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

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Schaumspritzgießen

Smart Factory

Energieeffizienz

Mikrospritzgießen

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen, allgemein

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Spritzgießmaschinen

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Fließpressen

Handling, Handhabungstechnik für die spanende Fertigung

Automatisierungstechnik

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Spritzgieß-Sonderverfahren

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

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)

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

Ressourcenmanagement

Produktion

Technical Excellence thanks  to Digital Assistance

 At KraussMaffei’s booth, automotive door modules are produced from former caps of insulin pens. The system supplier is presenting not only the machine hardware necessary for this but also new digital solutions.

Digital solutions are an essential component of the material loop from the insulin pen cap to the car door module.

16:9

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Medizinprodukte

Medizintechnik

Kreislaufwirtschaft

From the Insulin Pen Cap to the Automotive Door Module

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)

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Prozessvisualisierung

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

IoT-Plattformen für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

An Eye on the Process –  a Handle on Quality

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

Messe Fakuma

Spritzprägen

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

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

A Production Cell with Fluid Movements

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

Künstliche Intelligenz für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

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

Biokunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Nachhaltigkeit

Umweltmanagement

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Machine Learning / Künstliche Intelligenz für die spanende Fertigung

Industrie 4.0 für die spanende Fertigung

Kunststoff-Recycling

Lasermarkieren

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

There Is More beyond the Horizon

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.

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

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

Produktentwicklung(sprozess)

Qualitätsmanagement

Focusing on the User

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”

Engel’s new “Parameter Limits” feature provides a remedy. It supports injection molders in keeping the parameters constant within a process window.

With the new Parameter Limits feature, tolerance ranges for up to 150 process parameters can be fixed directly in the machine control system for up to 150 process parameters. A change of the selected setpoint values is then only possible within the defined process window.

Simple Determination of Process Windows and Quality beyond Parameter Limits

Keeping Setting Parameters  under Control

In production and research, process data and previously defined quality values are tracked to determine optimization models and pursue consistent quality management. In contrast, data that is not relevant to the specific application is rarely recorded.

Structure and interconnection along the information-pyramid subsequently generate knowledge from sensorsignals.

Part 9: Consistent Data Structures for Sustainable Access to Secure Knowledge

Messdatenerfassung und -verarbeitung

Machine Learning

Datenanalyse

Datenbanken

Big Data für die Qualitätssicherung

Complete Data without Ifs and Buts

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

Immediately Ready for Use

Thin wall packaging manufacturers think in terms of efficiency gains in tenths of a second. Every cycle time reduction leads to increased productivity. Another factor influencing part costs is the energy efficiency of the production equipment. In these two key dimensions, Netstal was able to optimize the smallest model in the Elios series with 4500 kN clamping force.

The optimized Elios 4500 with electrically operated toggle levers enables users to achieve cycle time reductions and savings in power consumption (the photo shows the previous variant).

Higher Output and Reduced Energy Consumption

Elektrische Antriebe für Spritzgießmaschinen

Antriebe

Elektrische Antriebe

Clamping Unit of the Elios 4500 with Fully Electric Drive Concept

How do you bring 65 injection molding machines and various assembly lines – most of the manufacturing cells in the cleanroom – as well as, soon, a large number of ancillary equipment under one digital roof? A field report.

The Arburg host computer system ALS is the link between the shop floor and ERP system and connects order management with process and quality monitoring.

The Arburg Host Computer System as a Basis of Higher Productivity and Product Quality

Kennzahlen, Q-Leitstand, Q-Monitor

Rückverfolgbarkeit, Traceability

Montagelinien

Montage

Reinraumsysteme / -technik

Case Files for Patient Safety

Time to take stock: in what condition and with what agenda is the industry presenting itself after two-and-a-half years of a difficult climate? We have conducted a survey: insights into the dominant themes of the age.

Preview of K 2022: Kunststoffe Questionnaire on the Situation in Injection Molding Machine Construction

Mess-, Steuer- und Regelgeräte

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Harsh Realities

Arburg has been dealing with the issue of sustainability and resource efficiency for a very long time. The machine supplier is being integrated more and more by its customers into evaluations of climate-change activities along the supply chain.

Raw materials extraction through to delivery account for just 5 % of the CO2 emitted by an injection molding machine over its entire life cycle.  

Arburg Devises an Informative Product Carbon Footprint Calculation

Recycling

CO2 Footprint of Injection Molding Machines

iQ hold control Determines the Optimum Holding Pressure Time

The iQ product family from Engel will gain a new member at K 2022. iQ hold control automatically determines the optimum holding pressure time for the particular mold with no input from the operator.

The iQ product family from Engel will gain a new member at K 2022. iQ hold control automatically determines the optimum holding pressure time for the particular mold with no input from the operator. This saves the processor a lot of time for mold trials while also increasing both productivity and energy efficiency.

Ten years ago, Engel launched iQ weight control and laid the foundation for a whole range of intelligent assistance systems [1–3]. The abbreviation “iQ” stands for intelligent quality, meaning the integration of expert knowledge into the injection molding machine control.

The aim is to improve the quality of the production process and thus also of the manufactured products. The iQ product family has grown steadily in recent years. All iQ software products support the practitioner through at least one of the following factors (Fig. 1):

<ul><li> Transparency – making the process status intelligible by means of meaningful parameters and a clear presentation.</li><li>Assistance – the automated determination and setting of process parameters.</li><li> Efficiency – increasing the productivity and reproducibility and reduction of rejects through the continuous automated adaptation of process parameters while the process is running.</li></ul>

The new iQ hold control falls into the group of set value assistants. The software serves for automatic objective determination of the optimum holding pressure time. The innovation brings us a little closer to fully automated optimization of the entire injection process.

The holding pressure time is a key process parameter for the part quality. It takes effect at the end of the injection step, in a phase of the injection molding process at which the cavity is completely volumetrically filled. Due to the cooling of the melt and the resulting volume shrinkage, surface defects such as sink marks and voids, but also invisible negative effects on quality, such as internal stresses, may arise in this phase. These quality reductions can be prevented by applying holding pressure to the melt for a specific time.

However, the holding pressure prolongs the cycle time and thereby has an unfavorable effect on the cost-efficiency and energy consumption. The question is thus the minimum time for which the pressure must be applied to ensure high part quality. From the point of view of processing, the holding pressure can be ended when the sealing point is reached. The sealing point is the time at which the material solidifies at the gating point of the cold runner or in the region of the nozzle when a hot runner is used.

The conventional method for identifying this point is described as the sealing point determination in the literature. With this technique, the holding pressure time is increased in successive cycles until the weight of the parts no longer changes (Fig. 2). However, the disadvantages are the high time consumption and susceptibility to defects. The machine operator must manually adjust the holding pressure time in the injection molding machine control system, remove the produced parts and weigh them in the quality lab. A faster method for determining the sealing point is to observe the curve of the screw position or screw velocity in the holding pressure phase. The (approximate) halting of the screw corresponds to the sought sealing point. However, since the curves approach this point asymptotically and the leakage via the locking ring may fluctuate from shot to shot, the method requires experience and is less precise.

Optimum Holding Pressure Time  with One Click

With iQ hold control, fully automatic determination of the holding pressure time is performed with just one click. The software operates in two steps. In the first step, the screw position is analyzed to determine a rough start value. In the second step, this start value is used as the basis for cyclically varying the holding pressure time, cooling time and plasticizing delay, and the optimum holding pressure time is determined by analyzing the mold breathing signal.

Since, for the sake of simplicity, often only the holding pressure time is varied in practice, the cycle time and residence time of the melt in the melt cylinder are undesirably prolonged. With iQ hold control, on the other hand, the holding pressure time, cooling time and plasticizing delay are altered cycle by cycle so that the cycle time can be kept constant during the optimization phase and, on the other hand, the plasticizing can be started at the identical point in the cycle in each case (Fig. 3). In this manner, it is possible to create a constant process by evaluating the holding pressure time as independently as possible from other influences.

In summary, automatic holding pressure time determination with the aid of the assistance system offers a combination of both of the methods that have been used until now. The difference is that the mold breathing signal is used instead of weight information. Although this does not provide any information about the absolute value of the part weight, the comparison of the mold breathing signal of two cycles indicates whether the weight has changed from one cycle to the next, or not. This, too, can be used to determine the optimum holding pressure time, as with conventional sealing point determination.

In an experiment, the mold breathing signals at different holding pressure times are shown (Fig. 4). In the cycle describing the green curve, the holding pressure phase is terminated one second before the sealing point. The result is that material from the cavity is forced back into the space in front of the screw, which leads to a reduced part weight and smaller integral of the mold breathing compared to a cycle with sufficient holding pressure time. If the holding pressure time is prolonged beyond the sealing point, no more material can flow into the cavity due to the solidified gate region. Consequently, neither the part weight nor the integral mold breathing is changed, as described by the red and orange lines. Thus, by means of mold breathing and its cyclic variation, it is possible to automatically determine the sealing point, which once again highlights the great benefit of this process signal [5].

In a practical example for determining the optimum holding pressure time, the conventional sealing point determination is compared with the new set value assistant iQ hold control (Fig. 5). For better comparison of the two parameters part weight and integral of the mold breathing, the values were standardized to the maximum value in each case.

The sprue requires special attention here, since there are several possible sprue versions. With the cold-runner gate, it is possible, with careful observation, to distinguish between the sealing point of the part and the sealing point of the sprue rod or sprue runner system. The height of the mold breathing signal is the result of the integral of the cavity pressure over the projected area. Since the projected surface area of the sprue is usually very small compared to the part surface area, the deviation can usually be neglected.

The same argument applies in hot-runner applications with open nozzle since the molten region in front of the hot-runner nozzle usually has a very small area.

Production of Plugs Clarifies the  Mode of Operation

At the Engel booth, visitors to K 2022 can see the new iQ hold control in action. An all-electric e-mac injection molding machine is producing plugs for vehicle electronics. The machine is equipped with all the assistance systems available in Engel’s “inject 4.0” program. They can be individually activated and deactivated so that the visitors can follow the mode of operation live.

It becomes clear what additional benefit the new assistance system can provide processors. The fully automated set value assistant determines the optimum holding pressure time objectively and reproducibly with minimum time outlay. The process engineer can start the optimization at the touch of a button. The automatic process saves time and in many cases can also shorten the cycle time. The automatically determined holding pressure time is often lower than that previously determined manually. Overall, productivity, energy efficiency and cost efficiency are increased. Even if qualified specialists are not present in every shift, a high product quality can be obtained throughout.

Completely Exploiting the  Machine’s Potential

Intelligent assistance is a key feature of the Smart Factory. Assistance systems determine the optimum production parameters while production is running, suggest them actively or automatically establish them. In this way, the full potential of the injection molding machine can be tapped. With the strictly modular approach to its “inject” 4.0 program, Engel makes it easy for plastics processors to take advantage of the opportunities of digitalization. Individual solutions like iQ hold control provide a high benefit.

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

[2] Wollstadt, H.: Qualität und Ersparnis stehen im Vordergrund. Plastverarbeiter 65 (2014) 2, pp. 20–22

[3] Pillwein, G; Willnauer, P.; Steinbichler, G.: Opening up a Broader Range of Applications for Recyclates. Kunststoffe international 110 (2020) 4, pp. 26–30

[4] Pillwein, G.; Lettner, J; Giessauf, J; Steinbichler, G.: Breathing Exercises for Process Optimization. Kunststoffe international 105 (2015) 10, pp. 81–84

[5] Pillwein, G.; Lettner, J.; Giessauf, J.; Steinbichler, G.: Using Breathing Signals for Process Optimization. Kunststoffe international 110 (2020) 1, pp. 26–31

[6] Schläger, M.; Balka, C.; Giessauf, J.: Working with instead of against One Another. Kunststoffe international 107 (2017) 1, pp. 17–20

[7] Jaroschek, C.: Technical Excellence thanks to Digital Assistance. Kunststoffe international 109 (2019) 10, pp. 9–18

[8] Giessauf, J.; Pillwein, G.; Kapeller, P.; Kilian, J.: An Eye on the Process – a Handle on Quality. Kunststoffe international 111 (2021) 5, pp. 16–19

Engel Austria GmbH  

https://www.engelglobal.com

Ausgabenartikel

Fig. 1. The iQ products can be subdivided into the stages transparency, assistance and efficiency depending on the type of support. The new iQ hold control set value assistant serves to optimize the holding pressuretime.

 The optimum holding pressure time is often lower than that established at the beginning. In these cases, the cycle time is shortened.

Fig. 2. Sealing point determination by weighing the molded parts while varying the holding pressure time: the sealing point corresponds to the time from which no weight gain can be ascertained as the holding pressure time is increased.

Fig. 3. Variation of the process parameters during optimization of iQ hold control: the cycle time remains constant during optimization and feeding starts at the same time in the cycle.

Fig. 4. Mold breathing over three cycles with different holding pressure times: if the holding pressure time is reduced and the part is not yet sealed, mold breathing stops. If the holding pressure time is prolonged beyond the sealing point, mold breathing remains unchanged.

Fig. 5. Comparison of conventional sealing point determination with the result of iQ hold control: for a visual comparison, the maximum values of weight and integral mold breathing were standardized to 1.

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The ancestral gallery of the iQ product family for injection molding machines:

<ul><li>2012 iQ weight control: automatic real-time control of the injection process for constant shot volume [1–3] despite fluctuations in the raw material and in the ambient conditions</li><li>2015 iQ clamp control: automatic setting of the clamping force via determination of the mold breathing directly at the machine [4, 5]</li><li>2016 iQ flow control: automatic single-circuit flow control for constant temperature-control conditions and energy saving in mold temperature control [6]</li><li>2019 iQ melt control: automatic adjustment of the screw rotational speed for reduction of wear and material stress by exploiting the available cooling time [7]</li><li>2019 iQ process observer: comprehensive automatic process data analysis including an AI-based platform for optimizing the process [8]</li><li>2022 iQ hold control: automatic determination of the optimum holding pressure time for potential cycle-time reduction</li></ul>

Dr. Johannes Lettner is project manager in the Process Analysis and Assistance Systems team at Engel Austria GmbH, Schwertberg, Austria; <a href="mailto:johannes.lettner@engel.at">johannes.lettner@engel.at</a>

Dr. Georg Pillwein is team manager for Process Analysis and Assistance Systems at Engel; <a href="mailto:georg.pillwein@engel.at">georg.pillwein@engel.at</a>

Engel is presenting the system to the public for the first time at K 2022:

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/fachartikel/mit-nachdruck-zu-hoeherer-qualitaet-2853365" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>