1001 molds: injection molding and blow molding from barn floors to electronic parts

Complex injection mold for an aircraft landing gear component, built in Mawick’s in-house mold shop.

Strategie und Organisation

Wirtschaft

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Schröder, Susanne

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Werkzeugbau

On the Spot at Mawick

In-house tooling, injection molding, and goblins.

High-quality surfaces and a classy design are top priorities at Vorwerk. The core business consists of two product families: The Kobold vacuum cleaner and the Thermomix.

On the Spot at Vorwerk

Moldmaking road trip: Kunststoffe visited six companies to find out how a moldmaker should position himself for the future.

On the spot visit to Mawick for research for this article. From left: Co-author Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul, Benedikt Ostermann (project manager), Susanne Schröder, Werner Drees (head of project management & toolmaking) and Klaus Mawick (managing partner).

16:9

Crises and opportunities: on-the-spot report by the Kunststoffe editorial team from 6 companies

Medium-Sized Companies  that Are Emboldened

During this year’s pandemic, maintaining supply capability has become a key necessity among processors. Closer involvement of suppliers is only logical in these circumstances. In toolmaking, new challenges are emerging for services related to molds.

Tool qualification in the test center in Bahlingen, Germany. After that, the tool is ready for the “site acceptance test”, i . e. for the acceptance on site directly at the customer

The Advantages of a Network for Global Qualification for Injection Molding

Erstbemusterung, Erstmusterprüfbericht

Qualitätssicherung

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Qualitätsmanagement

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Fast and Effective Start of Production

The article describes the underlying Citi technology, which features a cube mold with integrated turning inserts. The new process saves production space, energy and cycle time.

The sprockets of the circular Citi tool elements interlock with each other and provide the vertical rotation. The entire cube then rotates horizontally.

Foboha presented mold technology at K 2022 that could change the market for disposable beverage containers in the next few years.

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Turning out 3-Component Parts  under Torque

Interview and image gallery: Chrome, silicone – and when to say "no“

In conversation: Commercial CEO Peter Pakulla (left), Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul from Schmalkalden University, and Petra Brochhagen from Pakulla.

On the Spot at Pakulla

Rud exhibits smaller variant of the proven Tecdos mold flipper.

For molds weighing up to 5t: the new Rud Tecdos TM 08/10–5. 

Cooler Move – Even for Five-Tons Molds

Unforeseen downtimes in serial production are always accompanied by high costs, making it essential for machines to be serviced in time. Because sensor, transmission and data storage technology have taken a big leap forward in recent years, predictive maintenance has already been realized in some industries, demonstrating a tangible benefit of Industry 4.0. The WZL and the WBA have developed a guideline for this.

Fig. 1. The guideline for the development of predictive maintenance solutions is divided into three phases: analysis, design and implementation

Guideline to the Development of Predictive Maintenance Systems for Serial Producers and Toolmaking Companies

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Instandhaltung

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Sensoren verschiedener Messverfahren

Fertigungsautomation

Sensorik / Aktorik

Fernwartung / Ferndiagnose

Machine Learning

Datenanalyse

Dienstleistungsqualität

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Instandhaltungsmanagement (TPM)

Vorbeugende Instandhaltung für die Qualitätssicherung

Machine Learning für die Qualitätssicherung

Symbiosis of Toolmaking and  Serial Production

In cooperation with Haidlmair, Wittmann Battenfeld will produce a cup with lid at its booth. Haidlmair‘s mold is designed optimally for processing Bornewables material from Borealis.

A hybrid mold insert optimizes cooling in the mold, which is designed for recycled materials.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Moldmaking Know-How for Injection Molding with Recycled Materials

Simulation from Sigma for optimized mold temperature control.

Temperature distribution shortly before demolding: On the left, conformal cooling produced by the 3D printer (only half visible), on the right, conventional cooling. 

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dynamische / variotherme Temperierung

Conventional and Conformal Cooling Compared

Live production and a large product range: What there will be seen on the Meusburger booth during Moulding Expo.

On its Moulding Expo booth, Meusburger exhibits a wide range of standard mold parts and hot runner technology. 

Normalien und Heißkanaltechnik

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Everything around the Cavity

Inspections, repairs, and maintenance and cleaning work can be carried out directly on the work surface with the mold opener.

Normalien

Mold Opener for Molds up to 2.5t

Twenty robots occupy the order picking workplaces and enable around 720 picks an hour.

The new innovative autostore system has a capacity of 24,000 boxes, each with a maximum weight of 35 kg.

Automatisierungstechnik

Unternehmen

Hasco Invests in Small-Parts Warehouse

Susanne Schröder will become editor-in-chief of the magazines Kunststoffe and Kunststoffe international on December 1, 2020. The current editor-in-chief Dr. Karlhorst Klotz will leave the company by mutual agreement.

Susanne Schröder will become editor-in-chief of the magazines Kunststoffe and Kunststoffe international on December 1, 2020. Until now she has been editor-in-chief of the trade journal FORM+Werkzeug

Werkzeuge für Leichtbauwerkstoffe

Präzisionswerkzeuge

Tiefziehwerkzeug

Werkzeugüberwachung

Toolmanagement

Werkzeugwechselsysteme, Spritzgieß

Modulare Werkzeugsysteme

Absaugungen für Werkzeugmaschinen

Betriebsausrüstung / Betriebsmittel

Absaugvorrichtungen

Fluorkunststoffe

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Werkzeugverwaltungssoftware

Prüfen von Kunststoffen

Messtechnik

Biokunststoffe

Presswerkzeuge, Kunststoff

Werkzeugreinigung, Kunststoffe

Standardkunststoffe

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Lohnfertigung

Technische Kunststoffe

Füllstoffe für Kunststoffe

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Kunststoffhandel

Handel

Betriebstechnik für Kunststoffverarbeitung (Peripherie)

Kunststofffasern

Verstärkungsstoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Change in the Chief Editorial Office of Kunststoffe

A tool logbook on paper is often not to hand just when you need it most. Or it is incomplete, since it is time consuming to keep the information up to date. A cloud-independent, electronic tool log, which is directly integrated into the tool could make all the relevant data available directly.

The installed ImPro module in use on a demonstrator tool under production conditions 

The Electronic Tool Logbook as a Combination of Operating Manual and Check List

Werkzeuginnendrucksensoren

Sensoren / Messwertaufnehmer

Messdatenerfassung und -verarbeitung

Software

Papierlose QM-Dokumentation

Dokumentationsmanagement

Werkzeugkonstruktion

Mobile Datenerfassung

Logistik

Lagertechnik

Digitale Transformation

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Dokumentenmanagement, CAQ

Data Management at the Tool

Road Trip Toolmaking – Report with Picture Gallery

Portrait of an all-rounder: Compounder, plastics processor, and moldmaker

Craemer GmbH in Herzebrock-Clarholz, North Rhine-Westphalia, is a metal former, plastics processor as well as compounder and moldmaker in one – with XXL format in every discipline. During their on the spot visit, the Kunststoffe editorial team gained insights into production and corporate philosophy. They also learned how much high-tech can go into a pallet or pallet box.

The Craemer family business was founded in 1912 with a focus on metal forming. The company‘s own toolmaking shop was established shortly after the company was founded. In 1958, the company entered the field of plastics processing. At that time, focus was already on large containers – which, along with plastic pallets and garbage cans, are still the company‘s specialties today. Plastic pallets are available in many variants: From the steel-reinforced heavy-duty pallet to the lightweight pallet and the hygiene pallet, e.g. for food applications, all with integrated RFID transponder on request. "A very consultation-intensive business“ emphasizes CEO Siegbert Geldner. "Not only for pallets also for pallet boxes, a combination of pallet and container.“

The Craemer Group is internationally active with four European production sites, a worldwide network of own sales offices as well as sales partners. At the same time, it remains firmly rooted in its headquarters in East Westphalia: The Group has a total of some 1,000 employees, of whom about 200 work in design, project management, mold-making and maintenance, and product development.

"Our breakthrough in plastic pallets came in the 1990s, when the meat processing industry got involved with a pallet development from our company“ reports Geldner. "That‘s when the Euro H1 hygienic pallet became the standard. It is hygienic, easy to clean, and much more durable than a wooden pallet. A wooden pallet is usually used three times, the Euro H1 manages up to 300 cycles.“

The art is to design the mold in such a way that every gram of plastic is actually in the place where it makes sense. Short cycle times and shot weights that are not too high are required. Rework must also be avoided; the product should come out of the machine as good as possible.

Says Geldner, "With our molds, which have up to 28 injection points, we currently produce components with a shot weight of up to 50 kilograms.“

Circular Economy in Practice: In-House Material Processing

Craemer practices in-house material processing with several extruders – with an output of several dozen tons per day. In this way, discarded Craemer products and production scrap are turned into high-quality material for new products.

"The use of secondary raw materials requires a high level of expertise. During material preparation, we add certain additives so that the finished compound has the specific high-quality properties required for the end product in question,“ Geldner emphasizes.

The Westphalians see great potential in digital networking. "We network all the silos, all the different software, all the machines and peripherals in production. And we do it in real time,“ says Torsten Kersting, Deputy Head of Toolmaking at Craemer. "And we make the data generated there available to the right employees at the right time and in the right quality. If all problems along the value chain are documented, this can be taken into account in the design process for a similar follow-up order. Also in maintenance. A digital twin with all the data. In this way, we manage to involve the mold mechanic intensively.“

Craemer GmbH  

https://www.craemer.com

Craemer produces high-tech plastic pallet boxes in various designs – with molds from the in-house mold shop. Ralf-Peter Finke, Technical Manager Plastics (left), during the plant tour with Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul from Schmalkalden University.

2023-06-01 Vor Ort bei Craemer

In the run-up to this year‘s Moulding Expo, the <i>Kunststoffe</i> editorial team took to the road: In a team of authors with Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul from Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, the trend article on mold making was produced (to be published in Kunststoffe international 5/2023). The six companies visited are presented in online portraits. Further articles from the series:

On the Spot at formconsult (LINK follows)

In the run-up to this year‘s Moulding Expo, the Kunststoffe editorial team took to the road: In a team of authors with Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul from Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, the trend article on mold making was produced (to be published in Kunststoffe international 5/2023). The six companies visited are presented in online portraits. Further articles from the series:

On the Spot at <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4777115" target="_blank">Craemer</a>

On the Spot at <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4826858" target="_blank">formconsult</a>

On the Spot at <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4771453" target="_blank">Heraeus</a>

On the Spot at <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4772381" target="_blank">Pakulla</a>

On the Spot at <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4808546">Mawick</a>

On the Spot at <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4810389" target="_blank">Vorwerk</a>

As a think tank, our internal toolmaking department makes a major contribution in terms of know-how.

XXL molds with a total weight of up to 105 t for large refuse containers (photo), pallets, storage and transport containers are produced in the Craemer mold shop.

Craemer‘s future: A look into the training workshop ...

... which is equipped with very modern machinery.

Large molds also require a machine park that is designed accordingly. Craemer has several 5-axis milling machines with automatic pallet changer ...

... as well as a 5-axis portal milling machine with travel paths of up to six meters.

Standing in front of a high wall of pallet boxes: Ralf-Peter Finke (Technical Manager Plastics), CEO Siegbert Geldner, Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul, and Deputy Moldmaking Manager Torsten Kersting (from left).

Detail of a hygienic pallet box: Welded skids ensure a high standard of hygiene for the food industry. RFID transponders are integrated on request.

Another mainstay of Craemer is metal forming. Several large servo presses are used to produce structural seat parts for the automotive industry.

Well positioned for the future: A few kilometers from the main site, a completely new plastics injection molding plant was recently inaugurated – 18,000 m2 of space for manufacturing and storing new products. Kunststoffe editor Susanne Schröder thanks the company for the warm welcome.