast batch is overdosed, the coloring component very soon loses its brilliance.

Ultimately, mold design, part geometry and the nozzle used in the machine and in the hot runner determine the resulting pattern. In the course of conducting its development work, BASF tested molds fitted with conventional sprues as well as with hot runners. In both cases, attractive patterns were obtained. The finish of the mold cavity’s surface has an additional influence on the patterns’ appearance. Whereas highly polished surfaces accentuate the contrasts intensely, textured surfaces lead to an unobtrusive, matt appearance (Fig. 5), as is also the case when glass fiber-reinforced materials are processed.

Marbled molded parts are chiefly used for decorative purposes in the consumer goods sector. They serve as household objects, e.  g. bowls, plates, cups, handles, and covers, as well as laptop lids and smartphone covers, as fashion accessories, e. g. buttons, as decorative elements in vehicle interiors, e. g. caps and covers, and as parts for toys. For many of these applications, the polymers should at least have a food contact (FC) classification, as is the case for Ultradur B4520 FC, a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) supplied by BASF. In contrast, various polyamides (PA) such as the Ultramid Deep Gloss or Ultramid Vision family from BASF are suitable for automotive interiors.

With the aid of the process presented here, it is possible to reproducibly manufacture marbled molded parts in different patterns on standard injection molding machines fitted with novel nozzle inserts and special dosing technology. Aside from PBT and PA, the process lends itself to other thermoplastics that are currently undergoing testing. BASF offers its customers not only suitability tests on existing molds and machines, but also support with nozzle design and 3D printing of pilot series, with the selection of materials and colorants and process control, as well as assistance with implementation into mass production. Mold provings can be carried out on the converter’s premises or at any time in BASF SE’s pilot plant on the customer’s own molds.

BASF Aktiengesellschaft Kommunikation Kunststoffe 

https://www.basf.de

Ausgabenartikel

Marbling leads to attractively designed molded plastic parts, but is not so easy to implement in production

Table 1. Influencing factors on the marbling

Fig. 1. All kinds of marbling effects can be achieved, depending on the channel geometry employed

Fig. 2. Not only flat molded parts but also attractive three-dimensional articles can be produced with a marbling effect. Correct dosing and the combination of “contrast” batches and coloring component during production are also important

Fig. 3. Molds fitted with hot runners and tunnel sprues can be used to produce very attractive patterns. As these molds are  not injected from a central point, the marbling streaks vary in their pattern 

Fig. 4. Nozzle inserts made by 3D printing offer designers huge freedom of design. Flow-optimized channel geometries in the nozzles can be used to make the melt swirl on its way into the mold. This also supports the creation of rotationally symmetrical patterns

Fig. 5. The surface finish of the mold cavity influences the appearance of the samples.  Highly polished surfaces strongly accentuate contrasts. Textured surfaces leads to a matt appearance

BASF - Hauptartikel

Dr. Reinhard Jakobi is Head of Performance Materials Processing at BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany; <a href="mailto:Reinhard.jakobi@basf.com">Reinhard.jakobi@basf.com</a>;

Angelika Homes and Susanne Zeiher work in the Performance Materials Processing Department.