TECHNOLOGY | SMART FUNCTIONS
effect is most obvious with multi-cavity moulds. In general, existing machines can be retrofitted
with the Arburg assistance packages and assis- tance functions. The extent to which this is possible depends on the age and configuration of the respective machine in each individual case. Free access to the ArburgXworld customer portal is open to everyone. The fee-based apps are avail- able for a free trial for three months. Arburg adds that as a technology and systems
Below: The Cincinnati 1900 from Milacron
partner, it is continuously driving forward digitalisa- tion and networking in plastics processing. “The basis for this is the IIoT gateway, which comes as standard on all our injection moulding machines,” says Peters. “The high complexity of plastic as a material and its processing is a major challenge when it comes to generating meaningful smart data analyses from a wealth of big data. The processes and numerous parameters differ hugely, depending on the component and material – making simple data comparisons impossible. Instead, a great deal of process data must be collected, the relevant data evaluated, and considerable expertise used to draw the appropriate conclusions.” He says: “We can achieve the partial goal of ‘machine recognises component’ by using the filling assistant to merge simulation and reality. Further development is aimed at transferring setting parameters inline to the machine from a real calculation model. We are working very hard on this type of data transfer on a scientific basis. In addition, our ArburgXworld programme and the customer portal of the same name will provide great scope for ever new digital solutions.” Milacron has developed a number of smart functions for its injection moulding machinery. “These include Intelligent Mold Safety Monitoring, which provides protection through the full clamp stroke and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to measure pressure on the mould closing cylinders to prevent
the clamp from closing should it become obstruct- ed,” says Brian Bish, Business Manager, Manufac- tured Product. “Additional features protect the ejector pins and mould parts from wear. This is available on most of our injection moulding machines, including the Q-series, Roboshot, MPs and Cincinnati. In addition, base level monitoring measures base level and platen parallelism in real-time through three sensors per base rail and two platen-mounted sensors. This system dramati- cally improves machine diagnostic capability by detecting machine level changes, before quality issues show up as mould wear, bad parts or result in downtime. This feature can be configured and linked to Milacron’s IIoT platform, M-Powered.”
Recipes and efficiency Edward Jump, M-Powered IIoT Digital Analytics Leader, says: “Building on our former capabilities, Milacron’s M-Powered is now able to interpret the data to determine impending failures, maintenance needs or incorrect machine settings. Recipe Insight is designed for setting up a good process. Validat- ing and maintaining its integrity is critical to part quality and identifying changes in operation. Controls typically provide the ability to monitor set points and variation, but this can become difficult to manage and monitor on a machine by machine basis. By gathering machine set points into recipes, integrated with control settings from the entire work cell and reviewing the actual values against dynamic limits, this application cultivates sophisti- cated learning algorithms that distinguish the best recipes and generates alerts as processes fluctuate.” Jump continues: “As M-Powered becomes part of the management culture, the Efficiency Report application is essential to review and plan produc- tion. This application digitally monitors the impact of wear-and-tear. Parts degrade, and long before the part is technically ‘out of specification’ and needs to be replaced, wear and tear is already impacting the efficiency of the machine. This is a cost impact for our clients through operators’ compensating wear-and- tear with higher temperature, more pressure, increased cost, and potentially loss of quality. Data Science allows us to quantify these effects, allowing operators to weigh these extra costs against the cost of an early part replacement for pumps, feed screws and barrels. Through this application’s dashboard, anyone with permission can access constant quantified feedback on the efficiency of all opera- tions for connected machinery.” According to Milacron, the new applications optimise process control and decision making. “Significant benefits can be found through
34 INJECTION WORLD | October 2020
www.injectionworld.com
IMAGE: MILACRON
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