INNOVATION | OPTICAL MOULDING
reduction in cycle time and significant improve- ments with regards to sink marks and surface quality can be realised. Finally, HUDs and front panels, both applied in
Below: The Fanuc Roboshot Alpha-SiB is being offered in Milacron’s partnership with Fanuc in North America
vehicles, are large areal components. While HUDs are clearly classified as optical components, this is not immediately clear for front panels. Recent developments and customer requests have led to the combination of different functionalities in one component. This way, optical structures like head- lamps can also be directly implemented in one mould, which allows for the characterisation of these front panels as optical components. For such applica- tions, standard injection moulding is insufficient. Instead, injection-compression moulding needs to be used. Engel has done many customer and R&D projects in this field, to improve surface qualities, reduce internal stresses which improves optical properties and, broadly speaking, optimises the moulding process in terms of energy consumption. A number of markets are driving the growth in optical moulding at present, according to Kent Royer, Technical Product Manager, Bunlim Ly, Direc- tor of Strategic Marketing & Innovation and Bob Mobley, Manager, Tech Service/Applications at Milacron. There are growth areas in the electrical and automotive market segments in particular, through the rise of battery electric vehicles and plans for autonomous ones. Application areas include head and tail lights plus camera mountings, for example blind spot detection cameras placed on rear view mirrors. Another growth area is consumer tech, such as home security systems with built-in doorbell cameras, drones, action cameras and smart home hubs. Milacron says its machines can process a wide
array of resins used in optical moulding, such as PC and LSR. Screws and barrels are also engineered to specific applications. The Klearstar package pro- vides an upgraded screw and barrel for this pur- pose. Polycarbonate resins or similar materials do not stick to the feed screw or assembly, which helps uphold quality and avoids downtime to clean the
screw. Multi-process moulding and assembly is also on the rise, the company says. Turnkey solutions are in high demand and not only are auxiliary compo- nents useful to help this, but parts can be conveyed, coated to make them UV or scratch resistant, and in some cases palletised after quality inspections. Milacron has introduced an all-electric offering
through the Fanuc Roboshot Alpha-SiB series for moulders across North America, which is particu- larly suitable for optical moulding applications. Within this series, there is an option for higher precision clamp to increased dimensional stability for the 30-ton and 55-ton offerings. The machine is based on the Fanuc Roboshot Alpha-SiA series and is a continuation of Milacron’s partnership with Fanuc in the Americas for over 35 years. The Alpha-SiB series, 55, 110, 140, 165 and 240-ton models are now available with variations of injection capacity. Expanding the flexibility of the Roboshot line, smaller injection capacity models are now available in multiple sizes for high preci- sion moulding applications. Milacron and Fanuc have partnered to adapt the Roboshot Alpha to meet the requirements of a wide variety of applica- tions on both the clamping and injection unit. Special features have been specifically developed for applications such as medical, LSR, optics, electrical connectors and packaging. For example, Milacron has used 3D modelling to develop new high-flow capacity water systems to prevent operation without water flow. The Alpha-SiB series also includes a higher
resolution/performance Panel iH control screen and new electrical standards. Milacron has made several features standard with the iB series that had previously been available as options. These include increased mould stack height, 3-stage air eject, expanded I/O for automation/sequencing, precision clamp force control for consistent venting and reduced mould wear and 200 operator ID with custom lock-out capability for security control and tracking. Husky continues to see strong activity in the optical moulding market and believes that is being fuelled by three major technology trends. “Firstly, there is the continuous evolution and demand for smartphones with increasingly more features, especially connected to imagery sensors, cameras and sensors that support health applications,” says Mike Ellis, Global Business Manager, Hot Runners and Controllers.
“A few years ago phones would have one camera lens/sensor, while now many high-end models have more than four camera lenses. Secondly, the demand for autonomous and smart automobiles
32 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2021
www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: FANUC
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
