DIGITAL MANUFACTURING | TECHNOLOGY


Data drive: latest in digital manufacturing


Digitalisation is helping injection moulders to raise performance by keeping track of process data – including melt viscosity, mould conditions and carbon footprint


The manufacturing industry continues to adopt smart digital technologies that help raise efficiency. In plastics production, and injection moulding in particular, machinery manufacturers are offering a variety of ways to help customers track their complex process data – helping them to raise efficiency, cut scrap and reduce emissions. Engel says it has developed a number of digital solutions for injection moulding customers – in- cluding a prototype large-language model called ‘EngelGPT’. With this, employees of injection moulding companies will have all machine and process data available directly on the shop floor, says Engel. Through simple voice input, they can access extensive knowledge. The system is integrated directly into the customer portal.


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The system was unveiled at the company’s Digital Days event earlier this year, where several customers presented examples of how they have used Engel’s digital technology. For instance, injection moulder SolidPlast has used Engel’s iQ systems and shop floor monitoring to reduce production costs by 4% and increase machine availability by 270 hours annually – lead- ing to higher efficiency. In addition, razor manufacturer Bic used Engel’s Authentig to improve its manufacturing KPIs. “Our already high overall equipment effective- ness (OEE) for moulding was increased by 3% and our scrap was reduced by approximately 40%, leading to a more sustainable moulding process,” said Yiannis Voultzatis, IMM process and mould optimisation manager at Bic Violex.


Main image: Engel says its digital setup assistant can help less experienced operators work more quickly


November/December 2024 | INJECTION WORLD 13


IMAGE: ENGEL


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