INNOVATION | MEDICAL
cycle; and iQ flow control, which ensures constant temperature control ratios by controlling tempera- ture differences in the individual cooling circuits based on a set value. Also being demonstrated is iQ process observer, which Engel says is one of the first artificial intelligence applications in injection moulding. This smart assistance system optimises individual steps in the injection moulding process and also
makes combi M technology useful both for integrat- ing two-component injection moulding and for efficiently doubling the output, if two identical moulds are mounted,” says Engel. Machines are equipped with two injection units as a standard feature. One injection unit is fitted on the stationary platen, the second on the moving platen. The diagnostics components that Engel is
producing at its stand are two-component parts. In a first injection moulding step, the primary parts with cylindrical cavities are injected using a polycarbonate containing a black dye. Then the indexing table rotates through 180 degrees, to seal the cylinders with transparent polycarbonate on one side with lenticular covers in a second injec- tion moulding step. The two moulds, with 32 cavities each, come from Hack Formenbau. Engel says combi M horizontal indexing table technology saves valuable floor space, especially where multiple-cavity moulds are used. A compara- ble 32-cavity mould with a vertical rotary table would have needed a larger e-motion injection moulding machine with at least 2,800 kN clamp force. In this application, the horizontal indexing table technology reduces the total footprint by more than 20%. The smaller machine also con- sumes less energy.
Inside the compact cell at the K show, two
robots will be working as a pair to manufacture diagnostics products. An Engel Viper 20 linear robot removes the two-component parts and deposits them in trays. Then an Engel E-pic pick-and-place robot covers the fully populated trays with an intermediate layer to be able to stack them in boxes and then discharge them via a tray server, which is also integrated. The E-motion combi M is equipped with various smart assistance systems from the Engel inject 4.0 program for manufacturing two-com- ponent parts. These include iQ weight control, which detects fluctuations in the injection volume and material viscosity, and automatically compen- sates for them within validated limits in the same
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keeps track of the entire process. Several hundred parameters are analysed at the same time, and quality-relevant deviations from the reference show up on the display. In many cases, the software direct- ly delivers an optimisation proposal. At the K show, Engel is demonstrating the use of
Parameter Limit, developed to keep all pre-set values constant within a defined process window. Using new software, a process window can be defined for up to 150 individually selectable process parameters using Engel’s CC300 control panel. Engel says: “This means that the tolerance limits are directly available on the injection moulding machine at the start of production, and that they are reliably complied with in the on-going process. In turn, this eliminates the risk of input errors. It is this safety on top that makes Parameter Limits so interesting for applications in medical technologies.” The EU’s Medical Device Regulation (MDR), which came into force in May 2021, brought in many changes to the European legal framework for medical devices. Among other things, it mandates a Unique Device Identification (UDI) system placed on medical devices and their packaging. This is intend- ed to reduce the risk of counterfeiting, improve traceability, and better manage incident reporting. KraussMaffei will also have an electric machine
with a cleanroom design at the show. A PX 200-1400 will be producing PP caps for insulin pens with a 96-cavity mould from Männer. The unit incorporates KM’s APCplus intelligent machine function, which compensates for external influences on the end product quality, using a predefined process window to carry out readjustment of parameters that would normally be done manually.
Left: At K2022, Engel is
showing an E-motion 160 combi M producing
sample vessels for medical diagnostics in a two-component process
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Above: Engel will be producing sample vessels for medical diagnostics in two-component injection moulding under cleanroom conditions on its stand at K 2022
September 2022 | INJECTION WORLD 53
IMAGE: ENGEL
IMAGE: ENGEL
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