ROBOTS & AUTOMATION | MACHINERY
Rise of the robots: plastics automation
The injection moulding sector is boosting its adoption of robotics and automation – as manufacturers look to increase production efficiency and raise productivity
While industries such as electronics and automotive are the main drivers of robotics in industry, the plastics industry – especially injection moulding – is also increasing its adoption of automation. Sophisti- cated offerings from suppliers, coupled with the inexorable rise of AI, means that more moulders are using robotics to increase efficiency and productivity. UK-based moulder Broanmain Plastics recently installed its first fully automated injection moulding machine cell. It has taken delivery of a 320-tonne Haitian machine with Hilectro cartesian robot. The investment, it says, ties in with a wider industry push towards optimising performance. The Generation 5 Mars machine is a servo-hy-
draulic machine equipped with an electric screw motor as standard. This has a huge impact on energy efficiency as the use of a traditional hydrau- lic screw drive is the most energy-hungry phase of
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the process, it says. In addition, it is very quiet and delivers high precision and reliability. “Compared to fixed pump hydraulic machines, these servo-hydraulic moulding machines can save processors like Broanmain over 70% in energy consumption,” said Veronica Edmunds, head of sales at Haitian UK. The weight and aesthetics mean that each part must be carefully removed from the tool and placed on a conveyor to prevent structural and cosmetic damage. The robot can perform this demoulding task at a consistent pace and rate. Having a choice of end-of-arm tooling means that the whole cell can be adapted to Broanmain’s future production needs, such as lights out manufacturing. Before-and-after energy tests – running at the same cycle times – will be performed on installa- tion. Because the Generation 5 series includes the additional hardware, automation and HT-X-tend
Main image: Wandelbots says Nova is the first agnostic operating system for industrial robots
March/April 2025 | INJECTION WORLD 33
IMAGE: WANDELBOTS
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