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

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Schaumspritzgießen

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

Software

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

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

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Spritzgießsimulation

Simulation

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

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Kreislaufwirtschaft

There Is More beyond the Horizon

iQ process observer, the new process monitoring platform from Engel monitors hundreds of parameters from the injection molding cell in the background.

The injection molder is truly not a friend of changes – if they occur in the running process. The iQ process observer helps him to keep an eye on the process and thus keep a handle on the quality

A Process Monitoring Platform Monitors Several Hundred Parameters Simultaneously

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Automatisierungstechnik

Prozessvisualisierung

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

IoT-Plattformen für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

An Eye on the Process –  a Handle on Quality

In an online survey, representatives of the plastics industry formulated their expectations toward the Plastics Innovation Center 4.0 (PIC 4.0).

Wordcloud generated from the answers to the open question concerning the most important use cases for PIC 4.0

Part 5 of the Series: Practical Demonstrators for the Plastics Innovation Center 4.0

Messdatenerfassung und -verarbeitung

Prozessoptimierung

Prozessmanagement

Machine Learning

Datenanalyse

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Focus on the User Benefit

After a year’s forced break of Fakuma, Wittmann Battenfeld is announcing the new servohydraulic SmartPlus machine as the highlight of this year’s trade show. It is claimed to be characterized by high economic and energy efficiency and repeat accuracy.

The new SmartPlus machine is equipped with the HiQ Flow software and the CMS Light condition monitoring system

Mikrospritzgießen

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Spritzprägen

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Injection Molding Innovations In-House, Live and in Color

iQ motion control from Engel now allows reliable early start combined with fully automatically optimized motion planning. The assistance system has been part of the standard kit of all new Engel viper-type linear robots since October 2021.

If the robot travels into the mold area already during the mold opening movement, this can shorten the cycle time. The effect is particularly large in the case of parts with long cores, such as boxes

16:9

iQ Motion Control Brings the Injection-Molding Machine and Robot Closer together

Linearroboter für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

A Production Cell with Fluid Movements

Guido Frohnhaus has been Managing Director Technology & Engineering at Arburg for a good two years now. The pandemic restrictions meant that he has made very few appearances outside the company so far, but, as he says himself, he spent the time getting to know the in-house processes at all levels and in great detail. In this interview with Kunststoffe, the 52-year-old talks about the course he plans to set and how crucial the high level of in-house manufacturing and programming expertise is for the company’s independence.

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

“Gestica Will Be the Fixed Star in the Customer’s Universe”

Whether it is the cycle time, energy consumption or process stability: the levers for greater efficiency and quality in the injection molding process are many and varied. With the new performance.boost Engel offer its customers an expertise as a service for process analysis and optimization.

With its expert knowledge, the company identifies process optimization potential and provides user support during their implementation. The results include shorter cycle times, superior part quality, greater process stability, lower energy consumption or a longer machine service life

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dienstleistungen

Lohnfertigung

Instandhaltungssoftware

Optimize Processes Efficiently with Engel performance.boost

Mold breathing provides useful information about the processes that occur in the mold and the cavity. Mold-maker Schneider Form and injection molding machine-maker Engel have recognized the potential which this process variable offers and have worked intensively on it for several years, albeit by adopting different approaches. They recently carried out joint tests on bumper molds using a two-platen injection molding machine with a clamping force of 40,000 kN and then swapped experiences.

Bumper molds were the focus of mold-breathing studies aimed at process optimization. The photo shows an example from the bumper portfolio of Schneider Form

Comparative Methods for Determining Mold Breathing

Energiemanagement / Smart Home

Installationstechnik

Druck- / Kraftsensoren

Messtechnik

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Using Breathing Signals for  Process Optimization

The quality of injection molded parts and the process stability are still heavily dependent on the knowledge and experience of the process technician. However, the ever increasing degree of freedom creates complex interrelationships between part quality and process parameters. At K 2019, IKV and an industrial consortium will demonstrate how algorithms based on artificial intelligence can support machine operators during the process setup by using machine data and quality data.

Fully interconnected manufacturing cell with data feedback to the injection molding machine

Model-Based Process Setup by Fully Interconnected Production in Injection Molding

Beyond Human Capabilities

With its Industry 4.0 solution portfolio, the Wittmann Group is receiving a positive echo in the market. This virtually extends the injection-molding machine into a smart workcell. For the near future, the company is tooling up for the demands of a circular economy – and declining demand.

Finger on the pulse with Industry 4.0 solutions: Michael Wittmann, Managing Director of the eponymous corporate group

Wittmann Continues to See Itself Well Placed as a One-Stop Supplier

Energieeffizienz

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Immediately Ready for Use

A year to forget is nearing its completion. To brighten up this dreary fall season without a major event like Fakuma, injection molding machine builders have concocted various strategies.

Fig. 1. Ingrinder system solution: the sprue picker guides the removed sprue via vacuum conveyance to the integrated granulator

Injection Molding Machine Builders Are Discovering New Ways to Reach Their Customers

Vernetzung / Cloudlösung für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Schneidmühlen

Silikonkautschuk

Kautschuk / Elastomere

What Can You Do at Fall Fairtime,  When There Aren’t Any?

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

Smart Factory

Fließpressen

Handling, Handhabungstechnik für die spanende Fertigung

Industrieroboter

Montagetechnik

Montage-Spritzgießen

Knickarmroboter

Co-Injektion (Barriere-/Sandwich-Spritzgießen)

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Technical Excellence thanks  to Digital Assistance

Making a racket is part of the trade. In the past, tradesmen would do this at markets by swinging wooden rattles to attract attention. Today, instead, it is the industry which is trying to make its developments heard and accepted, for example at trade fairs and in the media. What has injection molding technology had to offer recently, aside from Industry 4.0? The answer is process developments that in the main expand the range of applications for plastic parts, mechanical assistance systems that enable consistently high part quality to be achieved more reliably, and the huge field of temperature control. 

New Ways to Attain Special Part Properties Are Advancing the Art of Injection Molding 

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Temperiertechnik

Making a Racket for Plastics  

HiQ Flow is Wittmann Battenfeld’s answer to the challenge of fluctuating shot weights in injection-molded parts. The assistant system modifies the process parameters in the course of the same shot to counteract viscosity fluctuations caused by batch fluctuations in the material or by the use of regrind.

The HiQ Flow software corrects viscosity deviations during the injection and holding pressure phases within the same shot, based on the measurement values taken from the injection molding machine

Dynamic Adjustment of Switchover Pressure and Holding Pressure to Achieve a Constant Part Weight

No More Weight Problems

Smart assistance systems are paving the way for self-optimizing production. Automatic correction of quality-relevant parameters is already reality for individual phases of the injection molding process. At K 2019, Engel presented the iQ weight control with the example of a recyclate application for the first time.

With the manufacture of thin-walled sample parts, Engel presented the  iQ weight control smart assistance system at K 2019, with a recyclate application for the first time

The iQ weight control Assistance System Ensures Higher Process Stability

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Messgeräte für Viskosität

Werkstoffprüfung

Opening up a Broader Range of Applications for Recyclates

The Assistance System iQ Weight Control Promises Greater Clarity and New Functions

At Fakuma 2021, iQ Weight Control will be unveiled with its new interface and expanded functionality. The new developments have been driven by feedback from customers. With its consistently user-centered development approach, Engel is one of the pioneers.

Almost ten years ago, iQ weight control launched a range of intelligent assistance systems to support Engel injection molding businesses in the digitization of their production processes. Today that product range is a comprehensive one. At Fakuma 2021, the software will be unveiled with its new interface and expanded functionality. The new developments have been driven by feedback from customers. With its consistently user-centered development approach, Engel is one of the pioneers.

Paul is responsible for the sampling of new molds and optimizing injection molding processes. Having spent many years working with Engel injection molding machines, he utilizes the potential of innovative digital solutions wherever the option presents itself. Paul may be fictitious, but his requirements are very real: he represents the sum of experience with digital solutions gained by Engel customers in all regions of the world. The creation of personas – typical representatives of a target group – in the first phase of the development process (user research) provides the basis for user-focused development (Title figure).

Who uses our product? What is he or she doing with our product? What are his or her needs and expectations? To arrive at precise answers to these questions, Engel involves customers in the development and enhancement of products at a very early stage, analyzes their working environments and conducts interviews with a view to gathering specific information on user behavior.

As an expert in injection molding, Paul is receptive to digital products and has high expectations of them. Knowing the added value offered by iQ weight control, he has a clear idea of how the software could make his work easier in the future. Here he shares his ideas with Engel in the form of feedback.

During the speed-controlled injection process, iQ weight control continually analyzes the pressure profile in real time via the screw position and compares measured values against a reference cycle [1]. On this basis, new process parameters are calculated and settings are automatically readjusted for the current cycle. This calculation and readjustment takes place in fractions of a second, and is repeated for each cycle. The regulation influences the speed profile during injection, the switchover point and the holding pressure profile. In this way, fluctuations in environmental conditions and in the processed material are balanced out, thereby ensuring consistently high product quality while proactively preventing rejects.

Since its launch in 2012, the software has been updated several times (see Box p. 61). At first it was only available for injection molding machines with electric injection units; some time ago, though, it also became possible to equip injection molding machines using hydraulic injection units with iQ weight control. Shortly after this, the application range was expanded when adjusting the holding pressure profile became the third control variable. While automatic readjustment of the switchover point and injection profile increases weight consistency, especially in the production of thin-walled parts, the holding pressure phase is critical to quality in the production of thick-walled components. In the case of molds with several hot runner nozzles which are opened and closed in a cascade, iQ weight control can also be used to improve process consistency.

Time Needed for Referencing Significantly Reduced

One new feature to be unveiled at Fakuma 2021 is the new referencing concept. Let us get back to our process engineer. Paul wants to implement iQ weight control as fast as possible following process optimization, a material change or mold maintenance (for example). On the “Injection” screen, he is quickly able to find the product and also perform referencing; beforehand, he would have to wait through 20 cycles for this, which took a great deal of time. Thanks to the new version of iQ weight control, in which referencing is always running automatically in the background, Paul is able to save that time. As soon as a process is stable, a new reference can be set at any time – practically at the touch of a button.

The monitoring screen page indicates whether a process is stable; the specific process parameters of iQ weight control (injection volume, change in viscosity and alignment of pressure profile) over the last 50 cycles are displayed in the form of a trend graph. In the ongoing development of the interface, one priority was to create a clear display. All of the key information is now available at a glance. Information that is not relevant to a quick assessment of process consistency has been omitted.

Setting Upper and Lower Tolerance Limits Independently

Where a production process requires validation as in the case of medical technology, readjustment can only be performed within very narrow and clearly defined limits. Paul now wants to transfer this process window to the upper and lower limits for the two parameters adjusted by iQ weight control (switchover point and holding pressure). The fact that the process window is not always symmetrical presents a challenge here: in many cases, the reference value from the validation is closer to either the maximum value or the minimum value, rather than the middle of the reliable adjustment range. Excessively high holding pressure, for example, could result in overmolding of the component and damage to the mold; for this reason, it is a more critical consideration than holding pressure that is too low.

With this in mind, Paul wants to limit the upward correction more than the lower correction. The new release offers a convenient solution: the upper and lower tolerance limits can now be set independently of one another. Since the readjustments automatically performed by iQ weight control are generally within limits specified by the user, there is nothing to prevent the use of iQ weight control in validated processes [2].

In addition to customer feedback from sales and service dialogue, specific customer surveys, workshops and prototype tests are conducted in subsequent phases of the user-focused development process (concept and design, development and operation). Findings and results are duly applied to the design process (Fig. 1).

Overall, the new iQ weight control incorporates numerous small improvements that are visible to users on first glance. The interface is now even clearer. Another new feature is the compact summary of parameters for a very fast overview.

Not least, Engel’s tutorial concept makes implementing the new software version simplicity itself [3]. Accessed via the machine control unit, the tutorial guides users intuitively through all the steps and clearly shows how to maximize the potential of iQ weight control and the new functions (Fig. 2).

User-centered development is an ongoing process. By the time the new release reaches the market, phase one in the continued development of the product will already have commenced. Paul also stays on the ball, expanding his expertise and gaining experience. Smart assistance systems, which can seem alien and difficult to gauge at first, soon become second nature. Encouraged by early successes, Paul quickly develops ideas for new fields of application; he is now ready to take the text step.

Test Version as Standard in All New Injection Molding Machines

Will iQ weight control prove to be an advantage on his future projects as well? For an easy answer to this question, Engel is planning to integrate a test version as standard in all new injection molding machines, to run for a defined period. This will be available with the next release, which comes onto the market in 2022.

The test version will be of particular benefit to processors who have never worked with iQ weight control before and wish to evaluate its potential. In future, test versions will also be provided for other iQ products.

[1] Giessauf, J.; Pillwein, G.; Steinbichler, G.: Process Control: Switch over to Consistent Quality. Kunststoffe international 102 (2012) 9, pp. 13–16

[2] Razenböck, J.; Lhota, C.: Konforme dynamische Prozesse. Medplast (2019), pp. 18–21

[3] Dimmler, G.; Fritz, H.; Gassner, J.; Voggeneder, J.: Control Complex Processes Easily. Kunststoffe international 109 (2019) 7, pp. 28–30

[4] Giessauf, J.; Kapeller, P.; Maier, C.; Pillwein, G., Steinbichler, G.: Numbers that Count. Kunststoffe international 107 (2017) 9, pp. 28–32

Engel Austria GmbH  

https://www.engelglobal.com

Ausgabenartikel

The new release of iQ weight control is based on feedback from users. In the user-centered development process, Engel closely involves its customers at all stages

Fig. 1. Snapshots from the user-driven development of iQ weight control. The interface, which has evolved over time, now has a new, slimline design 

Fig. 2. Overview of the principal new features of iQ weight control

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<ul><li>2012: Engel introduces iQ weight control, its first smart assistance system. Available for injection molding machines with electric injection units, the system corrects the injection profile and switchover point.</li><li>2014: Enhancement of software performance spectrum to include correction of the holding pressure profile.</li><li>2015: iQ weight monitor installed as standard in all new Engel injection molding machines [4]. The software includes indicators for monitoring the injection molding process; unlike iQ weight control, however, it does not automatically re-adjust parameters.</li><li>2016: iQ weight control made available for injection molding machines with hydraulic injection units.</li><li>2018: Engel expands the software to include cascade injection for components with very long flow paths. Process parameters can now be adjusted at several injection points connected in series.</li><li>2019: At the K event, Engel unveils iQ weight control complete with a recycled material application – thereby showcasing the major potential of inject 4.0 to the circular economy.</li><li>2021: iQ weight control benefits from a new and clearer interface. Improvements to referencing facilitate very fast commissioning.</li><li>2022: All new Engel injection molding machines are equipped with a viable test version of iQ weight control for a defined period.</li></ul>

DI Philipp Willnauer is a development engineer in the Process Analysis and Assistance Systems department at Engel in Schwertberg, Austria; <a href="mailto:philipp.willnauer@engel.at">philipp.willnauer@engel.at</a>

Dr. Georg Pillwein is Team Leader Process Analysis and Assistance Systems at Engel in Schwertberg; <a href="mailto:georg.pillwein@engel.at">georg.pillwein@engel.at</a>

Johann Voggeneder is Team Leader Usability Engineering at Engel in Schwertberg; <a href="mailto:johann.voggeneder@engel.at">johann.voggeneder@engel.at</a>