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Techniques – Markets – Trends Volume 10 – 4/2016

Articles that appeared in WITTMANN innovations so far

Quarterly magazine of the WITTMANN Group. The magazine appears to meet the informational demands of staff and customers.Address: WITTMANN Kunststoffgeräte GmbH, Lichtblaustrasse 10, 1220 Vienna – Editorial office, layout, graphic production: Bernhard Grabner – tel.: +43-1 250 39-204, fax: +43-1 250 39-439 – e-mail: bernhard.grabner@wittmann-group.comIssue 1/2017 of “WITTMANN innovations” will appear at the beginning of the first quarter 2017. – www.wittmann-group.com

WITTMANN innovations (Volume 10 – 4/2016)

Automation• Productionandqualitycontrolinmedi-

calengineering1/2007• Thehandlingoflargestructuralfoamparts2/2007• ThenewR8robotcontrol3/2007• High-end:Theproductionofseatadjustmentrods1/2008• Driveengineeringforrobots1/2008• Automatingtheproductionoftrans-ponderpins2/2008• Automatedremotecontrolkeys3/2008• AutomationatCarclo,UK4/2008• Theflexibleautomationcell1/2009• ThecultivationofgrowthwithWITT-MANNrobots2/2009• Brudertoywheelproduction4/2009• PalletproductionatUtz,Poland1/2010• EcoModeforefficientrobots2/2010• Automatedoillevelsensors2/2010• Automatingrotationwelding3/2010• ThenewR8.2robotcontrol4/2010• Linearrobotsinthecleanroom1/2011• Super-fastpartremoval2/2011• Automationofcupsandlids3/2011• Superiormulti-componentparts4/2011• Automatinginsertmolding1/2012• Theexpertautomationoflids2/2012• LSRpartsatSilcotech,Switzerland:Qualitythroughautomation3/2012• Zero-rejectproduction4/2012• SmallestpartsatJENOPTIK2/2013• TheSchrambergautomation3/2013• TheBusch-Jaegerautomation1/2014• AutomatingIn-MoldDecoration2/2014• AutomationatPortEriePlastics3/2014• AutomatingSTARPLASTIK4/2014• JonesPlasticandWITTMANN1/2015• RobotsatGreeland/Singapore2/2015• SEBtandemrobots(F)3/2015• TheSacelautomation(I)3/2015• AutomationinKorea4/2015• SuzukiIndiaandWITTMANN4/2015• IMIspecialsolution(Bulgaria)1/2016• InnowareinIndonesia2/2016• 2robotsatSanwa,Singapore2/2016• 7,000thW818atKroma(D)3/2016

Conveying/Drying/Entire Systems• CentralsystematBOSCH1/2007• Qualitycontrolofdryers1/2007• Kromberg&Schubert'ssystem2/2007• Costefficientmaterialdrying2/2007• FEEDMAXforthecleanroom3/2007• ThenewDRYMAXED803/2007• Focusonmaterialfeeding1/2008• NetworkcontrolatArge20002/2008• Changingparameterswhenconveying

differentmaterials2/2008• Optimizingaconveyingsystem3/2008• Dryerswithenergyrating3/2008• TheMetchemcentralsystem4/2008• AuxiliariesatDelphiinChina1/2009• LISICOSMETICS'centralsystem2/2009• Perfectplanningofcentralsystemsavoidsdowntime3/2009• TestingenergyclaimsatFKT4/2009• ThenewFEEDMAXB1001/2010• GreinerissavingenergybyusingWITTMANNdryers2/2010• TheA.C.S.conveyingsystem3/2010• FEEDMAXPrimusconveyor4/2010• ThenewDRYMAXAton2/2011• TheBKFconveyingsystem2/2011• WDKunststofftechnikanditscentralsystem4/2011• PETprocessorusesaWITTMANNconveyingsystem1/2012• ThePLASTICOMsystem2/2012• TheNICOMATICsystem3/2012• Savingenergyinmaterialdrying4/2012• TheBespakmaterialhandling2/2013• VisionTechnicalMolding:Prescriptionforefficiency3/2013• WPCinjectionmolding1/2014• NewPollmanncentralsystem2/2014• TheHELLAMexicosystem3/2014• TheProcopisystem,France4/2014• TheSLMmaterialmanagement4/2014• SlovenianproducerreliesontheWITTMANNGroup1/2015• EntiresolutionanAlliancePrecisionPlastics,USA2/2015• OurSpanishcustomerFushima2/2015• InjectionMoldingatTielke2/2015• TheWiBaQuickLookApp2/2015• FRANKplasticcentralsystem3/2015• Johnsoncentralsystem(China)1/2016• DryingatLekSun(Malaysia)1/2016• GOTMARsystem(Bulgaria)2/2016

Granulation• Inlinerecyclingofsprues1/2007• GiantgranulatorMCP1002/2007• ThenewMASgranulator3/2007• Challengingrecyclingprocess1/2008• TheMC70-80atCentrex2/2008• GiboPlastenforcesrecycling2/2009• MCgranulatorswithAFauger4/2009• Grindingofferrite1/2010• Grindingcriticalmaterial3/2010• TheTMPCONVERTsolution1/2011• InlinerecyclingwithMinor23/2011• Granulatorsunderthepress2/2012• Largesolutionsforlargeparts1/2013• Minor2atJECOBEL,Belgium2/2016

Blending• ThenewGRAVIMAXseries2/2007• Blendereconomics3/2007• GRAVIMAX14Vblender3/2009• Theartofblendingregrind3/2011• Dosingonthehighestlevel1/2013• Precisionforsaferailtraffic4/2013• Howtogettobetterblending4/2015

In-Mold Labeling• IMLstackmoldsystems3/2007• TheWITTMANN2+2stackmold

1/2008• ATMd.o.o.inSerbiagrowswithWITTMANNsystems3/2009• PLASTIPAKinCanada4/2010• TeaPlastinAlbaniawantstobecometheNumberOneinIML3/2012• EcoPower:fourfoldIML1/2013• IMLasamultifacetedprocess4/2013• IMLatAMRAZinIsrael4/2015• 3D-IMLatVERTEXinPoland1/2016

News from the Subsidiaries• Australia2/2008, 2/2013• Austria2+3/2008, 1/2010, 3/2011,

4/2012, 3/2013, 2/2015, 3/2015, 2/2016, 3/2016• Benelux3/2008,2/2009• Brazil3/2007,1/2009• Bulgaria2/2009• Canada1/2007,1+2/2008,3/2009• China2/2010• Colombia2/2012• CzechRepublic/Slovakia4/2009,3/2014• Denmark1/2009, 1/2013• Finland4/2008+1/2012• France2/2007,3/2008,4/2015• Germany1/2007, 3/2012, 4/2013,3/2014• GreatBritain2/2009,2/2010• Greece2/2014• Guatemala1/2013• Hungary1/2008,4/2015• India2/2008,3/2010, 2/2012• Israel1/2012• Italy4/2008, 1/2010, 4/2011• Mexico3/2007,3/2009, 1+2/2011• Poland2/2013, 3/2013,4/2015, 3/2016• Russia4/2012• Slovenia/Croatia1/2010• SouthAfrica1/2016• SoutheastAsia2/2007• SouthKorea3/2010• Spain3/2007• Sweden2/2009• Switzerland1/2008, 2/2012• Taiwan4/2009,4/2015• Turkey3/2008, 2+4/2011• USA2/2008,3/2009, 1/2011, 4/2013, 4/2014, 2/2016• Vietnam4/2015

Flow Control/Temperature Control• Advantagesofpulsedcooling1/2007• Comparingwatertooil2/2007• ThenewTEMPROplusCseries3/2007• COOLMAXcoolingunits2/2008• Temperaturecontroller“guarding”

injectionmoldingmachines3/2008• TEMPROwithDUOcooling4/2008• Variothermaltempering1/2009• TEMPROplusC1802/2009• TEMPROdirectC120[C250]3/2009• WFC:WaterFlowControl4/2009• TEMPROplusC1801/2010• TEMPRO:Universalbenchmark2/2010• BFMOLD®moldcooling3/2010• TEMPROplusD4/2010• Online-thermography1/2011• TemperingatFuchs&Sohn2/2011• TEMPROplusDintheautomotivesector1/2012• Oscilloscopefunction2/2012• Compacttemperaturecontroller4/2012• Optimaltempering=quality1/2013• TheStarlingerspecialsolution2/2013• NewWITTMANNequipment4/2013• TEMPROusesheatwaste1/2014• CleansolutionatDELPHI4/2014• Blumusingaspecialsolution1/2015• ThenewFLOWCONplus4/2015• TEMPROplusDatFischer(D)1/2016#• WFCretrofitkitisavailable2/2016• FLOWCONplusatCOLOP(A)3/2016

Injection Molding• Injectionmoldingonestopshop4/2008• MIMatIndo-USMIM4/2008• Costoptimization:EcoPower1/2009• ITassistedservices1/2009• Thewaterinjectionprocess2/2009• TheKronaIndústriaequipment2/2009• Micro-parts:Microsystem503/2009• Multi-componentprocessatwolfcraft

4/2009• Processdataacquisition4/2009• Thenewall-electricEcoPower 4/2009• TheThomasDudleycompany1/2010• IMLwithTMXpress1/2010• AIRMOULD®andAQUAMOULD®Mobile1/2010• DesignMoldedPlastics2/2010• StadelmannreliesonWilleandWITT-MANNBATTENFELD2/2010• ThenewMicroPower3/2010• AQUAMOULD®andprojectileinjec-tiontechnology3/2010• Newbenchmark:MacroPower4/2010• TheSTELLAcompany4/2010• TheServoDrivetechnology1/2011• The75thmachineforKrona1/2011• PackagingspecialistTMXpress2/2011• WAVIN(CzechRep.)andWITT-MANNBATTENFELD3/2011• SANITmoldingasuccess3/2011• WEPPLER'smoldingmachines4/2011• MacroPowerproducingcableties1/2012• TheCELLMOULD®process2/2012• The43ESMINmachines3/2012• Remoteconnectivity3/2012• Foamedhigh-qualityparts4/2012• LECHNER'MacroPower4/2012• MacroPoweratGTLINE1/2013• Praiseforthestandardmachine!1/2013• VerticalmachinesatElectricfil2/2013• BECK'smoldingtechnology2/2013• ESCHAusingHMmachines3/2013• HofferPlastics'HMmachines3/2013• GuppyusingtheEcoPower3/2013• TheBackhaussuccess4/2013• Incapsulation:cleanandsafe4/2013• Multi-componentparts1/2014• Successthroughversatility1/2014• ThetriedandtestedatPhilips2/2014• Light-weightfoamedparts2/2014• TheKRESZ&FIEDLERSystems3/2014• SMEmolderAutenrieth3/2014• TopmicropartsfromKüngAG3/2014• Openingupefficiencyreserves4/2014• HiQShaping4/2014• ServoPowersavesenergy1/2015• Bestqualityathünersdorff1/2015• TheGripItFixingssuccessstory1/2015• GerresheimersysteminChina2/2015• MicroPoweratTessy(USA)3/2015• MoldingatInterplex(China)3/2015• RT-CADTiefenböck(A)4/2015• DieterWiegelmann(D)4/2015• OneSealApSinDenmark4/2015• DenkKunststofftechnik(D)1/2016• ELASMOSystems(A)1/2016• REUTTERGroup(Germany)2/2016• P.P.H.LIMAKinPoland2/2016• MacroPoweratStüdli(CH)3/2016• EverRichFountain,Taiwan3/2016

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 3

DearReader,

“besmart”istheheadlineofaroadsafetycampaignagainsttheuseofcellphoneswhendriving–anditalsorepresentsoursloganfortheK2016.Wepresent“smart”machinesthatcanbeconnectedtocellphonesusingourQuickLookapp(prefer-ablynotwhendriving!).Thisfeature,forexample,enablesfor-ward-lookingmaintenance.Ourrobotcontrolintegratesavir-tualmodeloftheactualrobot,andthisallowsatanytimeafullreviewoftherobot’scurrentandfuturebehavior.“besmart”alsomeanstogreatimportancetointegration

ofintermsofIndustry 4.0.Inaword:weareshowing“smart”solutions.“besmart”notonlyreferstointelligentcontrols,butalsotothecontrolfunctionalitythatgetsmoreanduser-friend-ly.Infac,trulyintelligentmachinebehaviordoesnotrequiremoreexpertknowledgeormoretraining.Onthecontrary,theworkoftheoperatorismademucheasier.A“smart”controlwithintegrateddatabasescanmakealotofdecisionsindepen-dently.Andwhatsoundsrathercomplicated,reallyhasonlyoneagenda:betterinjectionmoldedproductsthroughsimpler,hands-onhandling.Makesuretogetapictureofityourself!FromOctober19thto26ththeWITTMANNGroupexhibitsattheKshowinDüsseldorf,presentingthebestacrossourentireproductrange:withinjectionmoldingmachineryinhall16/D22,andwithrobotsandperipheralequipmentinhall10/A04.Weoccupyanoverallexhibitionspaceof1,270m².

Weareproudtopresentournewcontrolsystems:theUNILOGB8forourmoldingmachinesandtheR9forourrobots.Newcontrolgenerationsaretypicallyintroducedonlyevery8years–andwearehappytosay:wemetthistargetfortheK2016.OurnewUNILOGB8controlssupportthenewlylaunchedEUROMAP77communicationstandard.Thein-tentionofEUROMAP77istocreateastandardinterfaceforthedatainterchangebetweenthemachinesofdifferentmanu-facturersandManufacturingExecutionSystems(MES).AttheVDMAbooth–andincollaborationwithseveralmanufactur-ers–animplementationofEUROMAP77willbedemonstra-ted.Naturally,theWITTMANNGroupisinit–inthefrontrank.Witheachpassingyeartheperformanceoftoday’splasticsprocessorscontinuestoriseandwestrivetoexceedexpectations.Allofourlatestequipmentdesignshavebeencreatedwithregardtoopencommunication–andalsotomeetnewindustrialstandardsasdefinedbyIndustry 4.0.

Asidefromthecontrolsector,weareshowingmanymoreinnovationsfromeveryproductgroup.Pleasemakesuretovisitusatourshowboothsandexperienceour“besmart”products.IamlookingforwardtoseeingyoupersonallyatK2016.

Yourscordially,MichaelWittmann

Editorial

Michael Wittmann

ContentMolding machines at K show

Page 6

Page 4

Peripheral devices at K show

Testing JUNIOR 3 Compact

WITTMANN IML in Malaysia

TEMPRO in lightweight design

Ackermann: high-class parts

Julie Fillierereports on a test series at MIHB in France.Page 10

David Tanshows the reasons for the success of COMBI-PACK.Page 12

GottfriedHausladenon the Wethje application.Page 14

Nanda Kumardescribes the equipment of Havells in India.Page 16

David Preusse was honored with UMass Lowell award.

K Highlights

Recycling

Automation

TemperatureControl

Conveying

InjectionMolding

Energy efficient central system

Micro-molding at Eltek

News

Stefano Troilovisited the Italian injection molding specialist.Page 20

Gabriele Hopfon the successful German molding company.Page 18

Page 23

Hall16

BoothD22

Hall10

BoothA04

WITTMANN innovations – 4/20164

New from WITTMANN BATTENFELD:UNILOG B8 machine control

ThenewUNILOGB8controlsystemfromWITTMANNBATTENFELDwillbeshownoneverysinglemachine.Thisnewcontrolsystemgenerationdistinguishesitselffromitspredecessorwithseveraladditionalfeaturesandevengreat-eroperatorcomfort.Viaanattractivelydesigned,pivotable21.5"fullHDmulti-touchscreen,theprocessfunctionscanberetrievedbygestures(zooming/wiping),whiletheoperat-ingfunctionsaretriggeredbytactilekeyslocatedinthemachine’scentralconsole.Thismakesitpossibletoaddressfrequentlyusedfunctionseasilyanddirectly.

VisualizationandmachineoperationbothrununderthenewWindows®10IoToperatingsystem,whichoffersanextensivechoiceofoptionsforamodernuserinterfaceandenableseasyintegrationintotheworldofWindows®ap-plications.Adisplayscreenwhichcanbepartitionedallowssimultaneousvisualizationoftwodifferentfunctions.Thisisaspecialadvantage,makingitpossibletovisualizeandoperatemachinesandperipheralappliancessidebysideviaasinglemonitorscreen.Anassistantwizardandhelpsystemssupportoperatorsinmachinesettingandprocessoptimization.

WITTMANN 4.0as the realization of Industry 4.0

OnallexhibitsshownattheK,networkingofthema-chineandperipheralequipmentwithWITTMANN 4.0willbeimplementedanddemonstrated–beingtheWITT-MANNGroup’sanswertothewidelydiscussedconceptofIndustry 4.0.

WiththenewB8machinecontrolsystem,themachines,aswellastherobotsandperipheralsconnectedwiththem,canbelinkedwitheachotherandoperatedviatheuniformWindows®userinterface.

Thisenablesinteractionbetweentheindividualapplian-ces,andtheentireproductionprocessbecomesoptimallycoordinatedaswellastransparent.WITTMANN 4.0trans-formstheinjectionmoldingmachineintoacontrolterminalforrobots,peripheralsaswellassuperordinatesystems.

ThistechnologyopenstheroutetotheworldofIndustry 4.0.Inregardtotheexchangeofdatathatmayoccurbetweentheworkingcellandtheoutsideworld,thequestionofdatasecuritycomesup.DatasecurityisguaranteedwhenusingtheWITTMANN 4.0router.Onlyapplianceswhichidentifythemselvesunambiguouslytotherouteraregrantedaccesstotheproductioncell.

EcoPower Xpress 400/1100+ –IML application

WiththenewEcoPowerXpress,WITTMANNBATTEN-FELDintroducesahigh-speed,all-electricmachinemodelprimarilygearedtotherequirementsofthepackagingin-dustry.Thehighlydynamicdriveaxesforinjectionaswellasclosingandopeningofthemachinearedesignedforfastmovementsandultimatecontrolaccuracy.Moreover,extremelyhighenergyefficiencyisachievedbyusingservodrives.EcoPowerXpressstandsforhighoutputwithopti-mizedutilizationofenergy,thusmakingavitalcontribu-tiontosustainabilityinplasticsprocessing.

AttheK,theWITTMANNBATTENFELDEcoPowerXpressinjectionmoldingmachinewillbeondisplaywithaWITTMANNW837IMLsystem.LidsmadeofPPwillbeinjection-moldedwithinacycletimeof4.7secondswith

At the K 2016 in Düsseldorf, WITTMANN BATTEN- FELD will present numerous novelties. Certainly, the highlight will be the new UNILOG B8 con-trol system, which is available for all machines of the PowerSeries, but the innovations in terms of machine technology are also quite notewor-thy. Integration according to the concept of Industry 4.0 is a recurring theme in the major-ity of exhibits on display.

Innovative drive at the WITTMANN BATTENFELD booth

The new UNILOG B8 control system

– available for all machines from K 2016 onwards.

Hall16

BoothD22

K Highlights

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 5

K Highlights

an8-cavitymoldsuppliedbyGreinerPackaging(Austria).TheW837side-entryrobotinsertstheIMLfoils,removesthefinishedlids,presentsthemtoanintegratedcameraforqualityinspectionandthenseparatesthegoodpartsfromrejects.Thesystemcomeswithcompactdesignandafacilityforfastfoilchange.

MacroPower 1100/8800 – CELLMOULD® process

AMacroPowermachinedoesthelivedemonstrationoftheadvantagesofCELLMOULD®,theWITTMANNBATTEN-FELDstructuredfoamprocess.Thisprocessenablestheproductionofextremelylight-weightpartswithhighrigidityandminimalwarpage,andisofinterestfortheautomotiveindustry,whereboththeweightsandtheoutwardappear-anceofcomponentsplayavitalpart.Theproductionofanautomotivepartwillbeshown.ThepartswillberemovedbyaWITTMANNW843prorobot,thensubjectedtoqualityinspectionanddepositedonaconveyorbelt.Asaspecialhighlight,aCMS(ConditionMonitoringSystem)willbedemonstratedforthefirsttimeonthismachine.Importantmachinestatusdataaremeasuredbysensors,processedbythemachine’scontrolsystemandpassedontothecompanybyanMESsystemforoptimalmaintenanceplanning.

MicroPower 15/10H/10H – multi-component model

AfurtherhighlightattheWITTMANNBATTENFELDboothwillbethisMicroPower,thefirst2-componentmodelinthecompany’smachineseriesspeciallydesignedforin-jectionmoldingofmicroandnanoparts.Onthismachine,

equippedwithtwoparallelinjectionunitsandarotarydisk,a2-componentplug,insideasoundrecorderheadmadeofPCandelectricallyconductivePC,willbemanufacturedwithasingle-cavitymoldsuppliedbyOrtofon(Denmark).ThemachineisequippedwithanintegratedcamerasystemandaWITTMANNW8VS4SCARArobotforfullyauto-maticqualityinspectionandpartsremoval.

SmartPower 180/525H/210L –multi-component technology

WITTMANNBATTENFELDwillpresentforthefirsttimeattheK2016themulti-componentCOMBIMOULDprocessonamachinefromtheservo-hydraulicSmartPowerseries.Thesemachinesarecurrentlyavailablefrom25to350tasstandardmodelsandwillbeavailablewithmulti-componenttechnologyaswellfromK2016onwards.Thissystemmanufacturesthecapofadrinkingvesselmadeofthermoplasticandliquidsilicon.Thisisproducedwithan8-cavitymoldsuppliedbyACHWerkzeugbau(Austria),us-ingtransfertechnology.PartsremovalanddepositingwillbehandledbyaWITTMANNW832prorobot.

CM 40/210 R1280 –vertical round table machine with automation

InadditiontothemachinesfromthePowerSeries,WITT-MANNBATTENFELDwillalsoshowcaseaverticalrotarytablemachinewithanautomationsystematthisyear’sK.TheCM40/210R1280ondisplaywillbeamachinefromthenewCM-Rserieswitharotarytableand400kNclamp-ingforce.ThemachinewillproduceplugcasemadefromPBTinamoldwithtwocavities.IntheCM-R40,boththetie-bar-lessclampingunitandtheservo-controlledinjec-tionunitarearrangedvertically.TheverticalC-framede-signwithtwosymmetricalclampingcylindersprovidesmaximumfreespaceinthemoldareaandthusoptimalaccessibility.

SmartPower 350/3400 –towards Industry 4.0

SmartproductionisoneofthebuzzwordsthatarosefromtheperipheryoftheIndustry4.0concept.Individual-izationandtransparencyofthemanufacturingprocessaretheaspectsthatthisSmartPower350willdemonstrate.Afullyautomaticandintegratedservo-hydraulicmachinewillbeondisplay,onwhichtradevisitorswillbeabletowit-nesstheproductionofindividualizedplasticpartslive.AnattractiveTPEshoppingbagwillbeproducedwithamoldsuppliedbyHaidlmair(Austria),whichcanbeprovidedwithapersonalizedimprint.Ataterminal,allvisitorscanentertheirnames.Tocollectthebagwiththepersonalizedimprint,eachvisitorreceivesaprintedvoucherwithaQRcode,whichcanthenbereadinatthedeliverystation.AftertheQRcodehasbeenscannedin,thenextbagproducedwillbeseparatedandtransferredtoastationwhereitislaser-printed.Afterthefair,theproductiondataofthese“personalizedbag”canstillberetrievedbyscanningtheQRcodeforanotherfortnight.Handlingofthebagswillbeef-fectedbyaWITTMANNW843prorobot.•

CM R 40 vertical injection molding machine: easy ac-cess from all sides.

Hall16

BoothD22

WITTMANN innovations – 4/20166

lowingtheprincipleofPlug & PlayorPlug & Produce,anydevicethatisaddedtoanyworkingcell–atemperaturecontroller,forexample–willbeautomaticallyconfiguredandidentifiedwiththeinjectionmoldingmachine.

UsingtheWITTMANN 4.0Plug-in,suchanaddedde-vicecanbeimmediatelycontrolledviatheIMMmachinecontrol.Mold-dependentsetsofparameterscanalsobeexchanged.

Inaddition,theWITTMANN 4.0Routermakesanimportantcontributiontodatasecurityacrosstheentiremanufacturingsystem.OnlydevicesthatauthenticatethemselvesasWITTMANN 4.0devicesgetaccesstotheworkingcell–pre-emptingpossiblecontaminationthroughmalware.

InsteadthenewroutermakestheWiBaQuickLookAppavailable.Forthis,theuserofasmartphoneneedonlytakesapictureoftheRouter’sIPontheIMM’sterminal,typicallydisplayedthereintheshapeofaQRcode.Animmediateoverviewofalltheworkingcelldevicesisthenavailable.

ThenewRoutercanthenaggregatedatafromthework-ingcell,andbymeansoftheintegratedOPCUAserver,canprovidethecompanynetworkwiththecollecteddatainasafeway.SafeexchangeofinformationwithCondi-tionMonitoringSystems(CMS),remotecontrolortheWindows®basedWeb-Service24/7fromWITTMANNBATTENFELDisalsoensuredinthisway.

WITTMANN 4.0technologythusopensthedoortothenewworldofIndustry 4.0andtherebymakesavitalcontributiontocybersecurityinproductionplants.

The new R9 robot control

InthepastfewyearstheWITTMANNGrouphassuc-cessfullyconcentratedonnewdevelopmentsrelatingtoinjectionmoldingmachinecontrols.Now,followingthesuccessfullaunchoftheW8prorobotseries,thecompanyissettopresentthenewR9robotcontrolattheK2016exhibition.

TheR9isacompleterevisionoftheR8controlandfrom2017onwards,allWITTMANNrobotswillcomewiththenewR9TeachBox.

Therearenofundamentaldifferenceswithregardtothehandlingofthetwocontrols,butcertainfeatureshavebeensimplifiedorimproved,namely;accessibility,custom-ization,andaxialmovement.TheentirehardwareoftheR9hasalsoundergoneacompleterelaunch.

The new WITTMANN 4.0 Router

TheIndustry4.0concepthashighlightedaclearneedtolinkmoreandmoredevicestoaninjectionmoldingwork-ingcell.InordertohelpfacilitatethistrendWITTMANNhascreatedtheWITTMANN 4.0Router.

TheRouteristhelinkbetweenacompany’snetworkandtheworkingcell.Aworkingcell’sinjectionmoldingmachineandalltheotherdevices–robots,flowcontrol-lers,temperaturecontrollersandblenders–automatically‘sense’thattheyareconnectedtosuchaRouter,andthenconfigurethemselvesappropriately.Nonetworkadjust-mentsareneededforallthesedevices.OnlytheRouteritselfneedsdefinitionwithinthelargernetwork.Andfol-

Robots and automation, recycling, mold temperature control,material drying and material conveying – at the WITTMANNK show booth, the latest innovations from all product divisionsare presented. In 2016, integration solutions and data transferare the most important topics.

WITTMANN at the K show 2016:Making an issue out of integration

K Highlights

Scetch of the WITTMANN 4.0 Router.

View of the router installed in the control cabinet of the injection mold-ing machine.

Hall10

BoothA04

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 7

K Highlights

ThemostobviousdifferenceisthealteredshapeoftheTeachBox.Previouslythepluggedpanoramascreenhadaresolutionof800×600andasizeof8.4".TheTeachBoxR9nowcomeswitharesolutionof1,280×800andascreendiagonalof10.1".ThenewscreencomesinportraitformatandthelookofthecontrolnowcomesclosertothatoftheUNILOGmachinecontrol.

TheexpandedscreenoftheR9robotcontrolisbettersuitableforthedisplayofcomplexprocedures.Thecombi-nationofhardenedglassandcapacitivetouch-technologyalsoprovidesahighermechanicalstabilitythantheformermodel.Abovethat,thenewR9solutionoffersthepossibil-ityofgestureoperation.

Besidethegenerouslydimensionedtouch-display,WITT-MANNtheR9robotcontrolisequippedwithmembranekeys,enablingvisualandtactilefeedback:Forexample,thestartbuttonoftheR9TeachBoxisilluminatedingreen.Otherpressbuttonsareorganizedinasimilarwayandtheyaredistinguishedalsothroughtheirshapes;statusbuttonsarerectangular,forexample,whilemotionbuttons

areround,representingoneofthemostimportantinnova-tionsinthenewunitandmakingoperationalusemuchsimpler.

TheR9hasanOn/Off-signal(anilluminatedWITT-MANNlogoincaseofactivepowersupply),acentralenablingswitchonthebackside,andaUSB-port.Be-causeofthespeciallydesignedbackframecomponent,theTeachBoxisnaturallyangledtowardstheoperator,afeaturedesignedforconvenience,especiallywhencomplexsystemsaretobeprogrammed.Thisangleofinclination–forexample,whenthecontrolliesonatable–isabout5°,resultinginbetterreadabilityandamorecomfortableinput.

UsersoperatinglargeautomationcellscanoptforasecondTeachBox.Forexample,whentherobotismountedlengthwiseandexecutingthepartdropbehindtheclamp-ingunitofthemachine,thenoneofthetwocontrolscanbeplacedbythemachinecontrol,whiletheothercanbeplacedinthedropzone.Inthisway,theirritatingjourneyaroundthemachinewiththeTeachBoxisomitted.Theproductiondatacan,ofcourse,becalledupfrombothdevices.“WhatreallymakestheR9soexcitingforusisitstactile

feedback,”saysMartinStammhammer,WITTMANNGroup’sInternationalSalesManagerRobotsandAutoma-tionSystems.“Incontrasttotouch-onlyprogramming,we

havechosenacombinationoftouch-andkey-functionality.So,bymeansoftheso-calledTouch & Feel,weofferaninputprocedurethatagainismorecomfortableandcanbedonemoreintuitively.TheR9hasbetterergonomics,alargerdisplayandreducedweight.ThetotalweightoftheTeachBoxnowis10%lessthanbefore.”

The new G-Max beside-the-press granulator series

ThenewG-Maxbeside-the-pressgranulatorcomesasaflexible,productiveandenergy-efficientdevicewithbeltdriveandacompletelynewcontrolconcept.Thisgranu-latorcanbeoperatedfromoutsideaprotectivehousing.WiththeG-Max12andG-Max33granulators,theWITT-MANNK2016presentationshowsthesmallestandthelargestmodelsofthisseriesforthefirsttime.

G-Maxgranulatorsareconventionalbeside-the-pressgranulatorsforthegrindingofsofttomiddlehardengineeringresins.Thesegranulatorsarespecificallydesignedfortheinline-recyclingofsprues.

G-Maxgranulatorsareespeciallycompact,energysaving,andareequippedwithauniquecuttingcham-berdampertosignificantlyreducenoise.

ThegranulatorsarealsoequippedwithIE3drivemotorsthatguaranteehighenergyefficiency.Theequipmenthasbeendesignedwithstaggeredrotorsandgenerouslydimensionedcuttingchambers.Dependingonthemodel,amaterialthroughputof50,80,or110kg/hrcanbereached.

WITTMANNpresentsanentirelynewgranulatorcon-ceptwiththisseries:Aremotecontrolreplacesthecon-ventionalelectricalcontroldevice.Thisnewconceptal-lowsforstandardfunctionsthatarenotavailablewith>>

The G-Max 12 is the smallest model of the new series of beside-the-press granulators from WITTMANN, pictured here with drive visualization.

G-Max 33, the strongest model of the new granula-tor series.

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Picture left column:WITTMANN R9 robot control.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/20168

conventionaldesign.Forexample,thecontroldevicehasanhourcounterwithadigitaldisplay.Aninterfaceenablescommunicationwiththeinjectionmoldingmachine.Asanoption,aspecialshutdownfunctionisavailable:WhentheIMMis“off”,thegranulatorstopsautomatically,andthisfeaturehelpstosaveenergy.Therearetwodifferentpositionsofthecontrolonthegranulatortochoose.Thismakesitmucheasierfortheoperatortosupervisethegrindingprocess.

Inaddition,thecontrol’sconnectingcabletothegranu-latorhasalengthofthreemeters,allowingthecontrolofthegranulatorfromtheoutsideofaprotectivehousing.Incontrasttotherespectivecompetitiveproducts,WITT-MANNoffersallofthesefeaturesaspartofthegranula-tors’standardequipment.

AllWITTMANNproductsareequippedwithcompo-nentsofthehighestquality,andthisincludestheG-Maxseries.Thematerialhoppersandtheregrindbinsaremadeofstainlesssteel.

TheG-Maxmodelshavescreenswithconicalshapedholesasastandardfeature.Thismakesiteasierforsofttackyregrindtopassthroughthescreens.Thisalsohelpstominimizescreenholeplugging.Cleaningismadeveryeasy,asoperatorscanopenthecuttingchamberswithacompletetopaccess.

TEMPRO plus D250 oil temperature controller

TheTEMPROplusD250isacompletelyoverworkedfurtherdevelopmentoftheTEMPROplus250.Thenewthermo-oil-controllerhasmanynewfeatures–comparedtotheforerunnermodel,beginningwithitsverycompactdesign.Itisalsoequippedwiththe5.7"colortouch-displayoftheDseries,thusguaranteeingoptimaleaseofuse.Theenhancedheatingcapacityoftheunitnowreaches16kW.

Usingoilasaheattransfermedium,itispossibletoheatupmoldstoatemperaturehigherthan230°C.Thisisanabsoluterequirementtorunspecialapplicationsinthehightemperaturerange.ThenewTEMPROplusD250oiltemperaturecontrolleristhereforebestusedwhenpro-cessingtechnicalplastics.

Thesmallermorecompactdesignhasbeenrealizedthroughtheuseofsmallercomponents.Thenewlydevel-opedheatexchanger,forexample,ismadefromstainlesssteel.Theheatexchangerhousesthespiralcoolingcoil,inthemiddleofwhichistheheatingrod–anothernewdevelopment.Thisheatexchangerreplacesthesixheatingrodspreviouslyused.Thefreedupspaceisnowusedtoaccommodateamoregenerouslyproportionedoiltank.

Thepurgevolumeof2.2litershasnowalsobeenincreasedto16liters.Thus,theTEMPROplusD250isofinteresttoprocessorsthatwanttorunapplicationswithlargermoldsandalsohaveaneedforahigherpurgevolume.Anopti-malmoldpurgingsystemisalsopossibleforlargemolds.Oneofthisnewtemperaturecontroller’smostimportantadvantagesisitsuseofindirectheattransfer.Thismethodleadstolessstressingofthetemperingoil,andhelpstoprolongtheoillifetime.

Theheatingroditselfhasacapacityof16kWandiscoveredbyathick-walledaluminumpipe.Thispipeisfur-nishedwithseveralflowdirectionholesthroughwhichthethermo-oilflows.Here,amagneticallycoupledpumpisused(pumpcapacity1kW,or45l/minrespectively;pumppressure7bar).

Thustheheatingrodtransfersheattothealuminumpipewhichthenheatsupthethermo-oilflowingthroughtheholes–anduptothesettemperaturepoint.A100%sealingoftheentireconstructionofthisunitisabsolutelyindispensable.Toensureaperfectsealing,so-calledTop-chemsealshavebeenused;especiallydesignedforhightemperaturerangeapplications.

Inthecourseofthisprocess,thenewlydesignedspiralcoolingcoilguaranteestheneededcoolingcapacity.Thenewcylindricalairseparatorcollectstheairthatmayoc-

K Highlights

The G-Max granu-lator is shown here within the protec-tive housing of a working cell.

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TEMPRO plus D250oil temperature controller for high-temperature applications.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 9

curinthefillinglineorthemoldreturnlineatthehighestpoint.Then,theairpassesoffthroughthedegassinglinethatleadsthroughthetank.Inthiswayastrictseparationofcirculatinghotoilandtheatmosphericenvironmentisguaranteed.Furthermore,theoil’sagingprocess,mainlycausedbyoxidationandcoking,isdelayed.Theoil’slifeexpectancyhasbeensubstantiallyincreased.

TheTEMPROplusD250canbefullyintegratedintothecontrolofaWITTMANNBATTENFELDinjectionmold-ingmachine,usinganoptionalWITTMANN 4.0interface.Allofthesemeasureshavecontributedandcombinedtocreateanoiltemperaturecontrollerthatmeetsthehighestrequirements.ThenewunitlinesupalongsidetheWITT-MANNwatertemperaturecontrollersthathavebeensuc-cessfulformanyyearsnow.

The net5 systemconnects dryers and conveyors

TheWITTMANNGrouphasdevelopedthenet5 systeminordertoadvancethefieldofmaterialhandling;con-nectingdryersandconveyorstogether.Theseinstalla-tionscanbesetupveryeasilyandinformationcanbeinputfromanATONdryerinthesamewaythatitisappliedforthecontrolofmaterialloaders.

Multimoldingmachineoperationsaremadepossiblewiththenet5 system:Alloptionscanberealizedquicklyandwithoutextensiveoperatortraining.Thistechnologyclearsawaytheneedformanualfeedingofanyequip-ment.Theconveyingtimeandquantityofmaterialcanbesetviaapotentiometeratthematerialconveyors.Theuseofaremotecontrolisnotmandatory,butcertainlyeasesoperationsandadditionalfunctionscanalsobeactivated.

Whenproductioncapacityincreases–andwhentheconveyingsystemisenlarged–thesameremotecontrolcancontrolanymaterialloadersthatareaddedtothesystem.Addinganothermaterialloadertothesystemisabsolutelysimple–onlyakeystrokeisneeded.

MaterialdryersoftheATONplusseriesusetheWITT-MANNsegmentedwheeltechnologyandareequippedwithatouch-screenuserinterface.ThetechnologyoftheATONdryerstandsforanespeciallyenergysavingmethodwhichisvisibleontheEnergy Labelontheexte-riorofthedevice.

Providedthattheoptimalqualityofthedriedairisreached,thedryerchoosesbetweendifferentprocesssequences,thusreducingtheenergyconsumptiontothenecessaryminimum.ThisspecialfunctioniscalledEcoMode,anditcanbeactivatedsimplyonthetouch-screen.

EcoModeandsomemoreenergysavingfunctionscomewithATONdryersasastandardfeature.IntheeventofamaterialloaderbeingusedforthefeedingofanATONplus–bethisasingleloaderoftheFEED-MAXSseriesoranewFEEDMAXGcentralloader–thesettingsforthisdevicecanbecontrolledusingthedryer’sterminal.

Everyancillarydeviceisdisplayedonthedryer’stouchscreen:materialloaders,blowers,andofcoursethedryeritself.Whenamaterialloaderisadded,orwhenan

additionalATONplusisused(andlinkedwiththefirstdryer),theseadditionaldevicescanalsobedisplayedwithjustakeystroke.AlldevicescanalsobedisplayedonthescreenoftheadditionalATONdryer–includingthefirstATONplus.Thishighflexibilityofthenewnet5 systemallowsforasystemthatcancontrolfrom1to24material

loaders.Ifneeded,thedryerscanbedisplayed,andalsotwovacuumcircuitscanbeestablished.Indoingso,oneofthevacuumcircuitscandisplaythesupplyoftheload-erstothedryers,andtheothercandisplaytheloaderssupplyingtheprocessingmachines.

Foraneasyandwell-arrangeddistributionofthematerial,acouplingstationcanbeused.Andtoavoidtheriskofblockedupmateriallines,apurgingfunctionemptyingthelinescanalsobeapplied.•

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ATON plus mate-rial dryer and FEEDMAX plus material loader.

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TEACHBOX basic remote control, supporting the application of the net5 system.

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Recycling

TheFrenchplasticsprocessorMIHBwasfoundedin1968,andisbasedinGroissiatinthe

Oyonnax“PlasticValley”inthewestofFrance,notfarfromtheSwissborder.Thecompanyisasuccessfulfamily-runbusiness,andismanagedbyFrédéricJullien,representingthesecondgenera-tion.

MIHB’smainbusinessconsistsofdesigningandmanufacturingmorethan800differentplasticpartsandsetsfortheautomotiveandcosmeticsindustry,aswellasforthedomesticappli-ancessector.

MIHBoperates66injectionmoldingmachines,eachofthemsuitablefordifferentmoldingtechnologies,andforprocessingonetofourdifferentmaterials.Inaddition,

thecompanyisalsoexecutinginsertmolding,magneticmolding,extru-sionprocesses,andworkingwithblowmoldingmachines.

TheGroissiatplant’sfloorspaceis19.000squaremeters,whereMIHBemploysastaffof160,generatingrev-enueof23millionEurosayear.

OneofMIHB’sspecialtiesisthemanufacturingofkeysformanydif-ferentautobrands.Infact,MIHB

manufacturesthekeysthatareusedwith39carmodelsfromthefollowingwell-knownautomotivecompanies:Re-nault,Peugeot,Citroën,Toyota,Scania,LandRover,BMW,MercedesandHonda.Therefore,MIHBisconsideredoneofthemajorplayersintheautomotivesupplyindustry.“Transformtosuccess”isthecompany’sslogan,towhich

The French MIHB company, being a widely-known high-qualitymolder in the automotive field, executed industrial test series withthe new WITTMANN JUNIOR 3 Compact screenless granulator. –The results are speaking in its favour.Julie Filliere

New JUNIOR 3 Compact granulator shows an impressive performance

Grégory Maron, Sales Representa-tive from WITT- MANN BATTEN-FELD France (left), Olivier Billot, MIHB Manufactur-ing Manager, and the new WITT-MANN JUNIOR 3 Compact beside-the-press screen-less granulator.

JUNIOR 3 Compactfor the grinding of large sprues

– Regrind size: 4, 5, 7 or 10 mm– Motor output: 2.2 kW– Cutting chamber: 240 × 467 mm– Number of cutters: 3– Max. throughput: 30 kg/hr– Second shaft (option)

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 11

Recycling

FrédéricJullien,MIHB’sCEO,refersto,whenstating:“Wearenotonlyasimplemanufacturerofplasticparts,wealsorealizeinnovativesolutionsinregardtodesign,controlsystems,processdevelopment,andtheapplicationofcom-binedtechnologies.”

MIHB makes use of WITTMANN granulators

Thecompany’sManufacturingManager,OlivierBillot,statesthatmorethan15WITTMANNgranulatorsareinuseontheproductionfloor,primarilyMINOR2andJUNIOR2Compactscreenlessgranulators.“Weimmedi-atelyagreed,whentheResearch&DevelopmentTeamof

WITTMANNBATTENFELDFrancecontactedus,askingwhetherwewouldliketoexecuteindustrialtestserieswiththeirnewJUNIOR3Compactgranulator.Thepointwastoevaluatetheperformanceofthenewgranulatorbeforeitsmarketlaunch.Wewantedtoquantifythepossiblethrough-putofdifferentmaterials,howmanyspruesanddefectivepartsthegranulatorwasabletoprocess,andofcoursewewantedtoratetheenergysavingsthatcouldbeachieved,andfinallyjudgethequalityoftheregrind.”

OlivierBillotfound,verymuchtohissurprise:“Thegranulator’sdrivemotorneverblocked,althoughweusedPAwith50%glassfiber,andalsoPOMcontaining30%ofglassfiber.”

Top ranking for the JUNIOR 3 Compactfrom WITTMANN

OlivierBillotisveryenthusiasticabouttheJUNIOR3Compactgranulator.Theunitiswelladaptedtousingitforlargespruesanddefectiveparts.Billotadds:“Thefootprintisminimized.Comparedtocompetitiveproducts,theJUNIOR3Compactfeaturesafootprintof30%less,thusallowingforamucheasierbeside-the-pressinstal-lation.Thespaceavailableinthehopperavoidsanyblockingcausedbyspruesordefectiveparts,enablingaregularfeeding.Wealsoappreciatethattheopeningandcleaningproceduresarelaid-outveryeasy,andthattheinstantvisibilityofthegrindingprocessisprovidedbymeansofthespecialhopperviewingwindow.”

Togetapracticalfeedback,theResearch&De-velopmentDepartmentofWITTMANNBATTEN-FELDFrancestayedinclosecontactwithMIHBduringthetestseriesthatwasexecutedwiththeJUNIOR3Compact.Theoutcomewasabsolutelyconvincing:

Julie Filliereis the Assistant to the Management, and is in charge of the marketing activities at WIT-TMANN BATTEN-FELD France SAS in Moirans.

A selection of high-quality MIHB products, …

… parts for motion transmission systems, …

… day light, and fluid management parts for the auto-motive industry.

• TheJUNIOR3Compactturnedouttobethegranulatorthatisbestadaptedtousingitwithinjectionmoldingmachinesofupto300tonsofclampingforce.

• ThequalityoftheregrindmatchesallofMIHB’sspecificationswithlessdust,anduniformmaterialthatallowsforoptimizingtheinline-recyclingprocess.

Customerspecificationsthatincludetheuseofregrind,areleadingtolessmanufacturingcosts,andasaresult,areincreasingthecompany’scom-petitiveness.Moreover,usingregrindhasaposi-tiveenvironmentalimpact.

MIHBhasadoptedanenvironmentally-friend-lyapproach.OlivierBillotconcludesthatthistestseriesexperiencemakeshimsureoftherelevance,thequalityandthereliabilityofWITTMANNgra-nulators.HealsohighlightstheavailabilityofWITT-MANNBATTENFELD’sservicetechnicians,andthequalityoftheirwork.•

WITTMANN innovations – 4/201612

Automation

WITTMANN automation systems …

In2008,WITTMANNBATTENFELDMalaysiasuppliedthefirstW727IMLrobotsystem,automatingtheproduc-tionofa1-literbucketthatismoldedina4-cavitymold.TheIMLautomationsystemandaEuropeaninjectionmold-ingmachinemodelmakeupacompletelyintegratedwork

COMBI-PACKwasfounded

in2007byMr.C.Y.Chow,hiswifeClaraChang,andtheirbusinesspartnerLindaLeong.Thecom-panyisleadingtheMalaysianmarketforthemanufac-turingofhigh-qualityorientedfoodpackagingproductsforin-stantnoodles,hotservedfoods,snacks,andyo-gurts.

OneofthemostinnovativeproductsofCOMBI-PACKistheso-calledCombi-Cupthathaswonseveralprestigiousinnovationsawards.Thiscupismadefromacombinationofthin-walledinjection-moldedribbedplasticandawrap-aroundcardboardsleeve.Thiscupisspeciallydesignedforusingitwithinstantnoodlesthathavetobeheatedup,anditscardboardsleeveismainlyappliedtoguaranteeoptimumheatinsulation.Inaddition,COMBI-PACKoffersIn-MoldLabel-ingservicesfordairyandotherfoodproducts.

Morethan50%ofCOMBI-PACK’sproductsareexportedtoAustralia,Singapore,andIndonesia.In2014,thecompanymovedtotheactualSerembanproductionprem-ises.Priortothis,theyinvestedaboutMYR20million,andupgradedthe20-year-oldfactorytoamodernstate-of-the-artmanufacturingplant.COMBI-PACKiscertifiedaccord-ingtotherequirementsofFoodSafetySystemCertification22000andHazardAnalysisandCriticalControlPoints(HACCP)standards.

The COMBI-PACK Sdn Bhd company, based in Seremban, about 50 kmsouth of Kuala Lumpur, specializes in providing innovative high-quality foodpackaging products. In order to run a high-volume 24/7 production,COMBI-PACK relies on a high-performance central material conveying systemand an IML automation system (In-Mold Labeling) from WITTMANN.David Tan

An innovative Malaysian packagingcompany chooses WITTMANN

High-quality injection-molded IML packaging parts (left), and Combi-Cups with cardboard sleeves (right), manufactured at COMBI-PACK Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, using auxiliary equipment and an IML system from the WITT-MANN Group.

C.Y. Chow, Chief Executive Officer (second from the right), and Clara Chang, General Manager (second from the left), of COMBI-PACK Sdn Bhd; David Tan, Business Develop-ment Director (left), and Howard Wong, Sales Manager (right), from WITTMANN BATTENFELD (Ma-laysia) Sdn Bhd.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 13

Automation

David Tanis the Business De-velopment Director of WITTMANN BATTENFELD (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd in Selangor, Malaysia.

cell.Thetestrunfortheentiresystem–in-cludingthemold–wasexecutedinGermany.Eventually,thecompletesystemwasshippedtoMalaysia,installed,andcommissioned,andfromthattimeonithasrunabsolutelysmoothly.Subsequently,COMBI-PACKor-deredseveraladditionalWITTMANNrobotsystems:aW737IMLsystem,andW832UHS,W832HSSandW818linearrobots,tocopewiththerapidgrowthoftheirfoodpackagingbusiness.

… and WITTMANN auxiliaries

In2010,theWITTMANNBATTENFELDMalaysiateamstartedtheinstallationofaneMax-controlledcentralmaterialconveyingsystemforthematerialsupplyof12injectionmoldingmachines,providingatotalmate-rialthroughputof450kg/h.Andpriortothestart-upofthenewSerembanfactoryin2015,asecondcentralconveyingsystemwassuc-cessfullyinstalled,serving18injectionmold-ingmachineswithatotalmaterialthroughputof900kg/h.

Thesecentralconveyingsystemsincludetheeasy-to-useWITTMANNeMax/24net-workcontrol,withwhichthewholeinstalla-tioncanbeoverlooked.Theperipheralequip-mentthatisusedwiththesystemismadeupofthefollowingWITTMANNdevices:

• Maintenance-freeside-channelblowerstation.

• Two-stagefiltrationsystem.• Stainlesssteelcouplingstation

forfourdifferentPP-basedmaterial.

• High-functionalityleak-proofFEEDMAXBseriesloaderswithpneumaticdischargeshut-offvalvesthatguaranteedust-freeoperationatthemachine.

• DOSIMAXvolumetricblenderforauniformblendofbatchesareusedwiththemajorityofinjectionmoldingmachines.

COMBI-PACKCEOC.Y.ChowsaysthatheisverysatisfiedwithhiscentralmaterialhandlingsystemfromtheWITTMANNGroup.Whenaskedwhyhehadchosenthismanufacturerasasupplier,hedeclared:“Inviewofaproductionrunthatgoesaroundtheclock,weneededveryreliableandhigh-per-formanceautomationandmaterialhandlingsystems.Wedemandminimumdowntime,andlittlehumanintervention.AndalsomostimportantwasthefactthatWITTMANNBATTENFELDMalaysiaisabletoprovidealocalquick-response,after-salesservice.”•

View of the COMBI-PACK pro-duction plant in Seremban/Negeri Sembilan: WITT-MANN DOSIMAX dosing unit (left), WITTMANN FEED-MAX central mate-rial loaders (right) and WITTMANN servo robots.

WITTMANN W737 IML robot system: in a 4-cavity mold, a 1-l bucket is produced.

Views of the pip-ing installation of the central material convey-ing system at COMBI-PACK Sdn Bhd in Seremban, Malaysia.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/201614

Temperature Control

Thecompa-nyWethjeCarbon

CompositesGmbHranksamongthelead-inglightweightconstructionspecialistsintheworld.IthastwoplantsinGermany,inHengersbergandinVilshofen/Pleinting,wherethemostcomplexhigh-qualitycarbonelementsarebuilt.Ontheonehand,thebusinessmakestructuralelementsliketheso-calledmonocoques(passengercells),ontheotherhandthecompanyalsomakescarbodyshellparts(bodyworks)andotherexteriorparts.

Wethjealsomanufacturescustom-madeproductsandbuildsprototypesandpreproductionseriesparts.Forexample,WethjebuiltthecompletemonocoquefortheX-BowsportscarfromKTMrightfromthestart–anddoesitstilltoday.

WethjesuppliesmanypremiumOEMcompaniesandTier-1industrialmanufacturers,amongstthemcompaniesthatworkinthefieldsofaviationandspaceflight.

PCM technique (Prepreg Compression Molding)

TogetherwithMITSUBISHIRAYONCO.,LTD–themainstockholderofWethje–thecompanyhasdevelopedtheso-calledPrepregCompressionMoldingtechnique(PCM).Thisapproachallowsasignificantreductionofthecycletimewhenitcomestoproducingconventionalcarbonparts.

Last year, German carbon specialist Wethje invested in 3 TEMPRO plus D180dual zone temperature controllers. The company wanted to temper anew working cell that uses the Prepreg Compression Molding (PCM) technique.The devices turned out to be the optimal choice for this application.Gottfried Hausladen

TEMPRO plus D180 on dutyfor carbon lightweight applications

Two of the three WITTMANN TEMPRO plus D180 temperature controllers that were installed at Wethje.

– Laminate– Heat– Preform– Charge– Compression– Demold

Schematic descrip-tion of the PCM process:

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 15

Temperature Control

PCMstartswiththeproductionofapreform.Thiscarbonpreformisbroughttoitsfinaltolerancesusingahigh-pressurepresswithaheatedmold.Afterhardeningthepartisdemolded.Applyingthisprincipleofpressingbringsaboutthepossibilitytoachieve“ClassA”surfaces.

Consistency and short set-up times

Inordertogettothebestresultswiththistechnique,itisnecessarytoapplyaperfectlyhandledtemperingproce-dure.Itbecomesvitaltousethemostpowerfulandfailsafetemperaturecontrollers.TheWITTMANNtemperaturecontrollerTEMPROplusD180unitusesmoldsensors

connectedtoitforthepurposeofheatingupthemoldsupto160°C.Whenthistemperatureisreached,theprocessofintegrationstartswithinthematerial,andthehardeningtimescanthenberealized.Here,theconsistencyofthetemperatureisthemostimportantparameter.Amaximumdeviationof±0.5°Cisthecrucialcriterioninordertoen-

sureastableproductionrun.Previouslossesofenergybroughtabouttheneedforatemperaturecontrollerthatcouldhandletemperaturesthatexceeded160°C.Asaconsequence,WITTMANNtemperaturecontrollersfromtheTEMPROplusDserieswerechosen:hightemperatureversionswithaflowtemperatureofupto180°C.

Inordertoachievetheshortestpossibleworkingcellset-uptimesformoldsofupto3,000kg,theheatingca-pacityofthetemperaturecontrollerswaschoseninawaythatthetimeneededtoheatupthemoldmetatargetof45minutes.Threedualzonedeviceswithenhancedheatingcapacitywereused;eachcircuitwithacapacityof16kW.Intheend,thisarrangementledtoaninstalledheating

capacityof96kWintheworkingcell.Inordertosupporttheapplicationofenergyintothemold,enhancedpumpswithapumpcapacityof60l/minwerealsoinstalled.

Furtheroptimizationoftheset-uptimewasfinallyattainedbyusingthenewpurgingfunction–usingcom-pressedairtoblowoutthemold.Thisapproachemptiesthemoldcircuitmuchfasterandmuchmoreefficiently–comparedtoanextractionbysuctionthatisexecutedbythepumps.WITT-MANNtemperaturecontrollersareequippedwithacross-platformdigitalinterface.Viathisinterface,thedevicesareintegratedunderthecontrolofthehigh-pressurepress,meaningthattemperaturecontrollersettingscanbeloadedautomaticallywhenthemoldschangeover.

Contributing to quality control

Becauseoftheirhighusabilityandde-tailedprocessdocumentation,TEMPROplusDdevicesarecontributingcon-siderablytoqualitycontrol.TEMPROplusDcontrollerscomeequippedwithgenerouslydimensionedtouch-screensinordertoeasilyrecalloperatingmodesandimportantparameters.Forexample,ifthemoldsymbolonthescreenisdisplayedingreen,thismeansthatallparametersarewithinthesetlimits.Theintegratedoscilloscopefunctionallowscompletetraceabilityofprocessparam-eterssuchaspressure,temperatureandflowmeasurement–upto24hourslater.Thisisofferedforall6circuitsofthisap-plication,eachbeingequippedwithflowmeasurement.

MichaelHobelsbergerofthecompanysaysthat“wehaveusedthesedevicesinpracticeforoneyearnow.Wecancon-firmthereliability,thesimpleusability,andtheadherenceofallmatterstoourverytighttolerances.WithWITTMANN,wehavefoundacompetentpartnerthatrespondedexactlytoourneeds.”•

GottfriedHausladenis Sales Engineer of WITTMANN Robot Systeme GmbH (Germany), and is in charge of the complete prod-uct portfolio from the WITTMANN Group..

Michael Hobels-berger, Wethje Engineering Direc-tor (left) and Gott-fried Hausladen, Sales Engineer of WITTMANN Robot Systeme in Germany.

Carbon demon-strator component: roof element for the X-Bow sports car.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/201616

Conveying

H avellsIndiaLimitedisaleadingFastMovingElectricalGoods(FMEG)companyandamajorpowerdistributionequipmentmanufacturerwith

astrongglobalpresence.Havellsenjoysanenviablemarketpositionacrossawidespectrumofproducts,includingindustrialanddomesticcircuitprotectiondevices,cablesandwires,motors,fans,modularswitches,homeappli-ances,electricwaterheaters,powercapacitors,CFLlamps,luminariesfordomestic,commercialandindustrialap-plications.

Today,HavellsownssomeofthemostprestigiousbrandslikeHavells,Crabtree,StandardandPromptec.Ithas11plantsacrosssixlocationsinIndiaandmanufacturesover90%ofitsproductsin-house.

Withafocusonzero-defectmolding,thecompanysuc-cessfullyintegratednotonlyaWITTMANNBATTENFELDall-electricinjectionmoldingmachineryattheirproductionplantinBaddi,HimachalPradesh,butalsoaWITTMANNcentralmaterialconveyingsystemandotherauxiliaries,aswellasWITTMANNautomation,tostrengthenthecom-pany’smanufacturingcapabilities.

WithregardtotheimpressiveongoinggrowthoftheIndianmarketforelectricdevices,JitendraKumarDhaka,PlantManagerofHavells’Baddiplant,states:“Torealizewithourtechnicalproductstheveryhighdemandsthatwehavespecified,itisdefinitelynecessarytoonlyapplystate-of-the-art-machinery.Today,wehavesomeofthemostadvancedplantsintheindustry.TheWITTMANNGroupwasouridealchoice,becausetheyareabletosupplyentiresolutions,comprisingequipmentformaterialdrying,grind-ing,conveying,andblending.”

Why Havells turnedto the WITTMANN Group

WhenaskedwhyWITT-MANNhasbeenchosenasasupplierandnotoneoftheothercompaniespresentonthelocalmarketwithsimilarproducts,JitendraKumarDhakadeclares:

“Itisourphilosophytoproduceworld-classproductsinstate-of-the-artplants.WithWITTMANNasasupplierweareabletoachieveallofourgoals.WehavecomparedtheWITTMANNdeviceswiththoseoftheircompeti-

torswithregardtolowenergyconsumption.Asaresult,wefoundthattheauxiliariesfromtheWITTMANNGroupareclearlyincompliancewithourstandardsofthelowestpossibleenergyconsumption.Abovethat,thesedevicesareequippedwithmanyusefulfeatures.TheDRYMAXdryers’intelligentSmartFlowfunction,forexample,whichhasautomaticairdistributiontoadjusttodifferentmaterialsandfluctuatingmaterialdemands.WITTMANNdryersachievethebestdryingresults,evenatadewpointaslowas-60°C.And,foronemoreexample,thecompany’sgranula-torsprovideforaperfectlyuniformregrind,freeofdust.Wehavenarroweddownourauxiliariesoutfit,nowusingonlyWITTMANNproducts.Here,we(orothercustomers)have

The Plant Manager of the Baddi plant of Havells India Ltd, Jitendra Kumar Dhaka, talks about his company’s rea-sons for turning to the WITT-MANN Group as a supplier

– particularly when it came to the decision of installing a new central material drying and conveying system.Nanda Kumar

Manufacturing at low energy costs using WITTMANN auxiliaries

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 17

Conveying

asingle-sourcesupplierforallofourrequirements,includ-ingeverythingfromtemperaturecontrollers,granulators,dryingandconveyingequipment,andmaterialblenders.WearecompletelyhappythatwehaveturnedtoWITTMANNforourperipheralequipment.”

Infact,attheBaddiplant,HavellshasalmosteverytypeofproductfromtheWITTMANNGroup,including:

• W808Erobot.• MINOR2granulatorforinlinerecycling.• DRYMAXE180batterydryerwithseveral

SILMAXdryinghoppers.• Couplingstation(8×4,uncoded).• WITTMANNmaterialconveyingsystem

withFEEDMAXmaterialloaders.• GRAVIMAXmaterialblenders.• WITTMANNwaterflowregulators.• WITTMANNtemperaturecontrollers.

JitendraKumarDhakacontinues:“Inthepast,itwasratherdifficultforustoachievetemperaturesabove90°C

usingourformerwater-basedtemperaturecontrollerde-vices.ThishaschangedsincewehaveturnedtoTEMPROunitsfromWITTMANN.Beforethathadhappened,wehadissuesrelatingtoheaterfailures,sealfailures,andalsoproblemswiththeunits’coolingcoils.Twoyearsago,were-

placedtheobsoletedevicesbyTEMPROcontrollers,andwehaven’thadanyproblemseversince.

Concerningthepartsgranulationprocess,wewereabletoessentiallyim-proveitthroughtheuseofWITTMANNequipment.Tomakeitclear,dustyregrindwasthenumberonedisruptivefactorforthesmoothnessofourproductionprocessandforthequalityofourproducts.Thankstothecuttingtech-nologyoftheWITTMANNMINOR2screenlessgra-nulator,wenowhaveverylittledustformation.An-otherstrikingadvantagethatthisgranulatormodeloffersisthatitscuttingtoolscanbereversedwhenoneoftheiredgesgotblunt.

Finally,intermsoftheWITTMANNdryingandconvey-ingequipment,weabsolutelyneedsuperiorandefficientmaterialdryingtocomplywithproductmanufacturingstan-dardsinaglobalcontext,andthisequipmenthasn’tcausedanytroublesofar.

OurtechnicalteamevaluatedallofthecentralWITT-MANNuniquesellingpoints–forexample,theSmartRegenergysavingfunction,aswellasthesuperiordewpointcontrolledoperatingmodethatisabletofunctionsmoothlyevenatadewpointrateof-60°C.Notonlyfromatechni-calpointofview,butevenpersonally,IlikethevisionsthatWITTMANNhasrealizedinthefieldofmaterialdrying,settingthebenchmarkfortheentireindustryintermsofen-ergyefficiency,whichisclearlycommunicatedthroughtheirdryerenergylabels.AllthisissupportedbetheadvancedeMaxconveyingsystemcontrol.

WetrulyrelynotonlyonthegreatmachineryandauxiliariestheWITTMANNGroupprovides,butalsoontheunmatchedlocalsupportthatwegetfromthem.Unlikerunningupasingledevice,installinganentiredryingandconveyingsystemisamatterofhighcomplexity.Suchaneffortneedsalotofinstantlymadedecisions,thatistosay,relevantcustomizedvariationordershavetobeexecutedtopreciselyadapttotheshopfloorlayoutconditions.TheWITTMANNBATTENFELDteamrealizedareallywell-organizedlayoutthatalsofitstothegeneralaestheticlookoftheshopfloor.

Altogether,estimatingthestrengthoftheWITTMANNGroup’sproductsandthequalityoftheirservice,IhavetosaythatwewillcallupontheWITTMANNGroupalsoforourfuturedemands.”•

Nanda Kumaris the General Manager of WITT-MANN BATTEN-FELD India pvt Ltd. in Chennai.

Views of the WITT-MANN central material drying and conveying system (DRYMAX battery dryer, SILMAX drying hoppers, FEED-MAX material loaders, etc.) at the Indian plant of Havells in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh,

WITTMANN innovations – 4/201618

InjectionMolding

ThecompanyHugoAckermannGmbH&Co.KGinKierspeisasuccessful,medium-sized,family-ownedcompanyinits3rdgeneration,originallyfoundedby

HugoAckermannasatool-makingshopin1938.ForthefirstthermoplasticsprocessingmachinemadebyBATTEN-FELDin1949,Ackermannwasthecompanythatsuppliedthemold.In1954,thecompanyacquireditsfirstinjectionmoldingmachineforthermoplasticsprocessing,anditwassuppliedbyBATTENFELD.Overthefollowingyears,

Ackermanncontinuedtoextendandmodernizeitsrangeofmachinery.Today,Ackermannhas15injectionmoldingmachinesinstalled,14ofwhichhavecomefromWITT-MANNBATTENFELD,withclampingforcesrangingfrom350to5,000kN.

With23employees,Ackermannmanufactures,intwoshifts,mainlyproductsinsmallandmedium-sizedbatchesforgeneralmechanicalengineering,thepumpindustry,andelectricalengineering.Thecompanyhasmadeaname

Ackermann, based in Kierspe, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has supplied themechanical engineering industry with high-quality plastic products for morethan 60 years. From the very beginning, these products have been manufacturedon BATTENFELD injection molding machines. In March this year, an EcoPower 300 with an Insider solution was added to the company’s range of machinery.Gabriele Hopf

Ackermann – successful with innova-tive, energy-efficient technology

Picture right:Ackermann pro-duction hall in Kierspe.Picture below left:For the core melt- ing process, Ackermann has converted a TM machine model from WITTMANNBATTENFELD.

Picture right:Matthias Acker-mann, Quality Man- ager, Christoph Ackermann, Man-aging Director/CEO, Frank Höher, WITT- MANN BATTEN-FELD Salesman, Peter Kroczek, Acker- mann Production Manager in front of the new EcoPower 300 (from the left).

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 19

InjectionMolding

foritselfintheindustryformanyreason,oneexamplebeingthedevelopmentofalostcoretechnologytorealizecomplexinternalcavities.Forthispurpose,Ackermanncastsmeltingcores,consistingofanalloywithalowmeltingpoint,andsurroundsthemwithplasticbyinsertmolding.Duetothespecialattributesoftheplasticmaterialused,themetalcoresaresubsequentlymeltedbyinductioninsteadofheat–incontrasttothelostcoretechnologyusedintheautomotiveindustry.

Tomakehigh-qualitypartswithinternalcavities,suchashandlesortelephonereceivers,thecompanyhasbeenusingtheAIRMOULD®internalgaspressureprocessfromWITTMANNBATTENFELDformanyyears.Multi-com-ponenttechnologyfromWITTMANNBATTENFELDis

alsoappliedbyAckermann.Thecompany’sproductsarehighlytechnicalplasticpartsmadetocustomers’specifica-tions,includinghousingcomponents,smallpartsforpumpsandfixtures,andfluidtechnologyparts,primarilymadeofpolycarbonate,polyamide,POMandPBT.Fiberglass-andcarbonfiber-reinforcedmaterialsarealsoused.

Praise for the EcoPower

In2009,whenWITTMANNBATTENFELDbroughtitsfirstmachinefromthenewPowerSeriestomarket,theall-electricEcoPower,Ackermannwasthefirstcustomertobuyit.ThehighprecisionofthesemachinesandtheirextremelylowenergyconsumptionimpressedChristoph

Ackermann,thecompany’sManagingDirectorandCEO,aswellashisbrotherMatthiasAckermann,whoisresponsibleforproductquality.ChristophAckermanncomments:“FromtheEcoPower,wegetproductswithexcellentsurfacequality,andwehavehardlyanystart-upscrap.Comparedtoouroldermachines,theEcoPowerconsumesjustonehalfoftheenergy.”Positiveexperience

withthefirstEcoPowermachinespromptedAckermanntoinstallanadditionalmachineofthistypein2014,thistimewith1,800kNclampingforce.AndinMarch2016,anEcoPower300/2100withInsidersolutionwascommissionedatAckermann.

IntheWITTMANNBATTENFELDInsidersolution,therobot,transportconveyorbeltandotherperipheralsforupstreamanddownstreamprocessingareintegratedwiththeinjectionmoldingmachine.AccordingtoChris-tophAckermann,theEcoPowerInsideriseasytooperate,requireslittlespaceandevenlooksgood.PeterKroczek,Ackermann’sProductionManager,isalsomorethansatis-fiedwiththenewEcoPowerandpraisesitsexcellentperfor-mance,itslowenergyconsumptionandthelownoiselevelofallEcoPowermodels.

Apartfromthemachinesandprocesstechnologysup-pliedbyWITTMANNBATTENFELD,AckermannalsoappreciatestheWITTMANNrobotsandperipherals.SoWITTMANNrobotshavenotonlybeenpurchasedforthenewlyinstalledinjectionmoldingmachines,butalsotoupgradeolderequipment.

Decision for turnkey packages

ForChristophAckermann,thepackageasawholeisvitalinmakinginvestmentdecisions:“Wewantamodern,energy-efficientmachinewithuser-friendlyrobottechnol-ogyfromasinglesource.”ButserviceandclosenesstothesupplierarealsodecisivepurchasingcriteriaforChris-tophAckermann.ThemanydecadesofbusinessrelationsbetweenAckermannandWITTMANNBATTENFELDareconvincingevidencethatAckermannhasfoundinWITT-MANNBATTENFELDapartnerwhichmeetsthecom-pany’srequirementsineveryrespect.•

Gabriele Hopfis the Marketing Manager of WITT- MANN BATTEN-FELD in Kotting- brunn, Lower Austria.

Impeller wheel, manufactured with lost core technology. – From the left: metal core, insert-molded plastic, finished impeller wheel.

Handle with internal cavity – produced with the AIRMOULD® internal gas pressure process from WITTMANN BATTENFELD.

Small parts for general mechani-cal engineering.

Housing com-ponents made of transparent plastic.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/201620

InjectionMolding

euros,3.7millionofwhichwereinvestedinresearchanddevelopmentthatyear.

Inrecentyears,theEltekGrouphasexpandedintothemedicalandnanotechnologysectors.ThecleanroomsattheItalianproductionfacilitiesinCasaleMonferratoandHone–aswellastherecentacquisitionofanelectricmicromoldingmachine–demonstratethecompany’sinterestinfurtherinvestmentsfollowingthisdi-rection.AstheEltekGroup’sDirectoroftheBusiness&De-velopmentandSupplyChainDepartments,GiuseppeAvonto

states:“Thisinvestmenthasrequiredacarefulbenchmarking,andhasbecomearealitythankstoasophisticatedapproach,turningtoourextensiveknowledgethatwehaveacquiredonourprimarytargetmarketsovertheyears.”

How did you make the decision to focus on micro injec-tion molding?

Inthepastfewyears,therehasbeendemandfromanumberofcompaniesinthemedicalsectorformicropartsthatmadeitnecessaryforustousethistechnology.Butthe

TheEltekGroup’sgeneralheadquartersarelocatedinCasaleMonferrato.

OthermanufacturingsitesoftheirsarelocatedinHone(AostaValley,Italy),inPoland,Switzerland,Brazil,andChina;andtherearesalesofficesinGermanyandtheUnitedStates.Thefacilitiescoveranareaof38,000squaremeters,andthegroupemploysastaffofmorethan1,000.Fromanorganiza-tionalpointofview,thecom-pany’sactivitiesareorganizedasthreebusinessunits:automo-tive,householdappliances,andmedical.Inthelattersector,know-howisappliedtothedevelopmentandproductionofprecisionpartsinplastic,sensorsandmicrosensors,aswellasmedicaldeviceswithCEmarking.ThecompanyalsooperatesasacontractmanufacturerincompliancewithENISO13485standards.

Thecompany’sexpertisecoversnumeroussectors,in-cludingmolddesignandmanufacturing,electronics,andtheengineeringofautomaticandsemi-automaticpro-ductionlineswithcapacitiesrangingfromsmallseriestomillionsofpiecesayear.2013revenueswere107million

The well-known Italian Eltek Group has installed two clean roomsand invested in a micro molding press from WITTMANN BATTENFELD.Mission: business expansion and diversification. This is the strategythat has made investment sustainable. – A report, including aconversation with Eltek representatives.Stefano Troilo

Eltek, Italy: the winning strategy in micro molding

Micro-molded tef-lon seals that are to be mounted on a thermal actuator used with house-hold appliances.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 21

InjectionMolding

turemadeupofvariousplasticpartswhichisexpectedtoreplacethecurrentmetalproduct.Thiswillprotectpatientsbetterfromtheriskofinfection,stilloneoftheleadingcausesofdeathinhospitals.Then,foranotherclient,wearedevelopingaplasticcomponenttobeintegratedintotheelectronicmicrocircuitsofradiologymachines.

To what extent does the medical sector account for your group revenues?

Abouttwopercent.Andthisseemstobeamarginalfigure,whencomparedtotheoverallamount,butitissignificantwhenconsideringthefactthatwehaveenteredthissegmentonlyfouryearsago.Ourgoalistohittenpercent,workingonourportfolioofcurrently30projects,partlyundertheEltekbrand.

What are the most significant projects you are working on?

Inadditiontosomeplasticpartsdesignedtoclientspecifications,anumberofEltekplasticdevicesareused,forexample,inthedentistrysector(e.g.mouthgags).Themostsignificantmedicaldevicewillprettysoonbereadyforitsmarketlaunch(whentheCEmarkingpro-cedurewillbeconcluded).Thisisacompletemachinewithvarioussetsofdisposablesthatistargetingtheregenerativemedicinesector.Itisadeviceforthepreparationofplatelet-richplasmafornon-trans-fusionuse(PRPCPunT).Above

that,wearedevelopingaprojectonbehalfofamanufac-turerofsmallsurgicaldevices,basedonourdesignandpatent.Itisabouttacksfornon-absorbablesutures–clipsandsutureanchorsthatcurrentlyareproducedusingtitanium.Lastly,weareinthefinaldevelopmentstagesregardingcomplexdevicesequippedwithsensorsforthemeasurementofphysiologicalparametersofvariousinter-nalorgans.

Will micro molding be one of the jewels in your crown?Withoutquestion.Itsimplementationmakesourproduc-

tiontechnologicallystate-of-the-art–comparedtoourcompetitorswhodon’thaveit.Moreover,andfromourclients’pointofview,thebenefitsarenotable,becausethenowmuchbetterpriceforthesepartsiscloselyconnectedtothespecialfeaturesofthistechnique.

Does its introduction mean organizational and opera-tional strategies have to be revised?

Eltek’soperatingstrategyhasalwaysinvolvedcreatingacompleteproductpipeline.Inthiscase,andtomeetfutureneeds,wehavesetupcleanroomsandassemblylinesinourfacilitiesinCasaleMonferratoandHone.Inaddition–thankstothegrowingimportanceofMetalluxSA(aSwisscompanyintheEltekGroup),apartoftheSwissproductionwillmovetoItaly.ThisisararefactinthehistoryofItalianmanufacturing,anditenablesustofullyintegratetheapplica-tionofmicroelectronicsandmicromoldingtechnology.>>

investmentweneededwasnotjustifiedbythecontractvolumeswecouldget.Generally,thevolumesdidnotexceedafewdozenthousandpieces.Then,givenourinter-estinsupplyinghigh-techsegmentstoremaincompeti-tive(butpreservingourphilosophyofall-Italianmadeproducts),weunderstoodthemedicalfieldwasastrategicarea.Accurateanalysisofourproductionprocesseshasenabledustoidentifyareaswiththepotentialofapplyingmicromoldinginthecontextoftraditionalprocesses.Wethoughtthatthiscouldpushontheamortizationofnewresources.Usingmicromoldingforproducingapartthathadtobemountedinsideanotherpartforthehouseholdappliancesindustry,wastheturningpoint.Thekeywasagasketwepreviouslypurchasedfromasupplier,butwithinayearwewereabletoproducethisgasketin-house.Thus

itwaspossibletocompletetheverticalproductioncycleofapartwithanoutputrateofapproximately25millionpiecesperyear.

In addition to the return on investment, did this move lead to further advantages?

Yes,becauseitraisedthequalityleveloftheprocess,andthereforeoftheproducedparts.Today,thismachineisdedicat-edalmostexclusivelytotheproductionofgaskets.Butinaddition,wecanuseittocarryouttestspriortothedevelop-mentofnewprojects,aswellasfortheproductionofpre-series.

Are negotiations underway that might be concluded soon?Weareworkingonprojectsrelatingtomicrovalvesand

componentsforinhalers,andinparticular,onanorderfromanorthopediccompany.Theproductinquestionisastruc-

Teflon seals for mi-cro injection mold-ing. – A closer look at the assembly procedure.

The molds are made by the Eltek in-house Engineer-ing Department.

WITTMANN innovations – 4/201622

Injection Molding

Stefano Troilois a photographer and external consultant of the Italian PLASTIX magazine to which he also contributes.

– The conversation with the Eltek representatives took place (and the article was written) in 2014.

Picture left:Eight-cavity mold for producing gaskets.Picture right:A closer look at the WITTMANN BATTENFELD MicroPower 15 injection molding machine.

The MicroPower 15 press from WITT-MANN BATTEN- FELD at Eltek’s pro- duction facility in Casale Monferrato.

For the medical sector, electronics, and beyond

TheMicroPowermicromoldingsystemfromWITTMANNBATTENFELDisspecificallydesignedtomeettheneedsofthemedicalandelectronicsectors,butalsoallothermarketsorientedtopartminiaturiza-tion.Exclusivelyinanall-electricversion,themachinesareavailablewithclampingforcesbetween5and15tons,with–andwithout–rotarytable.Inparticu-lar,themodelsofthelastgenerationincludeatwo-phaseinjectionunitwithplasticizationscrewsandinjectionpistonsinjectingvol-umesof0.05to4cm3.Thisobtainsathermallyhomogenousmeltmassandguaranteeshighlystable,high-qualityproductionwithshortcycletimes.

TheMicroPowerisnotsimplyaninjectionmoldingmachine,butasystem:itis,infact,anindependentcell,completewithdryer,specifictempera-turecontrollerandintegratedrobot.Itcanbecombinedwithcleanroommodules,qualitycontrolunits,andpack-agingsystems.

Eltek makes use of the MicroPower

Ateflon-basedfluoritegasketmountedinathermalac-tuatorforhouseholdappliancesistheprecursortoEltek’sproductionofmicrocomponentsforthemedicalindustry.Thispartsealsthetechnicalitemthatitismountedon,incurringpressuresofabout1,000bar.

Until2013,thecompanypurchasedthepartfromasupplierwhichdelivereditundividedinbarsofextrudedplastic.In2014,however,productionpassedtoanelectricMicroPower15presssuppliedbyWITTMANNBATTEN-FELD.

Theswitchfromoneprocessingtechniquetoanother–whichhasalsoledtoasignificantincreaseinproductper-formance–hasresultedinnumerousadvantagesforEltek.Totalcontrolofthepart’sproductionprocessinwhichthegasketisinsertedhasincreasedthecompany’sknow-how,andtheswitchfrombuyingthemicrocomponenttomak-ingitin-househasoptimizedthecost/benefitratio.

“Theideaofinternallyproducingthistypeofpartisnotnew.Infact,itdatesapproximatelytoadecadeago,butitwasabandonedforavarietyofreasons,primarilythelackofapolymerwithsuitablecharacteristics.Thegradesofteflonavailableatthattimewerenotcompatiblewithtraditionalmoldingand,whatismore,suchasmallgasketcouldnotbemadeusingthistechniquewithoutcomingupagainstthethermaldegradationofthepolymer,wastingrawmaterialandincurringwearonthecylinder,moldandpiston,”Business&DevelopmentUnitManagerFabioNeb-biaexplains.“Theevolutionofmaterialshasallowedustoovercomethisproblem.Weidentifiedtherightpolymer–ateflon-basedfluorite–fromasetofthreepossibleal-ternatives.Thenextstepwastofindaninjectionmachinethatcouldcalibratetheprecisequantityofmaterialneededonthepiston.Followingtestsconductedonthepilotmold,wechoosetheMicroPower.Therequirementsweremet,inparticularwithregardstotheresistanceofthemateri-alandtotheinterchangeablepistonsthatareimportantwhenchangingmolds.”

EltekrepeatedthefinalmoldteststhatwereconductedinAustriabyWITTMANNBATTENFELD.Afterhavingconcludedthesetests,anautomaticproductionlinewassetup,producingtheparts.•

WITTMANN innovations – 4/2016 23

WITTMANN BATTENFELD USA PresidentDavid Preusse honored with award

TheawardrecognizesgraduatesoftheFrancisCollegeofEngi-

neeringattheUniversityofMassa-chusettsLowellwhohaveachievedadistinguishedrecordofleadershipintheirchosenprofessionorlife’swork,whetherintheacademic,corporate,entrepreneurial,nonprofit,governmentormilitarysector;andperformedoutstandingservicetothecollege,universityorprofession.Itisexpectedthattheawardeeisapersonofsuchintegrity,stature,demon-stratedabilityandrenown,thatthefaculty,staff,studentsandalumnioftheFrancisCollegeofEngineeringwilltakepridein,andbeinspiredby,hisorherrecognition.

DavidPreussereceivedaBachelor’sdegreeinMechanicalEngineeringfromtheUniversityofMassachusettsLowellin1985,andsubsequentlyearnedhisMBAfromPepperdineUniversity.

HehasbeenwithWITTMANNBATTENFELDfor20yearsandhasservedasPresidentsince2002.DavidreconnectedwithUMassLowell,andwasaskedtojointheUMassLowellCollegeofEngineeringIndustrialAdvisoryBoard.

Commitmentfor the UMass Lowell

“I’mveryhonoredandhumbledtobereceivingthisawardamongstsuchrecipients”,saidPreusse.“TheUniver-sityofMassachusettsLowellhasde-velopedsomanyexcellentengineerswhohavecontributedsignificantlytomanyindustriesandspecificallytoourplasticsindustry.”“IamproudtosharethattheCol-

legerecentlyinductedDavidPreusse,MechanicalEngineeringClassof1985andPresidentofWITTMANNBATTENFELDInc.,intotheFrancis

AcademyofDistinguishedEngineers”,saidJosephHartman,Ph.D.,P.E.DeanoftheCollegeofEngineering.“Davehasbecomeanincrediblyengagedalumnusandpartner.Hisenergyandpassionforstudentsuccessathisalmamaterareevidentineveryconver-sationwehave.DaveservesontheCollege’sIndustrialAdvisoryBoard,andcontinuestoworkwithourteamtobuildastrongrelationshipbetweentheUniversityandWITTMANNBATTENFELD.Dave’sresolvetohire

ourstudentsandputcuttingedgetechnologyintheirhandsprovidesawealthofopportunitiestothenextgenerationofengineers.Dave’senergyisinfectious–weareluckytohavehissupport,andgratefulforhiscommit-menttoUMassLowell.Congratula-tions!”

ThePlasticsEngineeringDepart-mentattheUniversityofMassachu-settsLowellisoneofthepremierca-reertrainingprogramsfortheplasticsindustryintheUnitedStates.•

On May 6th, 2016, David Preusse, President of WITTMANN BATTENFELD Inc., the US subsidiary of the WITTMANN Group, was honored with the Francis Academy of DistinguishedEngineers Award from his alma mater, the University ofMassachusetts Lowell.

News

David Preusse, President of WITT-MANN BATTEN- FELD Inc. inTorrington, CT, USA.

BP00000034 – 1604

WITTMANNBATTENFELD INC.1 Technology Park DriveTorrington, CT 06790, USAtel.: +1 860 496 9603fax: +1 860 482 2069info.us@wittmann-group.comwww.wittmann-group.com

WITTMANN ROBOT(KUNSHAN) CO. LTD.No. 1 Wittmann Rd.DianShanHu TownKunshan City, Jiangsu Province215245 CHINAtel.: +86 512 5748 3388fax: +86 512 5749 3199info@wittmann-group.cnwww.wittmann-group.com

WITTMANNKUNSTSTOFFGERÄTE GMBHLichtblaustrasse 101220 Vienna, AUSTRIAtel.: +43 1 250 39-0fax: +43 1 259 71-70info.at@wittmann-group.comwww.wittmann-group.com

WITTMANNBATTENFELD GMBHWiener Neustädter Strasse 812542 Kottingbrunn, AUSTRIAtel.: +43 2252 404-0fax: +43 2252 404-1062info@wittmann-group.comwww.wittmann-group.com