TECHNOLOGY | DIGITAL MOULDING
Right: Numerous Euromap and OPC protocols now allow injection machines to freely commu- nicate upstream and down- stream, as shown here by Wittmann
ated by using recycled materials. HiQ Melt ensures that the check ring is already in the closed position before the following injection, ensuring process stability even when using low viscosity materials.” Setting up new jobs on a machine has also become easier, says Pearson’s colleague Roman Staudigl. “Our Wittmann 4.0 integration allows for ‘plug & produce’ capabilities. Production datasets allow the user to see exactly what devices they will need for the next job, and which are no longer needed. Furthermore, the QuickSetup and Smart- Edit programs provide a clear and visual interface, for setting up a machine for a new mould.” Wittmann has also developed an intelligent
Condition Monitoring System (CMS), which optimises maintenance activities and warns staff in time before standstills occur. High production reliability is also based on
prompt interventions, when necessary. “With TEMI+, we provide an extensive Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to reduce possible losses,” says Pearson. “That is achieved by the continuous collection and combination of data from one or more injection moulding machines, including the associate peripheral devices, which is then made accessible to monitoring personnel on site or out of house online.” Multiple firewall layers and counter-attack measures should secure production even if the corporate network is compromised. “There is currently a steadily increasing trend of
automatisation and ‘smart’ software being used in the injection moulding industry,” says Staudigl. “We are seeing companies reducing their costs and impact on the environment by using recycled and biodegradable materials. In our experience, customers are not pressured to use these smarter capabilities; rather, some come to us looking for solutions to pre-existing problems – process fluctuations or check-ring closing behaviour for example. Other customers are unaware of our machine capabilities and are receptive to new cost and energy saving possibilities.” Two years ago, Engel announced that it was
starting a completely new chapter in the develop- ment of intelligent assistance with its iQ process observer. It said then: “To date, assistance systems have been used to optimise individual steps in the injection moulding process, such as injection and cooling. But the new iQ process observer goes several steps further, providing an overview of the entire process for the whole batch. This makes it possible to identify changes in the process at an early stage, allowing operators to determine their causes and find a solution more quickly.” The iQ process observer continually analyses
26 INJECTION WORLD | October 2021
IMAGE: WITTMANN
several hundred process parameters across all four phases of the injection moulding process – plasti- cising, injection, cooling and demoulding. The results, split into the four phases, are immediately visible in an easy-to-understand overview on both the injection moulding machine’s CC300 control unit and the Engel E-connect customer portal. The software automatically detects drifts by continually checking the results against the previous cycles, as well as comparing certain process parameters with a set reference condition. The system also notifies the machine operator of counterproductive process settings and conditions, in addition to possible causes via text message. At its launch, Paul Kapeller, product manager for digital solutions at Engel Austria said the iQ process observer was the only assistance system on the market based on live data, which actively indicates changes in the process and counterpro- ductive settings. Kapeller says Engel will continually develop the
iQ process observer. “The process information is continually expanded with new error images and optimisation proposals, so that the product grows over time and becomes ever more powerful,” he says in a technical paper co-written with several colleagues. “Special attention was paid to the fact that the software can be easily updated.” Chinese injection equipment producer Yizumi cites a dilemma for many manufacturing compa- nies of rising costs as production efficiency approaches a ceiling. “Enterprises need new management tools and methods that allow to further enable the organization through informa- tion technology and data-based measures. And we know the hit of the Covid-19 pandemic has to some extent propelled the trend of digital transfor- mation in the injection moulding industry.” “Smart machines, smart cell, smart service, and smart production is the core of our digitalisation
www.injectionworld.com
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 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
