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.

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

In injection molding, the component weight reflects the process consistency and the component quality. Components are therefore often weighed manually after production or automatically placed on a scale and picked up again. Engel has now developed a high-precision load cell for inline weight measurement that can be integrated directly between the rotary axes and the end-of-arm tooling of a linear robot.

Weight Measuring System Directly on the Robot Ensures Process Quality

Automatisierungskomponenten

Wiege- und Dosiersysteme

Logistik

Verpackungstechnik

Weighing without Time Overhead

In addition to excellent mechanical characteristics and suitability for recycling, the key feature of hybrid lightweight structures made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics is that automated, large series production is possible. New mold and process technologies were successfully developed within the scope of the ReLei research project, enabling the production of complex shaped sandwich elements in an efficient combined process.

Thermoplastic Sandwich Structures for Large Series Applications

Fasern

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Faserverarbeitung

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Making It Big with Small Bubbles

In the "Clarity Fuel Cell" vehicle by Japanese automotive producer Honda, the rear bumper support is made of Tepex composite material based on polyamide (PA)6, and of Durethan (PA6) high-performance plastic. The plastic is supplied by Lanxess AG in Cologne, Germany, while the composite material comes from the company’s subsidiary Bond-Laminates. According to Honda company information, this is the first time a bumper support is applied that was produced in a serial hybrid molding process. The component is manufactured in the one-shot hybrid molding process, requiring only one single stage to process the engineering plastic and the composite material. The producer states this simplifies the production process, while reducing weights by approx. 50 % as compared to metal components. 

Fiber-Reinforced Bumper Carrier Made by One-Shot Hybrid Molding 

Polyamide

Kohlenstofffasern / -matten

New Fuel Cell Vehicle Boosting Plastics  

The high-quality mechanical characteristics of fiber-reinforced components stem from a load-adapted composition of polymermatrix and fibers. In order to remove the matrix material close to the surface, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT developed a method that allows the outer layers of the surrounding polymer matrix to be removed without damaging the underlying fibers. 

Structuring Fiber-Reinforced Components and Removing their Coatings 

Werkzeuge für Faserverarbeitung

Technik Trend

kunststoffe-international.com

Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Radiation Removes Outer Layers 

A thermoplastic composite sheet based on TPU film reinforced with continuous carbon fibers has been developed for lightweight load-bearing structures. The orientation of the fiber plies in the thermoplastic composite sheet can be varied from unidirectional to multiaxial, and adapted to the load case. Economical and robust components can be fabricated using a laminate structure consisting of two thin outer layers of TPU composite sheet and a core of continuous glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6.  

Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composite Sheet with Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforcement 

Polyurethan

Ready for Large-Scale Production  

Foamed injection molded parts with continuous fiber reinforcement satisfy high demands. The project of an industry consortium, led by IKV, shows how these parts are individually customized and produced using a fully automated manufacturing cell. The implementation of an Industry 4.0 cyber physical production system (CPPS) is a key technology to produce multi-variant products. 

Individualized Large-Scale Production of Thermoplastic Lightweight Components 

Normalien und Heißkanaltechnik

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

Qualitätssicherung

Industry 4.0 Saddles Up 

Now, with suitable recycling technologies in place, the continuing research focuses mainly on re-using the reinforcement carbon fibers from pre-processing steps in the production of fiber composites. Meanwhile, the industrial processing of such secondary carbon fibers for the production of sheet molding compounds has met with success. 

Sheet Molding Compounds Made with Secondary Carbon Fibers for Luxury Class Cars 

Schäumen / Reaktive Verarbeitung

Kunststoff-Recycling

Secondary Carbon Fibers in  Large-Scale Production  

A recently developed variant for processing continuous fiber-reinforced semi-finished products by injection molding, involves positioning a defined number of UD laminates appropriate to the specific requirements in the mold and then overmolding them. The resultant lightweight, three-dimensional parts have rigidity and strength which are markedly anisotropic and optimized for their particular loading situations. 

UD Tape Reinforcement Minimizes Weight while Maximizing Local Loading Capacity 

Greifer

Werkstoffprüfung, mechanisch

Zug-und Druckfestigkeitsprüfgeräte

Having a Good Grip on Hot Laminates  

Overmolded thermoplastic composites can give affordable weight savings for automotive applications. However, robust predictability procedures for these new materials are not yet state of the art. For this reason, Sabic has developed a test component that can be produced in a representative production process, and is able to validate predictions for all of the many different composite failure modes. To improve the simulations even further, an integrated simulation approach – one which takes into account the effects of processing on the material performance – is used. 

A New Test Beam Design Is Capable of Testing Different Composite Failure Modes 

Biegeprüfmaschinen

Confidence in Composite Simulations 

A novel process enables the efficient consolidation of high-quality thermoplastic fiber-reinforced semifinished products. The material is heated with infrared radiation and consolidated quickly and efficiently under vacuum in the closed mold. 

Producing CFRP Efficiently in a Vacuum Using Infrared Radiation 

Wärmebehandlung

Werkstofftechnik Wärmebehandlung

Gewebe, technisch

The Efficient Route to Tailored  Organo Sheets 

In the manufacturing of RTM structural components, semi-finished textiles can be locally reinforced at different angles using a special weaving procedure. This allows the mechanical properties to be improved in highly stressed areas. 

ORW Technology Enables Multi-Axial Local Reinforcement for RTM Structural Components 

Glasfasern / -matten

Resin Transfer Molding

From a Different Angle 

Continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites can now also offer an alternative to metals in the lightweight structural design of safety components. This is shown by the example of a brake pedal based on a multiaxially reinforced composite semi-finished product, which is now in series production.  

All-Plastic Brake Pedal with Multiaxial Fiber Reinforcement in Series Production 

Lightweight Design on the Move  

Solvay's Composite Materials business unit, Tempe, AZ/USA, has launched its new innovative thermoset prepreg resin system SolvaLite 730 specifically developed for high volume automotive applications. It is a component of the SolvaLite range of thermoset composites and complements Solvay’s Evolite range of thermoplastic composites. 

Easy Handling, Fast Cycle Time 

Duroplaste

Harze

Reaktionsharze

Prepreg Resin SolvaLite 730 

With the tailored blank line using the Fiberforge and Fibercon systems, Dieffenbacher GmbH, Eppingen, Germany, has developed a solution for the large-series production of locally reinforced thermoplastic components. 

Faster Tape-Laying Procedure 

Thermoplaste

Tailored Blank Line 

deller plastics Uses Competitive Advantages of Fiber Direct Compounding

The introduction of fiber direct compounding at deller plastics Uwe Braselmann was driven by tangible economic advantages. The plastics processor uses the lightweight construction process for manufacturing cable drive housings for operating electric power windows in car doors.

Employing a healthy mix of the new and the proven, we have always been innovative”, says Jann Braselmann, who runs the family business deller plastics in Breckerfeld (nearby Lüdenscheid), Germany, together with his brother Nils and their father Uwe Braselmann (Fig. 1). “Needless to say, the material requirements of our customers play a part in determining the extent to which we eventually embrace innovations. Considerable effort is often required, but for FDC we can only report positive results so far.”

FDC means fiber direct compounding and refers to a process developed for Allrounder injection molding machines by Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany, together with SKZ in Würzburg, Germany, in which continuous fibers are incorporated directly into the liquid plastic melt on a standard injection molding machine with a special unit. The FDC module on the injection unit comprises a side feeder with integrated cutting device, adapted cylinder and special screw geometry. Cutting lengths from 5.6 to 33.6 mm have proven successful in practice.

The process reduces fiber damage during material preparation. Fiber length, fiber content and material combination can be individually adjusted and thus the component properties can be specifically influenced. In addition, processors can significantly reduce material costs by using roving fibers and a matrix polymer as raw materials instead of fiber-filled compounds. This injection molding process results in lightweight components with high strength and reduced wall thickness.

Special Procedure Maintains Competitiveness

Nils Braselmann describes the economic side of the process as follows: “Following implementation of the FDC process, we are able to continue production in Germany while remaining internationally competitive. We reduced our product and manufacturing costs to such an extent that we were able to offset our global logistics expenses.” The reason for this is simple: by using glass fiber rovings, which are cut to an adjustable length in a lateral feeder and added directly to the melt in the injection unit, compounding made it possible to achieve greater individuality and to do without expensive ready-to-use materials.

“The system enables us to increase the length of the glass fibers in the component by an average of 50 percent and to match them precisely to the product and its stability”, explains Nils Braselmann. “This increases flexibility in development and production. Our customers can specify more individually which original materials are to be used and can combine them according to the component requirements. In this way, longer fibers in the component can be used to achieve higher strength with thinner walls, for example.”

Since February 2018 deller plastics has been using fiber direct compounding in high-volume injection molding, making it one of the first companies to include Arburg’s lightweight construction process in its portfolio.

Cable drive housings made of PP with a glass fiber content of 30 % are manufactured on an Allrounder 630 S injection molding machine (clamping force: 2500 kN, Fig.  2) in an 8-cavity hot runner mold (Title figure). A bonding agent also acts as a coloring agent for the molded part. The robotic system (type: Multilift Select) removes the cable drive housings and sets them down on a scale to check the actual weight and thus the correct glass fiber content and forwards the components to the production data acquisition (PDA) system of the injection molding machine. This ensures that each shot weight is assigned to the relevant cycle and documented with all parameters. If the parts are OK, they are picked up and placed into customer-specific part carriers in a conveyor station. At a quality control station, 8-fold shots for sampling and quality checks can be taken at any time during the running process. Series-accompanying testing includes incineration tests (Title figure), visual and gauge tests as well as torque-monitored screw-on tests.

About 193 kg of glass fiber rovings are processed to manufacture around 20,000 parts with 30 % glass fiber content per day. Taking into account the fineness of the roving (tex value), this corresponds to about 80 km of glass fibers per day at a cutting length of about 11 mm. “We are convinced of the great potential offered by the FDC process, not only using glass fibers, but also natural or carbon fibers”, says Nils Braselmann. “In addition, Arburg’s extensive technological expertise and comprehensive support extending to process, technology and software details has been valued by this company for 50 years. That is why the second FDC system was commissioned in September 2019.”

ARBURG GmbH + Co KG  

www.arburg.com

Deller-Plastics Uwe Braselmann  

www.dellerplastics.de

Ausgabenartikel

The injection molding machine Allrounder 630 S is equipped with an 8-cavity hot runner mold. The even distribution of the fibers is confirmed by an incineration test

Fig. 1. Uwe, Nils and Jann Braselmann (from left) are delighted with their FDC system

Fig. 2. The FDC system manufactures parts such as cable drive housings made of PP-GF30. After  the removal the robotic system sets them down on a scale to check the correct glass fiber content

Name - Hauptartikel

<i>deller plastics Uwe Braselmann </i>was founded in 1959 by Peter and Hardy Braselmann at the Breckerfeld site, Germany. With 180 employees and 54 injection molding machines, the family business produces technical plastic parts for the automotive, household appliance and electrical industries.

<a href="http://www.dellerplastics.de">www.dellerplastics.de</a>

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Susanne Palm is Team Manager PR at Arburg GmbH + Co KG, Lossburg, Germany.