As the pressure to reduce costs continues to rise, innovation, efficiency and automation increasingly become the focus for injection moulding producers in Asia. Engel will be demonstrating how to successfully meet such current challenges at Chinaplas 2014, from 23rd to 26th April in Shanghai. All four highly integrated manufacturing cells on display at Engel's trade fair stand combine top performance with maximum energy efficiency while making clear that automation is also beneficial in terms of process technology.Engel automotive: Conserving resources with higher quality components
An Engel duo 900 injection moulding machine with integrated Engel viper 20 linear robot will be the focus of the automotive exhibition. With the Engel foammelt technology, oil sumps are produced on the large-scale machine with a 9,000 kN clamping force. Under the Engel foammelt banner, Engel offers turnkey solutions from a single source for MuCell structural foam moulding by Engel partner Trexel, from Wilmington, Massachusetts (USA). For the MuCell process, which is no longer protected by licensing fees, the plastic melt is loaded with nitrogen or carbon dioxide and then injected into the mould, during which time the gas expands in the mould cavity. The use of raw materials and the component weight are thereby reduced, while at the same time the rheological properties of the melt improved. This results in dimensionally stable injection moulded parts that are free from sink marks.The manufacturing cell makes it clear how the optimized cooperation between the injection moulding machine and the robot opens up new potential for efficiency. Thanks to the complete integration of the control unit, the injection moulding machine and the robot access the same database and can precisely coordinate their move sequences. For example, the robot can enter the mould area during the mould opening movement, which frequently reduces cycle times.
"Automation is increasingly becoming an integrative process that enables extremely economical production processes and guarantees a constant high level of product quality," states Gero Willmeroth, Sales and Service Manager of Engel Machinery Shanghai. "With intelligent automation concepts we can clearly increase the competitiveness of our customers. The demand for automated system solutions continues to increase in Asia."
