Düsseldorf, Germany — Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH will begin distributing a new digital tool that offers deeper insights into process parameters for injection molders on Jan. 1.
With the myAssist, the company is on a journey from process analysis to digital validation and digital product passports (DPP), which aim to gather data on a product and its supply chain and share it across the value chains so everyone involved — even consumers — have a better understanding of the materials and products they use and the environmental impact.
With myAssist, processors can access live data collated by individual control systems on injection molding machines, and make corresponding comparisons using historical data, according to Thomas Schilling, digital solutions product manager for the injection molding machine builder.
"Through this creation of an interactive database, customers can select, record, trace and analyze the most relevant key performance indicators in much greater depth," Schilling said.
The myAssist product aims to simplify the exchange of product-related information between companies, he also said, pointing to the DPP planned by the EU Commission.
"It will enable all players in the supply chain to present authorities and consumers with a package of relevant product information, including manufacturing materials, spare parts information, repairs, energy consumption and disposal," Schilling said.
The data about carbon dioxide consumption and recycling rates recorded during the production of a component can be used to more robustly document ecological footprints.
The product also evaluates information held by the injection molding machine control unit, including pressure, temperature or injection profiles, and relates it to a shot, injection, component or cycle.
In addition, myAssist offers a knowledge-based troubleshooting feature that answers questions like: Do I have to intervene? What can I do?
"This level of process transparency enables a customer to understand every single production state," Schilling said.
At K2022, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag also used its myConnect support app to connect all exhibits at the main booth.
Customers that connect to the platform receive full access to Sumitomo (SHI) Demag's complete digital services for support and the spare parts database.
Faster molding is possible when machine technology combines with optimized material use and rapid quality control and extraction systems, according to officials at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and its partners.
By using less material the molds cool faster, the material solidifies faster and the production cycle can be repeated faster.
To showcase advances in these areas at K 2022, a high-speed hybrid El-Exis SP 420, which the company says is part of the fastest injection molding machine series of the market, was equipped with a stacking system from Zubler Handling AG and a 48-cavity tool from Otto-Hofstetter AG. The system can produce 48 30-millimeter polypropylene medical cups in under 3 seconds.
The hydraulic accumulator gets a lot of the credit for the injection molding machine's short cycle times and injection speeds of 1,000 millimeters per second while the packing system consists of a four-axis, pick-and-place robot able to handle 57,600 cups per hour.
One machine can produce 432 million parts a year, which is an enormous production rate, according to Anatol Sattel, director of medical business development.
For quality control, the Zubor Handling control system has high-definition cameras placed along the extraction axis that take a picture every 12 milliseconds to check dimension measurements and detect anomalies.
"The quality of every cup, perfect and sub-standard, are identified and segregated at the end of the process," Sattel said.
After removal, the cups are sorted by the robot into good or bad piles.
The whole system takes 25.5 square meters of installation space. That compares to 15.5 square meters for a 16-fold application that can supply 151 million parts. The production output is three times the smaller machine yet the footprint is less than twice the size.
An LSR work cell produced four different reusable silicone covers using a single tool on a fully electric IntElect 180/570-250 injection molding machine. The system uses an OPC-UA compatible interface that supports the interoperability between the molding machine and LSR dosing systems
The cell features a 570-millimeter tie bar with generous space to accommodate multi-cavity and complex tools. It will make a variety 12-gram covers for beverages, energy drinks and food.
The system uses an all-electric Smartshot E brand valve gate cold runner system with servo-driven nozzle needles for control from Austrian firm Elmet. The LSR tool specialist collaborated with Sumitomo (SHI) Demag to design the work cell capable of producing different food and drink covers.
"Combining the high-precision dosing system with the IntElect and the reliable processing control attained by the electric needle valve cold runner, an unprecedented accuracy of the part weight is repeatably replicated," said Rustam Aliyev, business development director of automotive and electronic.
The cell also features Sumitomo (SHI) Demag's just-unveiled proprietary robot, a 6-axis SAM-S12 with vertical telescopic design for part removal, separation, testing, marking and sorting.
After the part is removed, a weighing cell supplied by U.S.-based Mettler Toledo documents each cap weight to identify molding deviations to 0.01 grams accuracy.
"Vacuuming and venting provide optimal tool support. The synchronized sequence of the axes is highly precise and perfectly parallel to each other," Aliyev said.
The finished caps are then laser marked for traceability.
To show advances in decorative manufacturing techniques, the company molded electric vehicle charging wallboxes out of recyclable polycarbonate with an IntElect2 220 press and a multi-functional 5-axis linear robot (SD 22x).
The in-mold decoration (IMD) part made from a recycled material, Makrolon RE PC, supplied by Covestro, is complex but durable.
During production, the component screws separate after the injection process using a milling head equipped with clean room technology.
"This single process ensures that particles are extracted in a controlled manner. Showcasing what can be achieved when like-minded industry innovators come together to resolve specific processing challenges," Aliyev said.
The decorative manufacturing technique comes from Kurz. The company uses thin-film technology to ensure recyclability. The process reduces the need for drying energy and eliminates wet paint contamination, which in turn reduces component defects and waste.
A 5-axis SD 22 robot performs tasks like removing the molded wallbox component and inserting the decorative film, which is then back-injected.
The wallbox control panel then goes to the milling station, where the gates are separated and automation is introduced from AfiPro (formerly H+S Automatisierungstechnik).
"The entire process flow is designed to reduce operating effort and minimize footprint within customer plants. This exhibit is an exemplary example of how to apply customized automation to meet a specific application processing requirement, using flexible, easy-to-operate robotics within an injection molding cell," Aliyev said.
The 110-gram wallbox column is molded sustainably in a 60-second cycle time.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag officials said proprietary drive motors in the IntElect series use up to 20 percent less energy than conventional all-electric injection molding machines, making them one of the most energy efficient machines on the market.
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]
Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter your email address.
Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.
Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.
Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.
1155 Gratiot Avenue Detroit MI 48207-2997