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).

16:9

Higher Output and Reduced Energy Consumption

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Energieeffizienz

Elektrische Antriebe für Spritzgießmaschinen

Antriebe

Elektrische Antriebe

Spritzgießmaschinen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Clamping Unit of the Elios 4500 with Fully Electric Drive Concept

At the introductory press conference for K 2022, Dr Thorsten Thümen, Senior Director Technology, outlined the company’s evolving strategic focus.

Senior Director for Technology Dr. Thorsten Thümen announces several premieres at K 2022.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

New High-Speed Machine for the Packaging Market

Arburg has now packed numerous digital services into an app for smartphones and tablets. Among them: assistance in saving energy.

Via the customer portal, the individual apps – from the Arburg host computer system (ALS) to the ordering function – can also be operated using a smartphone.

Review of the Arburg Anniversary Days from March 8 to 11, 2023

Doriat, Clemens, Dr.

Digitale Transformation

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Hydraulik-Komponenten

Maschinenelemente

Automatisierungstechnik

Kreislaufwirtschaft

A Machine Park in the Pocket

Haitian International, the Chinese manufacturer of injection molding machines, is consolidating its growth of the last ten years while its European business flourishes. New locations and additional investments will support its foreign activities. On the program for the K 2019 is the introduction of what is now their third generation technology.

Fu Nanhong, CTO of Haitian International, announces the third generation of all their important series for the K 

Haitian’s Success Story Continues with Big Plans

Plans for Further Expansion

Investment strengthens Arburg´s expertise and electric drives portfolio. AMK has been Arburg‘s development partner in electric drives for decades.

By acquiring AMK Arnold Müller GmbH & Co. KG, Arburg Partners Juliane Hehl, Michael Hehl and Renate Keinath (from left) are investing in the future of electric injection moulding machines.

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dienstleistungen

Lohnfertigung

Unternehmen

Arburg Acquires AMK‘s Drives & Automation Division

Which injection molding machine is the right one for which application? Below we will demonstrate why performance is not always performance, but physics is always physics.

Direct drives such as planetary roller screw drives are very precise and durable

How Feed Rate, Injection Volume and Filling Time Correlate with Injection Unit Performance

Kugelgewindetriebe

Getriebe

Spritzgießsimulation

Software

Simulation

Schnecken und Plastifiziersysteme

Elektromechanische Maschinen

A Question of Class

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

iQ hold control Determines the Optimum Holding Pressure Time

Smart Factory

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Industrie 4.0

Energiedatenmanagement

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Qualitätssicherung

Holding out for Higher Quality

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

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Steuern, Regeln

Prozessvisualisierung

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

Qualitätsmanagement

Machine Learning

Datenanalyse

Datenbanken

Big Data für die Qualitätssicherung

IoT-Plattformen für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Complete Data without Ifs and Buts

 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.

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Medizinprodukte

Medizintechnik

From the Insulin Pen Cap to the Automotive Door Module

At K 2022, Engel, with its partners Alpla Group, Brink and IPB Printing, is presenting a quantum leap for the packaging industry. Thin-wall containers can for the first time be produced from PET directly by injection molding in only one process step.

Fig. 1. The thin-walled containers are injection molded from rPET.

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Schmelzefilter

Polyethylenterephthalat

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Processing rPET by Thin-Wall  Injection Molding

Netstal presents new solutions for high-performance injection molding in Düsseldorf.

aXos control unit with “Smart Operation:” the guided machine operation enables users to achieve additional productivity increases.

Fast, Precise and Networked

Under the motto “It‘s all Wittmann”, Wittmann Battenfeld is presenting its machines and systems in the new Wittmann design for the first time.

Automation cell with SmartPlus 90 for manufacturing a spirit level.

Schaumspritzgießen

Spritzprägen

Biokunststoffe

Naturmaterialien

Verstärkungsstoffe

Green DC Current for the Injection Molding Machine

This year, the world’s leading trade show K has succeeded in presenting practical solutions for greater resource efficiency on a broad front. A first foray through the trade show grounds.

K 2022 gave numerous practical examples showing visitors how recyclates can be reliably processed with digital aids.

State-of-the-Art Injection Molding Solutions for Greater Resource Efficiency.

State-of-the-Art Injection Molding Solutions at K 2022

Solar / PV

Energieerzeugung

Erneuerbare Energie

Temperiertechnik

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Instandhaltung

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Elastomer-Spritzgießen

Oberflächentechnik

Digitalisierung

Silikonkautschuk

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Compoundieren

It Can Be Done!

Injection molding of optical components is subject to strict requirements, including freedom from internal defects. Tomography analysis methods can identify even microdefects in the order of 20 µm. The main cause of these very small defects are gases that enter the melt either from the material or the environment. With new software, Engel intends to reduce gas inclusions during the processing of transparent plastics and ensures a consistent high melt quality.

The quality of photos taken with the smartphone increases with each new generation of devices. As a consequence thereof, the requirements for plastic optical lenses are increased.

New “optimelt sequence” Software Reduces Microdefects in Optical Components

Technische Optik

Ingenieurwissenschaften

Freedom from Internal Defects  for Brilliant Images

iQ motion control Shortens Cycle Times in High-Performance Injection Molding

Cycle times of three to four seconds have long been part of everyday life in the injection molding of packaging parts. And the pressure to speed up production rhythms continues to increase. Shaving just one tenth of a second shorter off the cycle time is enough to increase output by three per cent. An assistance system from Engel is capable of doing precisely that, boosting the productivity of high-performance injection molding even further.

The iQ motion control assistance system from Engel optimizes the acceleration phases of mold movements and thus shortens cycle times.

The iQ motion control assistance system developed by Engel is able to automatically optimize the acceleration phases of movement sequences and thus make the movements faster. What is already possible for the Engel viper linear robots was also presented by the machine maker at K 2022 for mold movement. The packaging industry stands to benefit in particular because, in high-speed applications, the time taken by the injection molding machine to open and close the mold accounts for a significant portion of cycle time.

This is clearly demonstrated by the production of thin-wall containers in a 4-cavity mold on an Engel e-speed 280 injection molding machine (Title figure). The total cycle time is 3.15 s. Injection takes only 0.08 s and cooling just 0.8 s. Demolding of the parts thus takes 2.27 s, of which only 1.0 s can be attributed to removal by the robot. Mold movement therefore accounts for the remaining 1.27 s, or 40 % of the production time (Fig. 1).

Mold Movement Takes up a Large Share of Cycle Time

Engel e-speed injection molding machines are fitted with highly dynamic and efficient electric drives. These allow movement sequences to be performed in parallel, which is state of the art in the packaging industry.

In the production of thin-wall containers, for example, the clamping force is already reduced during cooling. Subsequent mold opening takes 0.5 s. Although the side-entry demolding robot can start executing the demolding movement just before the mold reaches the opening position, demolding itself does not start until the mold and robot movements have been completed.

For the fastest-possible removal, air valves push the parts with bursts of air onto the robot’s vacuum gripper. The robot moves out of the mold’s danger zone in a flash and the mold starts to close. Closing, including buildup of clamping force, takes 0.77 s. In order to minimize the cycle time, the injection process kicks in at 70 % of the set clamping force. An even earlier start is not possible, because the material might then flow into the mold parting line. But given that the injection time is just 0.08 s, the potential savings here are small anyway. Thus, no further time can be saved through parallel movements. To shorten the cycle time, the only other option is to further optimize the machine movements – such as that of the mold.

Precision Coordination of Mold Movement with the Process Is the Key

0.77 s for the closing movement is already nimble for a stroke of 285 mm, including clamping force buildup. All the while, the load on the drive is constantly changing: acceleration to ramp up the closing speed and deceleration to reduce it at the mold closing point; then acceleration again to build up the clamping force quickly and deceleration to complete the movement (Fig. 2). For reducing the movement time, the challenge now is knowing when to accelerate or decelerate and by how much. For, this depends on both the drive and the application, i.e. the mold, the stroke, the clamping force and other application-specific parameters.

That is precisely where iQ motion control comes in. This assistance system evaluates the aforementioned relationships in respect of the specific application and then calculates the optimum accelerations. This approach makes the best-possible use of the drive power, and shortens the time needed for mold movement by an average of 10 %.

To understand how iQ motion control works, it is necessary to take a closer look at the mechatronic drive system. The motor is connected to the toggle via a spindle, and this in turn is coupled to the moving platen and the mold. The toggle is the key element of the movement. Its variable transmission ratio ensures a high mold speed for long opening strokes (toggle retracted) and a high power transmission from motor to mold under clamping force (toggle extended) (Fig. 3).

However, the transmission ratio also changes the total inertia acting on the motor. With the toggle retracted, the mold weight is decisive, whereas it is barely noticeable at the mold closing point. For optimal drive operation, the acceleration must track the effective inertia in every position. And that is exactly what iQ motion control does. The assistance system uses the available drive torque, the relevant inertias and the clamping force to calculate the possible acceleration for each individual point, and connects these points into a motor movement.

This allows the machine to be operated dynamically and harmoniously, despite constantly changing conditions. This is not only evident from the drive torque: the outcome at the mold closing point is controlled braking and smooth closing of the mold halves.

Fine-Tuning for Each Individual Application

The assistance system fine-tunes the mold movement for each individual application. The user benefits from shorter dry cycle times. In addition, operation of the machine is simplified.

At startup, the machine operator follows the usual procedure. He sets the opening stroke and the clamping force based on the specifications and his experience and – if this is desired for the application at hand – reduces the speed by adjusting the movement profile or the acceleration phases via the dynamic profile slider. The only new feature is that the operator can also input the weight of the moving mold halves. Where this is not known, an estimate based on mold size and steel density is sufficient. iQ motion control takes care of everything else. If a parameter of relevance to mold movement changes, the system recalculates the optimum movement in the shortest-possible time and transmits it to the drive for the first cycle.

The process can be started as usual, for example via the e-move operating element on the CC300 machine controller, and monitored as usual with Auto Protect to ensure the maximum-possible mold protection. Thus, as regards monitoring the machine, nothing has changed for the production worker and setting of the mold movement is easier than ever.

Producing Thin-Wall Containers Five Percent Faster

For the production of the thin-wall containers discussed earlier, iQ motion control helped to shorten the cycle time from 3.15 to 3.0 s. Expressed in terms of the dry cycle time, this is equivalent to a 12 % reduction – 1.12 s instead of 1.27 s. The defining of maximum values ensures that the machine does increase the load on the mechanics and the drive technology.

Comparison with the reference curve without iQ motion control makes it clear that the greatest potential for optimization lies in the first 0.3 to 0.5 s of the closing movement (Fig. 4). The greater drive torque already generates higher speeds at an earlier point in time, and that saves time. In addition, the torque is built up and released much more evenly – and that also saves time.

Standard Feature in High-Performance Machines

Such short movement times, as described in this example, can only be realized by adopting a mechatronic approach. Precision coordination of movement planning, drive control and mechanics is essential for enabling the existing components to perform to their maximum. Engel has recognized this potential and added iQ motion control to the standard scope of delivery for its high-performance e-speed (for packaging containers) and e-cap (for closures) machines. As a result, dry cycle times across the entire clamping force spectrum are reduced. And already today, both machines are the fastest on the market in their respective areas of application (editor’s note: manufacturer’s data).

In the future, Engel will also offer iQ motion control for retrofitting to e-cap and e-speed machines that have already been delivered. This is feasible because the assistance system does not require large connected loads, but merely makes better use of existing potential.

High-performance applications in the packaging industry are operated 24/7 and with extremely short cycle times – under growing pressure to boost efficiency. To generate even more output in this demanding field, Engel has developed an assistance system that optimizes the mold movement of high-performance machines for the application at hand. This means that each application can make full use of potential of its mechanics and drive technology. The outcome is an average 10 % reduction in dry cycle time and up to 5 % greater productivity. And all this is obtained without any additional effort on the part of the machine operator, because optimization is done automatically.

Engel Austria GmbH  

https://www.engelglobal.com

Ausgabenartikel

The pressure to work efficiently is huge, especially in the packaging industry. The production of thin-wall containers clearly shows the potential of  iQ motion control to shorten cycle times.

Fig. 1. iQ motion control shortens mold opening and closing on toggle machines. This leads to shorter dry cycle times.

Fig. 2. During mold closing and subsequent dynamic buildup of clamping force, the drive is constantly cycling between acceleration and deceleration.

Fig. 3. The variable transmission ratio of the toggle ensures high mold speeds during long opening strokes (toggle retracted) and high power transmission from motor to mold under clamping force (toggle extended).

Fig. 4. The speed of the closing motor (left) and the drive torque (right) clearly reveal where time is saved in the cycle. The yellow curve shows the behavior obtained with active iQ motion control. Green shows the reference curve without iQ motion control.

Hauptartikel

Dr. Christoph Stoeger works as a Control Engineer in the Development department at Engel Austria GmbH Schwertberg, Austria; <a href="mailto:christoph.stoeger@engel.at">christoph.stoeger@engel.at</a>

DI Hannes Bernhard is Team Leader Control Engineering at Engel; <a href="mailto:hannes.bernhard@engel.at">hannes.bernhard@engel.at</a>

Dr. Johannes Kilian is Vice President of Process Technology and Inject 4.0 at Engel; <a href="mailto:johannes.kilian@engel.at">johannes.kilian@engel.at</a>

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/fachartikel/darfs-ein-bisschen-schneller-sein-3533996" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>