Fakuma 2014 review | Product news
Servo now standard at Demag
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag said that energy-saving servo-hydraulic technology will now be the standard drive option for its Systec hydraulic machines from 50 to 1,500 tonnes. More than 50% of Systec
customers already opt for the Active Drive option, Sumitomo Demag market- ing manager Bernd Tröger told Injection World earlier this year. The servo-hydrau- lic system is said to offer improved speeds along with an up to 60% reduction in energy consumption. A 210 tonne Systec Servo machine was demonstrated at Fakuma producing a nutcracker (pictured below) using a thermoplastic composite moulding process involving over-moulding. ❙
www.sumitomo-shi-
demag.com
Arburg launches 3D print system for general sale
Arburg used Fakuma to mark the beginning of general sales of its Freeformer additive manufacturing system. Managing partner Michael Hehl said sales to customers in Germany would begin immediately, with the first system deliveries expected from the beginning of March next year. Sales to other EU countries will commence in April while the machines will be launched into the US and Asia at the NPE and Chinaplas trade shows (in late March and May respectively). “There is no doubt that our
Freeformer will influence our future business development as additive manufacturing is gaining increasing importance in the industrial sector,” he said. “Rapid technical developments, short product life cycles, increasing variant diversity and the demand for customised products mean that the market for plastics processing and the associated requirements are changing.” Arburg managing director
of technology Heinz Gaub said the company had around eight Freeformer machines installed with pilot customers in Germany, with the number
its ability to process the same granular polymers used for injection moulding. Gaub said that additive-built Freeformer parts achieve around 80% of the mechanical performance of an injection moulded component, with only slight variation across and between the build layers. The company currently has
expected to increase to 16 or so by the end of the year. All are sold machines, he said. “The main interest is
coming from our traditional customers,” said Gaub. “Also from prototype companies – those that want to produce one-off parts. This is a completely new market for us.” Gaub said the company has
now decided that the standard Freeformer machine will be a two-component model with a 3-axis component carrier, as this allows customers to produce the supporting structures required for many additive-built components. One of the key benefits of the Freeformer technology is
experience in processing unreinforced ABS, TPE and PP on the system, but fibre reinforced grades are not recommended at present. “Reinforcement fibres are possible but there is a question of wear and tear. We find it is not that easy to squeeze the [reinforced] material through the 200 micron nozzle,” said Gaub.
During the show, Arburg
demonstrated production of a 24g sliding lock assembly on a Freeformer system. Total build time was 5 hours. It also used the system to apply custom lettering in white PP onto the PP handles of scissors produced by conventional injection over- moulding. In this example, the parts could be ‘customised’ with 0.21mm raised lettering on a two minute cycle. ❙
www.arburg.com
Quicklook delivers wireless mouldshop data
Wittmann demonstrated a new app – Quicklook – allowing mould shop managers and staff to capture an overview of operating and error status of all machines in a plant.
20 Available on iOS and
Android platforms, the Quicklook app will be free and will only require access to a wireless router (it is intended for local on-site access only to
INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2014
avoid security risks). The app will be able to capture data from Wittmann Battenfeld moulding machines and Wittmann robots and automa- tion equipment.
“It’s a free application to give the user an indication of how their machines are running,” said Wittmann Group general manager Michael Wittmann. ❙
www.wittmann-group.com
www.injectionworld.com
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