Cutting costs – Engel, Hall 11 Booth J41
As the demands on productivity and energy efficiency continue to rise, integrated system solutions to support cost-effective injection moulding are rapidly gaining in importance. The injection moulding machine manufacturer and system solution provider Engel will set up challenging applications to demonstrate how combining the ideal machine with smart digitalisation can maximise overall efficiency. Also at the Chinaplas event, the new iQ hold control assistance system will be making its Asian première.
In Shenzhen, the company will present among other exhibits two applications on all-electric Engel e-mac injection moulding machines to demonstrate how productivity gains can be achieved in a highly cost-effective manner. In both examples, the space and energy requirements of the production cell remain low as the mould cavities are scaled up. An e-mac 465/180 with a 128-cavity mould will be used to produce the kind of connector seals needed in automotive electronics; a second e-mac will showcase a medical application: in the medical sector too, there is a distinct trend towards raising productivity through higher cavity numbers. An e-mac 1340/280 injection moulding machine will be used to produce blood collection tubes of PET from a 64-cavity mould supplied by NCM of Suzhou, China.
To underline the strong potential of digitalisation in terms of enhanced product quality and production efficiency, the injection moulding machines on the Engel stand will operate with smart assistance. In similar fashion to the driving assistants used in cars, Engel’s iQ systems serve to ensure stable injection moulding processes. Among other things, they automatically detect fluctuations in raw materials, ambient conditions and mould temperature control and compensate for such fluctuations in the same cycle; iQ systems can also determine the ideal set values for specific applications.
iQ hold control
iQ hold control, which belongs to the group of smart assistants for nominal values, will be celebrating its Asian première at Chinaplas 2023. By automatically determining optimum holding pressure times, the smart assistant for nominal values accelerates mould setup times while enhancing component quality. The holding pressure time is determined objectively, meaning that even relatively inexperienced process technicians can adjust the process parameters at the push of a button in case of a product change, says Engel. Further efficiency gains result where the automatically determined optimum holding pressure time is lower than the time set by the machine operator. In such cases, cycle times are reduced and the amount of energy needed also decreases.
