Selection

Selection
The ARBURG Magazine
Projects
CONTENT Selection Projects 2008
MASTHEAD
- Project: Sinsheimer Kunstofftechnik
- Project: CFAO France
- Project: Bayer Material Science
- Project: Kongsberg Automotive
- Products: MULTILIFT V SELECT Teach-in Funktion
- Project: Sitec
- K 2007: Integrating functions in the injection moulding process
- K 2007: Injection moulding and more
- Project: Kunststoff- und Elektrotechnik
- Project: Gross + Froelich
- Customer Report: Kronacher Werkzeugbau
- Customer Report: Helvoet
- Customer Report: MP Plast
- Customer Report: PEHA
today, the ARBURG magazine
Reprints - including excerpts - only by express permission
Responsible: Matthias Uhl
Editorial advisory board: Oliver Giesen, Juliane Hehl, Martin Hoyer,
Herbert Kraibühler, Bernd Schmid, Jürgen Schray, Wolfgang Umbrecht, Renate Würth
Editorial team: Uwe Becker (text), Nicolai Geyer (text),
Markus Mertmann (photos), Oliver Schäfer (text), Vesna Sertic (photos),
Susanne Wurst (text), Peter Zipfel (layout)
Editorial address: ARBURG GmbH + Co KG, Postfach 1109, 72286 Lossburg, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 7446 33-3105, Fax: +49 (0) 7446 33-3413
e-mail: today_kundenmagazin@arburg.com, www.arburg.com
Autom
A
nyone who has consciously
given attention to the subject,
will have been amazed to discover the variety and the multitude of
applications for lids and covers. Many
of these often unremarkable moulded parts are equipped with seals for
protection against dirt and moisture.
These are normally rubber seals. However, seals made from liquid silicone
rubber (LSR) are being increasingly
used. Sinsheimer Kunststofftechnik
GmbH (SKT) commissioned ARBURG
with the development and construction of a fully-automated production
cell for the injection of liquid silicone
seals onto metal covers. The system
operates fully autonomously, beginning with preheating of the components through to the leak test at the
end of the production process.
“It was important for us to obtain a
complete solution from a single source,”
explains SKT Managing Director Uwe
Heiss. In addition to the machine itself,
ARBURG was responsible for mould-related consulting and the entire automation.
The task: to inject an LSR seal directly
onto the metal base material. The production process must be fully automated and
the sealing of all produced parts tested.
As Uwe Heiss goes on to explain, the
specification was formulated in the shortest possible time with the support of the
2
ARBURG experts. “The fact that the
ALLROUNDER machines are relatively easy
to configure, proved to be an advantage
at the planning stage.”
The background for the demanding
requirement profile is that SKT produces
parts for numerous automotive suppliers
and must meet their high quality requirements. “In comparison with the previously
practised semi-automated production,
we will have a continuous and reproducible production process in the future,”
says Uwe Heiss. As a further advantage,
he mentions the short cycle time and the
consequently significantly improved productivity. 35 injection moulding machines
with clamping forces from 250 to 3,000
kN are in operation at the SKT parent factory in Sinsheim and in the production facility in Mosbach.
For this project, ARBURG designed a
complex autonomous production cell. It is
based upon a fully-hydraulic ALLROUNDER
520 C with a clamping force of 2,000 kN.
The machine has been equipped with a size
350 liquid silicone cylinder module, an air
blast device as well as a vacuum device and
a hydraulic needle-type shut-off nozzle.
today 39/2008
A robotic system suitable for the task at
hand was selected:a MULTILIFT V in cantilever design with a maximum load weight
of 25 kg.
The metal covers with edge lengths of
180 x 330 x 14 mm (W x L x H) weigh
about 400 grams.
The gripper mounted on the robotic
system must also be appropriately robust and must perform a variety of tasks.
It must insert parts on the nozzle side of
the mould and must remove finished parts
from the ejector side. For handling the
parts, the gripper is equipped with insertion and removal modules that can swivel
downwards through 90 degrees independently of one another.
Due to the required unit volumes, a
two-cavity mould was installed. The seals
must not contain any air enclosures. A preheating station for temperature conditioning the inserts, a cooling station and an
inspection station for finished parts were
integrated into the system. The parts are
provided via an externally-loaded paternoster system, without interrupting ongoing production. A special challenge posed
by this project was the programming for
Selection
PROJECT
ated sealing
the complex movement sequences of the
robotic system. This becomes clear when
considering a complete cycle: The system
works on the “first in, first out” principle.
A linear unit lifts two inserts at a time out
of the paternoster system and transports
them to the preheating station. The metal
covers are preheated by a hot air blower
to a maximum of 90 °C. The linear unit
then transports the preheated covers to a
transfer station.
If, due to an interruption, the specified
heating time is exceeded, the system automatically sorts out the overheated covers
and excludes them from further processing. The robotic system takes over the unprocessed parts and sets them down on a
conveyor belt at the production cell outlet. From there, the operator can return
the parts to the paternoster storage. The
same procedure is applied to parts which
have to wait too long in the transfer station.
In the next step, the gripper moves to
receive the parts, swivels the insertion
module through 90 degrees to the horizontal position and picks up the covers
using vacuum suction units. Subsequently,
the module again swivels through 90 degrees and moves into the open mould with
the parts now held vertically. The gripper
is aligned via centring pins which enter
bushes on the nozzle side of the mould.
A lift plate on the insertion module then
moves forward in order to transfer the
metal covers to the mould. They are held
there by means of vacuum.
Insertion and removal are performed simultaneously, whereby the insertion module also plays a small role in the removal
process. This is because as soon as the lift
plate is in the forward position, four parallel
grippers grasp the overflows protruding
In a highly-complex production cell
(top), seals made from silicone are injection moulded onto metal covers. The
MULTILIFT V in cantilever design (left and
above) removes and transports the parts
via a gripper that hinges through 90°.
today 39/2008
3
The parts are set down on eight cooling places
(top and left). From there, they are transported to
an inspection station by the MULTILIFT V, are leak
tested and are set down on a conveyor belt as
good parts (below).
from the nozzle side of the mould.
When the lift plate moves back, the grippers simultaneously remove the overflows.
Meanwhile, on the ejector side, the lift
plate of the removal module has moved
forward in order to remove the finished
parts using vacuum suction units. The
MULTILIFT V then moves out of the mould
and the insertion module again swivels
downwards through 90 degrees, so that
the parallel grippers can drop the overflows. The MULTILIFT, with the empty
insertion module swivelled downwards,
then moves over the cooling table.
The exact target position depends
upon the relevant dwell time of the finished parts on the cooling table. This is
because the finished parts are taken in
and out of storage according to the “first
in, first out” principle. On the cooling
table, a total of eight cooling places for
four injection cycles are available. Cooling of the finished parts is supported by
one fan per cooling place. Consequently,
the insertion module is first lowered over
those finished parts that have been subjected to the longest cooling period at this
point in time, in order to collect them. The
system then repositions itself, the removal
4
module swivels downwards through 90
degrees and the two hot covers that have
just been demoulded are set down onto
the currently free places.
The robotic system then moves to the
inspection station with the insertion and
removal modules still swivelled downwards. Here, the removal module picks up
the already inspected finished parts. Subsequently, the insertion module transfers
the finished parts that were just collected
from the cooling station to a pickup plate
for the leak test. The MULTILIFT can now
return to its starting position at the transfer station for the preheated inserts.
For the leak test, a hold-down device
presses the covers against the pick-up
plate before the hollow spaces under the
covers are evacuated. Further handling of
the finished parts depends upon the test
result. Good parts are placed on the conveyor belt, reject parts in a rejects crate.
SKT is already planning the next extension of production, as the trend towards
direct moulding of LSR seals onto carriers
made from steel, aluminium or plastic is
proceeding at a dramatic rate.
today 39/2008
INFOBOX
Founded: Sinsheimer Kunststofftechnik GmbH (SKT) in 2000
Employees: 150 in the SKT Group
Turnover: 25 million euros for the
SKT Group
Machine fleet: approx. 90 injection
moulding machines with a clamping
force range from 250 to 4,000 kN
Products: Production of thermoplastic
parts and items made from silicone
Contact: SKT - Sinsheimer Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Kaiserstraße 1,
74889 Sinsheim-Weiler, Germany
www.s-k-t.com
Selection
PROJECT
Going it together
I
nnovative, complex and technologically superior: these were the
requirements of the French Training Centre, CFAO (Centre de Formations d’Apprentis d’Oyonnax) for the
production cell that is to be used for
training purposes.
A total of twelve partners were involved in this project, which was completed within 15 months. The Training
Centre for Plastics Processing, CFP (Centre
de Formation de la Plasturgie), was the
principal coordinator of the project. And
the main contractor for the complete production cell was the French ARBURG subsidiary, which worked in close cooperation
with the Project Department of the parent
company.
The project was conceived by an expert
team of representatives from each of the
cooperative partners. The aim was to produce a complex, technical moulded part
with an innovative design by means of a
high-tech process.
After the product - a versatile ruler with
angular measurement, integrated magnifying glass and laser-printed scale - and
its design had been defined, the next step
was to find the most suitable production
process. It was determined that the best
way to manufacture this high-quality ruler
would be with a single-cavity mould. Furthermore, rheological studies showed that
sequential three-point injection would
achieve the optimum flow
characteristics and result
in reduced deformation
of the finished part.
Important features of the injection
moulding process were the hot runner
system with three needle shut-off nozzles
with external control for sequential injection and pressure and temperature control
sensors in the mould. To produce the magnifying glass during the injection moulding process, the mould was equipped with
a core-pull-controlled stamp.
At the heart of the production cell
was an electric ALLROUNDER 420 A
with a clamping force of 1,000 kN and
a MULTILIFT V vertical robotic system
for removing and setting down parts.
A turning unit integrated in the gripper
enabled the rulers to be positioned on
the 24-station rotary table in such a way
as to enable the underside to be laserprinted after the appropriate cooling time.
today 38/2008
The rulers cool off on the 24-station
rotary table and are then conveyed
to the laser-printing process.
In this project, both the material - transparent PMMA - and the quality of the
moulded part meant that the laser process was subject to stringent requirements.
At the end of the process, to protect the
rulers they were set down in trays on the
conveyor belt by the robotic system.
5
A full line-up
B
ayer MaterialScience AG now
has six production cells in operation at its Thermoplastics
Testing Centre and a seventh already
in planning, for the fully automatic
production of test pieces and test
plates. The project system was installed at the beginning of this year,
on the basis of an ALLROUNDER 570 C
with which test plates of three different thicknesses are being produced.
Bayer MaterialScience AG belongs to
the international Bayer Corporation and
has a total of 60 ALLROUNDERs in operation at its production and research plants
around the world. Around 20 of these are
in the Thermoplastics Testing Centre (TTC)
in Uerdingen. The company has worked
together with ARBURG for more than 25
years and “the cooperation is excellent,”
emphasises Bernd Winkelmann (Global
Activities at the TTC) and he explains
why: “In ARBURG, we have an extremely
reliable development partner and we are
very impressed with the continuity of its
company development and its consistent
implementation of state-of-the-art production processes.”
Selection
PROJECT
of projects
A focal point of research at the Thermoplastics Testing Center is the development of scratch-resistant coatings for the
automotive glazing sector.
The new production cell is employed
for the development of optical components. “This enables us to get develop-
ed on machines with offset injection using
a straight, cold runner direct sprue.
Furthermore, particle contamination of
surfaces is prevented by clean-air modules
above the machine’s clamping unit and
the robotic system and ionisation of the
test plates from both sides.
Stations in the automated test piece production line (photos from left): Three-cavity
mould for test plates with different thicknesses, sprue separation at the cutting station, cooling section with coded mould nests
and transfer to the packaging system.
ing section. At the end of the cooling
section, the test plates are picked up by a
pick & place device and are set down on
the conveyor system of the film packaging
machine. When packaging is complete,
the bags are printed with part-specific
data, which are provided by Bayer’s process data system.
ment projects up and running quickly and
standardise our equipment worldwide,”
says Klaus Salewski, Processing Manager at the TTC, describing the successful
teamwork thus: “ARBURG’s Project Department elaborated a detailed solution
corresponding to our requirements and
supplied the entire system. We organised
the mould construction ourselves, as we
have specialist expertise in this field.”
The test plates are manufactured in
three different thicknesses, a process
requiring very high accuracy and surface
quality. The demands placed on the machine and parts handling are correspondingly high, as during the production sequence, the platen surface must not be
touched at any time.
The test plates are produced on the
ALLROUNDER 570 C with a clamping force
of 2,000 kN by means of a flash sprue,
whereby the modified ARBURG VARIO
technique enables the plates to be mould-
To enable the different test plates to be
produced without changing the mould,
the latter has three cavities with different
thicknesses, of which only one is in use at
a time. When changing to another cavity,
the mould insert is moved on the nozzle
side by a servo motor.
After the injection moulding process,
the MULTILIFT H robotic system picks up
the finished part, swivels it from a vertical
to a horizontal position, moves the underside above an ionising unit and transfers the test plate to a pneumatic linear
axis with the sprue facing upwards. The
test plate travels to the cutting station to
separate the flash sprue, then back into
position ready for transfer by the robotic
system. At the same time, the upper side
of the finished part is ionised and also
blown off.
The robotic system then picks up the
finished part again and sets it down transversely on a workpiece carrier in the cool-
today 38/2008
INFOBOX
Locations: Approx. 30 production
and research locations
Employees: Around 14.900
Turnover: Approx. 10.2 billion euros
in 2006
Products: High-quality materials such
as polycarbonates and polyurethane,
innovative system solutions such as
finishes
Machine fleet: Around 60
ALLROUNDERs worldwide
Contact: Bayer MaterialScience AG,
Thermoplastics Testing Center,
address: R 33, Rheinuferstraße 7-9,
47829 Krefeld, Germany
www.ttc.bayermaterialscience.de
7
Automated
P
articularly for parts suppliers in the automotive sector,
the achievement of time (and
consequently cost) advantages has
played a decisive role for many years.
For European producers and suppliers, this has become even more relevant in view of the global, and in
particular Asian, competition. Companies who aim to produce high volume
parts in-house must comprehensively
automate the production process.
An automated production concept of
this kind has been comprehensively implemented by Kongsberg Automotive
Germany in Dassel for the manufacture of
gear lever knobs. ARBURG was the project
partner who implemented the complete
system on both the mechanical and technological side.
As a globally operating company,
Kongsberg Automotive Holding ASA develops, designs, produces and sells innovative products and technical components
for industrial applications in all areas of
automotive engineering. Kongsberg components are employed throughout the automotive sector as practical, cost-effective
and reliable solutions. The company is
based in Kongsberg in Norway. Its current annual turnover amounts to around
1 billion euros. 50 Kongsberg factories in
Selection
PROJECT
automotive
20 countries around the globe produce
system solutions for vehicle manufacturers
worldwide. More than 11,000 employees
ensure that customer orders are carried
out exactly as requested.
In co-operation with ARBURG, the subsidiary Kongsberg Automotive Germany,
formerly Teleflex Automotive Germany
GmbH in Dassel, has developed a production line for manufacturing gear lever
knobs for the automotive sector. A preassembled, combined insert part consists
of a die-cast insert in which a plastic insert
is clipped. This insert part is pre-assembled
on the production line and then encapsulated with thermoplastic polyurethane
(TPU).
The production cell is highly autonomous. The insert parts are provided in
bulk then separated, assembled, aligned,
inserted and encapsulated. Following
encapsulation, the finished parts are removed, cooled and conveyed away.
Integrated in the production cell is an
ALLROUNDER 420 C 1300-800 machine
featuring dual-pump technology that enables simultaneous movements. The mould
has four cavities.
Of particular interest is the complex
handling of the parts, which is performed
by a MULTILIFT V in an overhead design.
The robotic system is arranged transversely
to the machine axis; the load bearing ca-
pacity is 15 kilograms. The complexity of
automating the production process places
particular demands both on the MULTILIFT
V and the peripherals, especially with regard to precise provision and handling of
the parts. During parts handling, it must
above all be ensured that the visible surface of the finished parts is not touched.
The process sequence is as follows: The
insert parts are initially provided by means
of two steep belt conveyors. In the bowl
feeders, the insert parts are aligned, separated and fed in the correct position to the
subsequent linear conveyors. The linear
conveyors transport the insert parts to the
transfer position. The gripper’s transfer
module picks up the die-cast inserts from
the linear conveyor and moves above the
assembly device. The gripper is secured
precisely above the plastic inserts located
in the assembly device with the aid of a
docking plate. A pneumatic cylinder pushes the plastic insert into the die-cast insert from below and clips the two parts
together. The pre-assembled insert part
is then set down on the transfer station.
Four assembly processes are performed in
each machine cycle. In order to achieve a
paired alignment in relation to the mould
cavity, two insert parts are rotated by
180 degrees on the transfer station using
a swivel device.
The gripper of the MULTILFT V takes
the insert parts from the transfer station with the insert module. The parts,
which are now positioned horizontally,
are moved to the open mould via the gripper. The removal module picks up the four
finished parts and transfers them to the
parallel grippers. The gripper then moves
to the insertion position, aligning itself by
means of centring pins on the mould. The
pneumatic lift plate pushes the insert parts
horizontally into the mould from the ejector side. The gripper then retracts.
The finished parts are set down on a
spiked conveyor belt and cool down there
today 37/2008
The encapsulated gear lever knobs file out of
the production cell (photos, left). The foaming
process was replaced with injection moulding
thanks to the project system.
for at least 30 minutes in order to prevent
surface damage. The finished parts are collected in a crate, counted and then transferred to a heavy-load roller conveyor.
Thanks to the customer-oriented development, process engineering consulting and implementation of the project
system, Kongsberg Automotive Germany
was able to replace the foamed gear
lever knobs with injection moulded ones.
The objective of automating the manual
working steps was fully achieved. This
prevented production of this component
being moved abroad.
INFOBOX
Location: Dassel, Germany
Employees: approximately 300
Products: Gearshift systems, gear
lever knobs with inserts using foaming
and injection moulding processes
Contact: Kongsberg Automotive
Germany, Am Burgberg 7,
37586 Dassel, Germany,
www.kongsbergautomotive.com
9
Selection
PRODUCT
Learning step-by-step
S
tep-by-step, intelligent robotic
systems can “learn” the positions they are to move to in
order to pick up and set down parts
with the highest precision. A teachin function of this type is now also
available for ARBURG’s MULTILIFT V
SELECT robotic system via the
SELOGICA ‘direct’ control system.
The MULTILIFT V SELECT, which was introduced onto the market at the K 2007, is
a newly configured servo-electric robotic
system that is competitively priced thanks
to a set of pre-defined features. A suitable MULTILIFT V SELECT is available for
each machine size of the ALLROUNDER A
and S (270 upwards). The introduction
of this basic robotic system responded to
customers’ wishes for a simple programming solution - ideally without the need
for specialised programming knowledge.
Consequently, the new teach-in function is now available on the MULTILIFT V
SELECT.
But how exactly does this enable the
robotic system to become more “intelligent”, when in many cases the operator
knows the movement sequence of the robotic system - for part removal, for example - but is unfamiliar with the programming options.
In the so-called “Teach mode”, all the
positions of the robotic system are moved
10
to manually in succession. The various
positions are simply confirmed via the
“Teach” button. All the necessary parameter entries are then performed automatically in the control system. Simultaneously,
SELOGICA ‘direct’ independently generates the robotic sequence and integrates
it into the machine cycle. The last-entered
position can be cancelled via an “undo”
function, in order to quickly reverse incorrect programming.
The new teach-in function makes the
programming of robotic systems easier
thanks to its intuitive operating options.
Installation technicians and machine operators can easily create robotic
sequences and position them in
the machine cycle. The robotic
system is rendered highly
flexible owing to this
new, free
form of
programming.
All the individual removal
sequences can be implemented
easily and reliably. The fine tuning
of all the robotic system movements can be performed
via the stored parameter
screens in the sequence editor of the SELOGICA ‘direct’
today 37/2008
With the teach-in function, the
MULTILIFT V SELECT robotic system
easily finds its way.
control system. In future, the teach-in
function will also be available on all other
MULTILIFT robotic systems.
ARBURG GmbH + Co KG
Postfach 11 09 · 72286 Lossburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 74 46 33-0
Fax: +49 (0) 74 46 33 33 65
e-mail: contact@arburg.com
www.arburg.com
Simply international!
The touchpap
REP
S
ITEC
Industrietechnologie
GmbH is at home in Chemnitz.
Its key focus is the construction
of innovative, custom-made machines.
The company has a large division dedicated to assembly system solutions.
ARBURG was SITEC’s system partner
on as many as three complex assembly lines for the automated production of supplied parts for the automotive industry. The systems are now all
working faultlessly at Siemens VDO
Automotive in Limbach-Oberfrohna.
SITEC’s customers all over Europe particularly appreciate the company’s specialist expertise. Conducting research and
development in a production-based environment is a matter of priority at SITEC,
and creates the foundations for innovative products and services. To ensure the
high level of qualification of all employees,
SITEC employs an integrated quality management system to DIN EN ISO 9001 and
implements a teamwork strategy in bringing projects to fruition. At the same time,
state-of-the-art technology, modularity
and adaptability are the hallmarks both of
the company organisation and the products. This guarantees short order processing times and ensures that full use is made
of available resources.
In the field of assembly system solutions, the SITEC experts plan and create complete assembly lines and hybrid
systems, as well as highly productive as-
12
sembly robotic systems, in accordance
with the customer’s requirement specification.
The co-operative venture with ARBURG
concerned the fully automated encapsulation of a component for injection nozzles
with integrated piezo, which controls the
release of fuel injection in modern passenger cars. It functions like this: charged
with electricity, the piezo expands and activates the fuel injection process. The advantages of this type of control are short,
precise switching times and distances and
a low-wear component function, resulting
in a longer service life.
As the main contractor, SITEC was
responsible for all three assembly lines,
from their design to their technical implementation and organisation. Each assembly line consists of the production complexes preassembly with integrated laser
processing, connector encapsulation and
inspection including final assembly. In this
project ARBURG worked in co-operation
with FPT Amtzell on the connector en-
today 36/2007
capsulation production complex, which
incorporates fully automated handling,
encapsulation and removal, as well as
the forwarding of inserts to downstream
processing stations.
The vertical ALLROUNDER 1500 T
2000-350 machine with a clamping force
of 2,000 kN and size 350 injection unit,
which is integrated in the production complex, works with a rotary table that rotates
forwards and backwards in two cycles. It is
connected to the overall system by means
of a Euromap interface, which indicates
when the parts are free and the rotary table is in the filling position. The SELOGICA
machine control system ensures a smooth
encapsulation process, while a separate
Kuka control provides problem-free automated sequences.
In addition, three eight-cavity moulds
were built for a total of three different
types of engine. Inserts with connector
head at 0°, upright in the mould, inserts
with connector head at 12°, lying in the
mould, and inserts with connector head at
Selection
PROJECT
er for exciting ideas
30°, also lying in the mould, can be produced in this way. These parts can then
be used to equip vehicles with pump-jet
engines and common rail injection.
The injection moulding sequence is
executed as follows: inserts and finished
parts are handled and conveyed by a robotic cell, which comprises a three-axis
overhead-type unit and an additional
three-axis gripper, and a further three-axis
traversing robotic system. The robotic cell
is designed to make inserts available or
to place finished parts in the ready workpiece carriers in an orderly manner, and
allows the three-dimensional handling of
the items over a total of six axes. This is
essential, because the single gripper has
to be able to perform rotary, tilting and insertion movements for all three parts. And
there is a reason for this: at the customer’s wishes, all three systems have been
designed to be so flexible that
all three moulds can be employed on any one of them.
The cycle time of 48 seconds
for encapsulation plus 1.5 seconds for
rotating the ALLROUNDER tables makes
this method possible, as the systems can
therefore make parts available, remove
or encapsulate them simultaneously.
Because components such as moulds, insertion and removal grippers or sliding table inserts are changed rapidly, the set-up
times are also kept to a minimum.
In general, the injection moulding sequence is as follows: first, the robotic cell
removes the parts to be encapsulated
from the supplied workpiece carrier and
places them in an eight-piece sliding table
in the correct position. This sliding table
has two levels, which travel to and fro in
alternation and from which the traversing
robotic system either removes the ready
parts or to which they are returned after
the encapsulation process. While the machine is starting up, the fast robotic cell
places dummy inserts from a separate
drawer in the sliding table for encapsulation. The plastic encapsulation can be
removed from these aluminium lathed
parts, so that they can be reused. There
are two additional separation and removal
channels for the purpose of quality control: via separate conveyor belts, random
samples for QA and “not OK” parts can
be collected.
The injection moulding solution described above was integrated by SITEC in
a downstream automation solution, which
also incorporates the supply of inserts and
the finishing of the encapsulated components. The fully automated production sequence runs in three shifts.
today 36/2007
The connector encapsulation production
complex with rotary table ALLROUNDER
and robotic cell (centre left). The finished
part is placed in the workpiece carrier
(centre right) either upright or lying down,
depending on the product version
(top left). Dummies are inserted
during the start-up phase (top right).
INFOBOX
Founded: In 1991 as a planning and
engineering office
Employees: around 140
Products: Test stands, laser systems,
machine and operating data acquisition, electrochemical metalworking,
production of system components
and assembly system solutions,
diverse engineering services
Contact: SITEC Industrietechnologie
GmbH, Bornaer Str. 192,
D-09114 Chemnitz, Germany,
www.sitec-chemnitz.de
13
Integrating
injection
I
n
collaboration
with Oechsler AG,
the mould manufacturer and producer/developer
of moulded parts from Ansbach,
ARBURG is presenting a production
cell at the K 2007, which produces
LED light strips. The unit is produced
on an automated multi-component
ALLROUNDER using high-performance plastics, and is ready for immediate use. This demo part shows that
functional injection moulding can
achieve an exceptional performance,
above all, by integrating several process steps in the injection mould.
Besides Oechsler, initiator and conceiver of the original idea, who also took
on responsibility for mould technology,
Günther contributed its hot-runner technology, Kiki and Rohwedder worked on
automation, Osram Opto Semiconductors
provided the LEDs and Siemens supplied
the conductive plastic.
The lenses, which were moulded ready
for the insertion of three LEDs, consist of
transparent polyamide and the light strip
14
housing is made from
ABS. The printed conductors are
produced from conductive PA. All three
plastics can be processed together without any problems on the three-component ALLROUNDER. In downstream work
operations, the fabricated upper casings
with inscribed lower casings and battery
can be assembled and transported out of
the plant as a finished article. The upper
and lower casings together with the integrated battery make up the finished light
strip.
The injection units of the ALLROUNDER
370 S 600-70-30-30 three-component
machine are arranged in an L-configuration. Here, one unit injects through the
fixed platen, a second vertically into the
parting line and the third from the rear
of the machine. The MULTILIFT V robotic
system takes the moulded parts vertically
out of the mould. The three servo-electric
today 36/2008
axes of the removal robotic system are also capable of executing complex set-down
operations quickly and
precisely.
During the production
cycle, first the housing is
moulded, then the lenses are
injected into the corresponding recesses. The MULTILIFT
robotic system then inserts the
resistor and the three LEDs. Next,
the upper casing is completed by
the addition of the third, conductive
PA component, and removed from the
mould. Sub-processes in the mould reflect
the complexity of the task. The threecomponent injection moulding process
involves not just the production of the
housing and lenses: the highly conductive plastic is inserted in the mould using hot-runner technology, the electronic
components are encapsulated and the
contacts formed, and the LEDs and lenses
Selection
SPECIAL K 2007
functions in the
moulding process
are mounted in the casing. To achieve all
this, the mould technology combines a full
hot runner with a hot-runner/cold-runner
three-platen system in a three-station rotary mould.
Dr. Dietmar Drummer, Oechsler AG’s
contact person with responsibility for this
complex exhibition project, summarises
the joint commitment of the involved companies as follows: “This system is intended
to show what processes we are already
able to combine in one injection moulding operation, in a way that makes sense
in both machine and mould, in terms of
production, insertion, function integration
and assembly processes. At the “K”, we
are demonstrating the integrated production of the upper, functional casing, but
in principle the final production of the
complete light strip through individual,
downstream assembly processes would
not pose any problems. A conventional
9-V block battery is employed. With the
additional lower casing, the light strip can
also be used as a torch. To this aim, the
design of the assembly includes a button in the head. This also helps to show
how the selection of plastics, the design
of components/assemblies and modern
processes can successfully combine to integrate functions in the most intelligent
way.”
Integrating complex functions in a single production cycle through the intelligent design of moulds and processes - this
is one of the futuristic trends demonstrated to perfection in a standard production
environment at ARBURG’s exhibition stand
at the K.
today 36/2008
Cast from the same mould: Complex functions can be integrated in a single injection
moulding process. A three-station mould
(right) produces the upper casing (top left) of
a light strip complete with lenses and LEDs.
INFOBOX
Project idea: To produce a fully
functional LED light strip in threecomponent technology
Project partners: Oechsler (initiator,
responsible for mould and injection
moulding technology), ARBURG
(machines and robotic systems),
Günther (hot-runner systems),
Kiki/Rohwedder (automation),
Osram Opto Semiconductors (LEDs),
Siemens (conductive plastic)
Project goal: To demonstrate a
combination of innovative technologies
Contact: Oechsler AG, Dr. Dietmar
Drummer, Matthias-Oechsler-Str. 9,
91522 Ansbach, Germany,
www.oechsler.com
15
Injection mou
A
key focus of ARBURG’s stand
at the “K” lay in demonstrating the great flexibility of
ALLROUNDER injection moulding
technology. Integrated in project systems with upstream and downstream
processes, the ALLROUNDERs proved
their aptitude for integration and
high performance. In this they were
assisted by their modular design, special equipment packages and the universal SELOGICA machine control.
On an ALLROUNDER 920 S 5000-4600,
for example, ARBURG is producing a complete plastic folding crate. For this purpose, the new, largest size 4600 injection
unit, with a choice of screw diameters of
80, 90 and 100 millimetres and a maximum possible shot weight of 2,583 g/PS,
was employed for the first time. The five
parts that make up the complete crate
are produced in a common injection
operation in five different cavities. The
parts in question are the base, two short
16
and two long side pieces.
The mould is equipped
with a full hot runner and
cascade control.
The
finished
folding
crate measures 40 x 30 x 15
centimetres and weighs one
kilogram. The parts are removed from the mould by a
MULTILIFT V robotic system
in overhead design. All five
parts are removed simultaneously and placed one after
the other in the separate assembly station. For the connection of the side pieces,
they are positioned with precision on the
base and pressed together using caulking
units. Assembly is parallel to the injection
moulding process, so that no time is lost.
The SELOGICA machine control system of
the ALLROUNDERs not only controls the
machines, but also the robotic system and
complete assembly operation. In this way,
the assembly station sequences can be integrated in the familiar graphic editor and
programmed there as required.
A new size 70 injection
unit is also employed in the
production of coil shells on
an electric ALLROUNDER
370 A 600-70, which can be
equipped with screws of 18,
22 and 25 millimetre diameter. Its range extends from
miniature parts to moulded
parts with a maximum shot
weight of 40 g PS.
today 36/2008
On this machine, high-quality production is additionally guaranteed by pressure
and temperature measurement that is integrated in the mould, and which supplies
the basic data for “quality control”.
After the injection moulding process, the
robotic system moves the coil shells individually to an optical inspection station, which
uses a camera with light to check whether
the moulded parts are complete and the thin
gutters for the insertion of the solder pins
are perfectly formed. In addition, the image
processing system measures the functionrelevant dimensions of the coil shell.
Selection
SPECIAL K 2007
lding and more
The reference characteristic or quality
control function enhances the familiar injection process control with a new, userfriendly version. The aim is to record the
holding pressure as close to the moulded
part as possible, and to regulate it in order
to minimise disturbing influences. Once
the optimum setting for high-quality
moulded parts has been found, this curve
profile can be recorded for all relevant signals. The reference model can be stored
in the machine control system. Extensive
tests have shown that with reference characteristic control, precise process control
is achieved in a user-friendly way, ensuring lasting high quality of moulded parts
in the production sequence. Thus, with
this method the
injection moulding process can be
stabilised quickly,
conveniently and
in a practice-oriented manner to produce
a specified part quality.
Speed coupled with precision are
the key aspects of an in-mould labelling project presented by ARBURG at the
K 2007. This process demonstrates the
extremely cost-effective production of labelled yoghurt tubs in a six-cavity mould.
All the necessary automation elements
were designed based on an ALLROUNDER
570 A which, at 2,000 kN and with an
800 injection unit, is currently the largest
electric injection moulding machine in the
ARBURG machine range.
First of all, six labels are picked up together by the handling device, placed on
the fixed half of the mould by a precisionadjustable transfer hand, and exactly positioned. The tubs are simultaneously removed from the ejector side. This process
has a complete cycle time of under four
seconds. Time is saved during production
not just by rapid peripheral routines and
the short in-mould lamination cycle, however, but also through the fact that part
removal and label insertion are executed
simultaneously.
With these three systems, ARBURG
impressively demonstrates how moulded
parts should be economically produced
in the future: with fast, precise, complete
systems, which incorporate several production steps and thereby enable even
complex manufacturing operations to be
controlled reliably and clearly.
Money-saving project at the ARBURG stand:
Folding crate (top left), injection moulded
and assembled in an integrated process,
highly precise coil shells (bottom and centre left)
and yoghurt tubs in the IML system (top).
today 36/2008
17
Thermoset
I
n a clutch system produced for ZF
Sachs, a piston made from thermoset
is used which is produced on a project
system built around an ALLROUNDER
420 C 1000-250 with a MULTILIFT V robotic system at KE in the Black Forest
town of Mönchweiler. In the production cell, the piston is not only injection
moulded, but also completely finished
and visually checked, rendering it immediately ready for installation.
Owing to the fact that a magnetic
sensor for precise positional detection
is integrated in this particular clutch system, conventional steel piston could not
be used. The Managing Director of Kunststoff- und Elektrotechnik GmbH (KE),
Arnold Klausmann, explains: “Comprehensive tests have shown that the thermoset
pistons have no disadvantages compared
to those made from steel or aluminium.
A direct comparison even revealed that
thermoset had benefits: The thermoset piston achieved a higher degree of
efficiency, the material is also lighter,
reducing the overall weight of the assembly.” Thanks to the high-quality moulds
made by KE in an in-house mould making shop, the thermoset piston produced is completely dimensionally stable
and features a smooth, highly polished
18
surface due to its material properties.
However, the thermoset piston does
have to be finished, in order to remove
burrs and irregularities resulting from
overfeed. In order to nevertheless ensure
economic volume production, the entire
production process has been automated
within a project system in cooperation
with ARBURG.
The high-grade surface finish, dimensional stability and durability of the piston
require a high compression of the thermoset material. Targeted venting
is ensured by means of a
p re cis e l y - d e f in e d
overfeed.
This
injection moulding
technique
requires a few additional finishing
stations. Following
part removal, the sprues
are separated, a bevel is provided on the
moulded parts and overfeed irregularities
are simultaneously removed. Subsequently, the burrs on the internal thread are removed and the parts are finally cleaned. In
order to prevent damage to the sensitive
surface of the piston, the gripper of the
robotic system can only hold the item in a
precisely defined edge zone. The gripper
must also be able to compensate for the
today 35/2008
high torques generated during finishing by
means of high holding forces. In addition
to the ALLROUNDER and the MULTILIFT V
with the relevant gripper configuration,
ARBURG also integrated all the finishing
stations into the production cell. In addition to the four-cavity mould, KE contributed to the overall setup by providing the
camera-monitored inspection station and
the magazining facility.
The ALLROUNDER 420 C operates with
dual-pump technology for regulated machine processes and features extended tie
bars, a special thermoset cylinder, injection pressure increased to 2,500
bar, an air blast unit and additional
equipment for compression injection moulding and venting, as
well as the ARBURG unscrewing
unit. The MULTILIFT V, in a transverse overhead design, can support a
maximum load of 15 kilograms.
The production sequence is as follows:
Initially, the gripper moves into the mould
and removes the four moulded parts.
During the demoulding process, a picker
removes the sprue and drops it into a container. The mould halves are simultaneously blown out via several nozzles on the
gripper.
At the milling station, the parts are
consecutively provided with a bevel.
Selection
PROJECT
In the complex project system, a four-way gripper
(photos on left) performs removal of the injected
parts and their further transport to the various finishing stations (photo below). The finished pistons
are used in a clutch system.
replaces steel
INFOBOX
Simultaneously, the outer overfeed material is removed. The electric motor of the
milling tool runs permanently, the chippings are removed via a connected industrial vacuum.
The burrs on the internal thread of the
finished parts are removed simultaneously. Here too, the finished parts are first
centred via the mountings. Four pneumatically-moved grinding heads remove the
burrs. The insides of the parts are cleaned
on a pneumatic station. The lift plate of
the gripper in turn positions the finished
parts precisely onto the pins of this station. Once again, the industrial vacuum
is connected in order to remove the
chippings.
In order to prepare for the 100%
camera inspection at the last station of
the system, the surface of the pistons is
cleaned by means of rotating felt bands on
a further station. The robotic system then
transfers the finished parts to the inspection station. Good parts are picked up by
the robotic system and ejected according
to cavity via tubes. Detected reject parts
are separated beforehand.
During the development and construction of the production cells, the cooperation between KE and ARBURG was so satisfactory that a change of suppliers on the
part of KE is virtually excluded.
today 35/2008
Founded: 1978, member of the
Siedle Group
Employees: around 90
Products: Technical parts, system
components and assemblies made
from thermoplastics and thermosets
for the electro-technical, automotive,
semiconductor, consumer goods and
medical technology sectors.
Production cells: Currently, five
systems for the production of thermoset pistons; 34 injection moulding
machines, of which eight are for thermoset processing
Contact: Kunststoff- und Elektro
technik GmbH, Fichtenstraße 64,
D-78087 Mönchweiler
www.ke-technik.de
19
Project
Selection
PROJECT
expertise
T
he specialists for furniture and
chair casters are based near
Stuttgart. More precisely, the
company GROSS + FROELICH, which
was founded in 1879 in Stuttgart has
been located in Weil der Stadt since
1997. In family ownership for four
generations, the company has produced a large variety of casters for
generations of families. The decisive
parameters with regard to casters
include the necessary load-bearing
capacity and the starting, rolling and
swivelling resistances which must be
overcome.
These stringent quality requirements
were also placed upon the ARBURG
project department during the task of developing a simple and low-cost solution
for inserting the wheel cores.
The so-called “soft” casters from the
caster specialists’ product range consist
of a hard wheel core (PA6) and a polyurethane encapsulation. The wheel core
is also produced by GROSS + FROELICH.
A two-component machine was not possible for technical reasons relating to the
mould. The casters also had to be produced in different colour and material
combinations.
The ARBURG project department’s
goal was to reduce the mould open time
and consequently the overall cycle time by
means of an economical solution. A highly
-autonomous production cell with part
separation and positionally correct feed of
the pre-moulded parts in accordance with
the mould cavity spacing were required,
followed by insertion and encapsulation.
The production cell had to be capable
of producing furniture casters with diameters of 50, 60. 65 and 70 millimetres. The
robotic system and peripherals therefore
had to be designed such as to enable fast
and simple mould changes.
The centrepiece of the cell is a
ALLROUNDER 520 C 2000-800 with
a 16-cavity mould and an integrated
MULTILIFT H. The gripper is designed to
accommodate the different caster diameters and features a total of 16 suction cups
with clamping rings attached to a pneumatic lifting plate.
The wheel cores are fed via a bin conveyor in a steep-belt design to ensure
ergonomic feeding. The inserts are sepa-
today 34/2008
rated and aligned in the bowl feeder and
then fed to a chute. The wheel cores slide
down to a transfer station by the force
of gravity. Continuous feed is ensured by
means of a sensor.
The parts are aligned by their hubs,
which enter into recesses in the receptacle
of the transfer station. As soon as all recesses contain insert parts, the receptacle
advances to the transfer position. A total
of 16 (4x4) insert parts are aligned and received by the robotic system.
The gripper is centred at the separation
device and picks up four inserts via the
suction cups. The gripper then moves to
21
Selection
PROJEK T
the open mould and, following a
specified delay, the two mould halves
are sprayed with release agent via nozzles mounted on the gripper. The spraying procedure is also programmed via the
SELOGICA control system. The gripper lift
plate then advances and places the inserts
in the mould.
When the mould opens at the end of
the cycle, the finished parts are demoulded by the ejector and transported from
the injection moulding machine via an integrated conveyor belt.
Thanks to the project solution implemented, mould open time and consequently the overall cycle time is shortened significantly. To date, ARBURG has
supplied two of these project systems
to GROSS + FROELICH. Project engineer
Andreas Armbruster likes to emphasise
that “the robotic system was implemented only to the extent necessary in order to
achieve an economically interesting concept. This particular challenge was solved
very efficiently with the MULTILIFT H.”
Armbruster also assessed the cooperation
with GROSS + FROELICH as very pleasant
and trouble-free.
The long-standing caster manufacturer was also highly satisfied with the solution developed jointly with the ARBURG
project department. In contrast to previous solutions, considerable savings are
now being achieved.
22
today 34/2008
Manfred Wörner, Production Manager for Plastics Injection Moulding at
GROSS + FROELICH, is “highly satisfied
with the consulting competence and the
smooth implementation of the project
by ARBURG.”
The MULTILIFT H integrated in the autonomous
production cell guarantees a considerable and
economically valuable reduction in the overall
cycle time. The gripper picks up the separated
wheel cores by means of 16 suction cups.
INFOBOX
Founded: 1879
Machine fleet: 27 injection moulding
machines, incl. 21 ALLROUNDERs
Products: Casters, glides
Contact:
GROSS + FROELICH GmbH & Co. KG
71263 Weil der Stadt, Germany
www.gross-froelich.de
Internationally original. Those looking for flexibility, quality, performance
and durability, are in the right place with ARBURG. In addition to our high standards in production
and vertical integration, there is another powerful argument: our entire product range is characterized by the attribute “Made in Germany”. Because all of our machines and components are
produced exclusively at the parent factory in Lossburg, Germany. And this will not change.
ARBURG GmbH + Co KG
Postfach 11 09 · 72286 Lossburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 74 46 33-0
Fax: +49 (0) 74 46 33 33 65
e-mail: contact@arburg.com
www.arburg.com
You can rely on that!
Selection
CUSTOMER REPORT
T
he standards for plastic parts
used in the automotive sector
are extremely stringent. Those
who wish to succeed in this market
segment must comply with the highest quality standards. Kronacher
Werkzeugbau KWB achieves this comprehensively: with system services
from their own mould construction
department and injection moulding
production, with certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 and
DIN EN ISO/TS 16949 and an all-inclusive quality inspection and documentation system.
This has resulted in a cumulative
increase in sales of 175 % between 2000
and 2005. KWB works in the higher
clamping force range with ALLROUNDERS
from ARBURG.
The company was founded in Kronach,
Bavaria. Today, following relocation from
Bavaria to Neuhaus-Schierschnitz in Thuringia in 1995, moulds and plastic parts are
manufactured over 3,600 square metres
of floorspace.
Managing Director Dietmar Korb sees
the sustained upward trend above all as
the result of synergy effects resulting from
combining mould construction and injection moulding production under a single
roof. “Together with the modernisation
measures carried out in terms of increased
automation of our production, I anticipate
continuous moderate sales increases in
line with the market in future. We will also
take new technologies on board in order
to ensure competitive production on an international level. The fact that this strategy
even creates jobs has been clearly demonstrated through the development of KWB
according to Steffen Thomas, Commercial
and Human Resources Director.
“Some 80 % of our products and components”, says Michael Scherbel, Department Manager for Plastics Production,
“are destined for the automotive sector,
mainly for interior applications. We mainly
24
produce as a subcontractor for OEMs
(Original Equipment Manufacturers).
However, our portfolio is also completed
by other products, for instance for the
electrical, household and toys sectors.”
Production quality is assured by an
in-house quality department. A broad
range of materials is used for
plastic parts production, including special plastics with particular visual and quality features as
well as highly temperature-resistant plastics. KWB’s customers are based primarily in Ger-
solutions for our specific requirements
as well as a good and affordable service.
The package is just right,” comments
Michael Scherbel.
With 16 ALLROUNDERS, complemented by several MULTILIFT H robot systems, ARBURG produces more than half
Photos : K ronacher
Zero faults
many, France, Spain and Poland.
One product line the company specialises in are fan blades,
the materials for which have a
glass fibre content of up to sixty
per cent. Hard/soft combinations with modified polyamides
in conjunction with SEBS and
TPE materials are a further production focus as well as thumbwheels made from several plastics, which are installed in vehicle interiors
and backlit. “It is evident from our main
product focus,” says Michael Scherbel,
“that our expertise is primarily concentrated on the production of highly-complex
multi-component items with the highest
requirements in terms of surface quality
and durability.”
The cooperation with ARBURG dates
back to 1984, when the Kronach-based
company built up its plastics production
facility. “In addition to the excellent machine and peripheral technologies, with
the comprehensive consulting by the field
service and the expert support from headquarters, ARBURG has offered us perfect
today 34/2008
of KWB’s injection moulding machines,
which cover a clamping force range from
1,000 to 2,000 kN. All the machines run in
three-shift operation, some shifts are even
unmanned. Maintenance of the machines
and equipment is performed jointly by the
ARBURG customer service and Kronacher’s
internal maintenance department.
During the production of multi-component parts, KWB guarantees its customers
“zero faults” as the ALLROUNDERs operate with camera monitoring. Both hard/
hard and hard/soft combinations are produced here. A good example for this type
of machine-based 100 per-cent control
is a housing produced as a hard/soft
guaranteed
Kronacher Werkzeugbau
Klug GmbH & Co. KG
combination, which is checked for quality
at every shot.
In terms of material combinations,
some unusual solutions have been implemented. One example is a two-component connector for the electronics
industry. The special feature here is that
the PPS material is encapsulated with a
conductive Luvocom in a single process
step, allowing time-optimised and costeffective production.
How do the decision-makers evaluate
the ARBURG injection moulding technology? Michael Scherbel says, “All the
ALLROUNDERs are equipped with the
SELOGICA control system, a 3-axis servo
motor handling system, which operates
behind special guarding, and conveyor
belts, all made by ARBURG. The entire
production process can be managed in
a highly integrated manner according to
the SELOGICA control philosophy. Overall, we have found that the machines are
able to maintain a high technical level
over the complete running time, which is
of course enormously important for our
stringent quality standards.
INFOBOX
Modern production and
quality control over an area of
3,600 square metres with
113 employees in Thuringia.
today 34/2008
Founded: 1954 by Alfred Klug,
Paul Riedel and Franz Schneider
Employees: 113
Machine fleet: 29 machines with
clamping forces from 250 to 2,000 kN,
incl. 16 ALLROUNDERs
Products: High-quality moulds for
plastic injection moulding and dies
for die casing, the production of single and multi-component injection
moulded components made from
high-quality and difficult-to-process
plastics.
Address: Kronacher Werkzeugbau
Klug GmbH & Co. KG, Bahnhofstr. 32 a,
D - 96524 Neuhaus-Schierschnitz,
www.kc-wzb.de
25
Driving force: Custo
H
elvoet B.V. has been involved
in the processing of rubber and
plastics for over 60 years. The
excellent reputation which the company enjoys as a manufacturer of highprecision technology components in
the micro and small parts sector is attributable to factors which are also to
be found in child‘s play: unlimited and
never-ending experimentation with
new possibilities and their limitations.
P h oto : H e l vo e t
The Dutch company, based in Hellevoetsluis and Eindhoven operates a further production location in Singapore and a joint venture
in South Korea. Worldwide, Helvoet has 380
employees.
Control systems for the automotive industry, dosing devices for beverages (coffee
machines and beer) and cosmetics (hair spray
and creams), Seals for household appliances
as well as gas and water installations, and
finally, connectors for electronic products are
Helvoet‘s main product areas. In order to meet
the highest production quality standards, the
company is certified according to QS 9000 and
ISO 9001. Certification according to TS 16949
is fully under way and will be realised at the
latest by the end of 2006.
Helvoet utilises a broad range of technologies to manufacture its parts and components.
These include the semi and fully automatic assembly of parts made from several materials,
the production of rubber and LSR parts, twocomponent injection moulding for the production of hard/soft combinations, the injection
of a LSR component onto a plastic part using
two-component technology, the encapsulation of inserts, as well as rubber extrusion.
This great variety of technologies has enabled Helvoet to successfully establish itself
Selection
CUSTOMER REPORT
mer orientation
as a systems supplier for its customers. These
customers involve the company at a very early
product development stage. Owing to the extensive expertise which Helvoet has achieved,
particularly in the production and combination of rubber and plastic parts, the specialists
are consulted from the outset in the planning
stage of new components. Their further involvement ranges from the design and construction of moulds through parts production
to on-schedule delivery. In addition to Europe,
Helvoet‘s major selling markets are Asia and
North America.
Co-operation with ARBURG extends back
to 1997. Today, it is not only standard machines, but also complete production cells
with the corresponding peripherals such as
MULTILIFT robotic systems which are delivered
to the Netherlands and Singapore.
One of the most recent examples is an integrated production system for manufacturing a cap adapter for the beverage industry.
The cap parts are not only produced on an
ALLROUNDER 630 S 2500-675/150, but are
also removed by means of a MULTILIFT H
module with a servo-electric main axis and
palletised in special plastic trays for further
processing. The highly autonomous system
ensures precise part set-down. ALLROUNDERs
with a mould indexing unit and removal robot
without a B axis and adapted picker system
were fully integrated by ARBURG and are operated centrally via the SELOGICA machine
control
system. The palletising station operates with a
dedicated overhead three-axis NC handling
system and separate PLC control for the palletising functions. It is connected to the injection moulding machine via an interface. High
packing density and precise positioning of the
parts is necessary for subsequent processing.
Throughout the entire parts handling process,
the soft components must not be touched. A
read/write unit in the palletising system allows
precise recording of the production times for
each pallet by means of a microchip in order
to ensure reliable troubleshooting. The entire
system‘s autonomy is approx. eight hours or
10,000 parts.
It is not least the excellent performance of
this system in practice which has ensured the
continued co-operation between ARBURG and
Helvoet. Further ALLROUNDERs as well as
automation solutions and LSR machines are
planned or currently being delivered to both
the company‘s European and Asian locations.
As with many other customers, when asked
about the most important aspect of co-operation with ARBURG, the answer is: ARBURG
offers optimum quality and service at a reasonable price.
today 26/2004
The two-component moulded parts are
removed from the mould and palletised in
plastic trays by the robotic system.
INFOBOX
Founded: 1939
Employees: 300 at the Hellevoetsluis
headquarters, 380 worldwide
Machine fleet: 90 injection moulding
machines, 57 of which are ALLROUNDERs
Specialised areas: Systems supplier for
high-precision technical micro and small
parts for use in the automotive industry,
consumer electronics, veterinary technology, in heating systems as well as dosing
devices for the beverage and cosmetics
sectors
Contact: Helvoet B.V. Sportlaan 13,
P.O. Box 2, NL3220 AA Hellevoetsluis,
Netherlands, www.helvoet.com
27
A
At MP Plast in the Danish town of Ribe (below), the
world‘s first ALLROUNDER 820 S 4000-3200/3200 pro-
t MP Plast in the Danish town
of Ribe everything quite literally revolves around wheels.
The company, which has been working with ARBURG only for a relatively
short time, but therefore all the more
intensively, especially in the area of
multi-component injection moulding,
manufactures wheels and rims of all
types and sizes.
duces complete plastic wheels (r.) as a two-component
With its Ribe site, the company, which
is listed as a publicly owned company, is located near the German
border. This is also where
MP Plast‘s largest international customer is based.
40 percent of the wheels
manufactured by the
company are exported,
P h oto : M P P la s t
60 percent go to Danish
customers. The products
are used in the plant construction sector as well as in the toy sector or
for moving heavy loads. Wheels and rims are
either fitted with ball, roller or plain bearings
and are supplied with or without wheel hub
covers. Their product range is rounded off with
the manufacture of technical parts, which the
company produces as a sub-supplier for various different suppliers.
machine fully automated for a wide-range of applications with MULTILIFT V robotic system (above).
28
today 25/2004
It is interesting
that since 1999,
when MP Plast entered multi-component
processing, the emphasis of
production has rapidly shifted
in this direction. This, in turn, has
required investment in a modern machine fleet which shows a high degree o f
automation. The injection moulding machines
in Ribe operate with clamping forces of between 400 and 4000 kN. All important machine data flows into one central computer
where the actual status of the machines can
be read at any time. Which material, what percentage of pigment, how much regranulated
and how much raw material is used – all these
questions can be answered in seconds by looking at the central computer.
However, it is not only the machine fleet
with an age range of eight to ten years that
is comparatively modern; the peripherals are
too. All machines are stocked via a central
material supply and are automated to a large
extent with handling equipment and automatic feed equipment such as for ball bearings.
The main customers for the wheel production
are based in Germany, England, Holland and
Sweden.
Selection
CUSTOMER REPORT
Round and round it
goes at MP Plast!
The co-operation with
ARBURG only came about
when MP Plast entered
into the multi-component
production of its wheels.
Since 1999, the company
has integrated a total of
six ALLROUNDERs into
production, of which three
are “normal“ injection
moulding machines and another three are two-component
ALLROUNDERs. Another interesting detail: there has been a great
willingness to invest in the company. This, coupled with its modern machine
fleet, has meant that MP Plast was the first
in the world to buy an ALLROUNDER 630 S
2500-1300/150 with three axis robot as well
as the first to buy an 820 S 4000-3200/3200
with MULTILIFT V. This proves the high degree
of confidence the company has and is willing
to invest in ARBURG.
ARBURG justifies this confidence by delivering high-quality injection moulding technology tailored to the requirements of the company on the one hand, and the comprehensive
consultation work and services provided as
well as fast spare parts service on the other
hand. According to company founder and
owner Max Petermann, very good impressions
were also gained on the visits to ARBURG in
Lossburg for approval of machines. “Teamed
with the expertise of the service engineers at
ARBURG in Denmark this was the optimum
package for us.“
At the end of the day, reliability of the
machine technology is also necessary, as
MP Plast is known in its market segment as
a fast and highly reliable supplier of highquality pro-ducts. The machines all operate in
three shifts seven days per week. Apart from
PP copolymer, polyamide, polyurethane and
TPE are used to produce the hard-soft combinations. The moulds are maintained and
repaired in the in-house mould construction
department.
Max Petermann increasingly sees the future of his company in the multi-component
sector. The production of injection moulded
parts from two components already comprises
the lion‘s share of its total production. In the
medium term, further machines for manufacturing parts from three components might be
added to the existing ones. Given this technical background, Petermann wants to work on
the development of new products in a targeted manner to be always one step ahead of the
competition.
Here, ALLROUNDER technology will continue to play an important role, as MP Plast is
very happy with its machines and peripherals.
The simple and clear design, the stability and
high functionality are all reasons for choosing
ARBURG machines, says Petermann.
The SELOGICA control operates in this
manner as well: the numerous programming
and monitoring functions are easy to use. The
machine operators work quickly with this control and intuitively make the connections. This
will make sure that the wheels from Denmark
will continue to roll towards Europe and overseas in future.
today 25/2004
P h oto : M P P la s t
INFOBOX
Founded: 1986 by Max Petermann
Production area: 3,000 m² in Ribe
Employees: 20
Machine fleet: 17, including three large
two-component ALLROUNDERs alone,
many machines not more than five years
old, highly automated machine fleet
with central computer, material supply,
removals and supply to the warehouse.
Products: Emphasis on multi-component
injection moulded parts, especially wheels
and rims
Location: Ørstedsvej 7 b, DK-6760 Ribe,
Denmark, www.mp-plast.dk
29
N
o matter whether customer or
supplier, PEHA is a proficient
partner for the realisation
of innovative ideas. “The innovative
shaping of the future without losing
sight of our past and our values”; this
describes one of the basic principles of
medium-sized family business which
began 80 years ago with the production of Bakelite switches and sockets.
PEHA has remained faithful, not only to the
principles, but also to the products. Today, the
product range encompasses high-quality household installation technology in the switch and
socket sector. Furthermore, PEHA has meanwhile established itself as a leading supplier in
the building systems technology sector, whose
contacts are planners, craftsmen and electrical
wholesalers. The company markets its products
mainly in the European countries (including
Teamw
Photos: PEHA
Eastern Europe) and is regarded as a proficient
outfitter for hospitals and cruise ships etc.
PEHA attributes its success to “the fact
that we have always oriented ourselves to
the expectations of our customers in our
product development and that we have innovatively combined proven technology with
modern developments for over eight decades.”
As far as quality is concerned, the company
which has been certified to DIN EN ISO 9001
since 1998, makes the highest demands of itself.
In the personnel field, this is ensured on the one
hand, by the training of its own apprentices and
on the other hand, by internal technical training
of employees to specialist status.
An additional guarantee for the absolute
quality of the PEHA products are the modern
production systems. In this field, PEHA has successfully co-operated with ARBURG for about 20
years and always applies the latest technology.
Selection
CUSTOMER REPORT
Thus, not only has PEHA acquired the
prototype of the ALLROUNDER 420 C with
INTEGRALPICKER but, in 2001, was also the
first customer to use four ALLROUNDERs
with MULTILIFT H and palletising station.
“The decisive factor for the joint implementation of this project was the great trust in ARBURG‘s specialist expertise”, according to Gerd
Jansen, operations manager at PEHA.
The task for the ARBURG project department was to design a production cell with tray
feeder, on which about 30 different products
switches and sockets of various geometries
can be manufactured with a high degree of
automation. As parting line injection is partly
used in the manufacture of the PEHA products,
it was of advantage to use the horizontallyoperating MULTILIFT H as robotic system, with
whose electric axis a whole tray row can be
filled at once. For the next cycle, the tray is automatically indexed to the next position in the
A further challenge in the set-down of
moulded parts was ultimately that, depending
upon the type of mould, the distance between
cavities differs. The solution was a linear axis
in the gripper, by which the cavity distance is
adapted to the distance in the trays.
The entire palletising unit is mounted on
steel rollers and is thus moveable, which is not
only an advantage when reconfiguring the machine, but also means that it can easily be used
A high degree of automation is achieved with the
palletising unit, via which the trays are fed
(bottom right). The moulded parts are deposited
in the trays in rows (bottom left).
ork required
palletising unit, via a servo axis. As the various
trays must be indexed differently, they are differentiated via binary codes and are controlled
via SELOGICA. With this palletising unit, it is
possible to load up to four tray stacks with a
maximum height of approximately 700 millimetres. The empty trays are separated from the
stack, filled, re-stacked on top of one another
and transported away.
Within the scope of the overall project,
new trays were also designed by PEHA and the
ARBURG project department in co-operation
with the manufacturer Söhner-Kunststofftechnik, so that it is now possible to cover the entire product range with only three different
trays, including transportation and storage of
the moulded parts. Gerd Jansen says, “positive
side effects of the introduction of trays in plastic processing were the resulting additional
rationalisation effects in the fields of assembly
and storage.”
in conjunction with different ALLROUNDERs.
“The successful implementation of this
project can be attributed to the excellent
co-operation with ARBURG at all levels”,
says Gerd Jansen. An additional reason for
the proven co-operation between ARBURG
and PEHA over several decades, is certainly
the shared philosophy of the two companies
for practise-oriented product development,
in accordance with customer requirements.
today 22/2003
INFOBOX
Founded: 1922
Plants: Lüdenscheid (Head Office with
Development and Production), Halver
(new Logistics Centre with training room
and plastics manufacture), Werne (Assembly), Neuenrade (Electronics Development
with Production)
Corporate group: PEHA Paul Hochköpper
GmbH & Co. KG, Infratec-Datentechnik
GmbH and BK-Elektronic GmbH
Employees: 360
Products: high-quality household installation
technology in the switch and socket sector,
building systems technology sector (BST)
Company headquarters:
PEHA Paul Hochköpper GmbH & Co. KG,
Gartenstraße 49, D-58511 Lüdenscheid,
www.peha.de
31
International turnkey projects. Modular ALLROUNDER injection moulding technology and MULTILIFT robotic systems, combined with a highly-qualified project team make
partner for complete turnkey projects. We provide support for complex
production cells, often in
conjunction with our sophisticated multi-component technology, from
the conceptual plan-
ning phase and the design of the system and the mould, through to
approval and initial pilot
ARBURG GmbH + Co KG
Postfach 11 09 · 72286 Lossburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 74 46 33-0
Fax: +49 (0) 74 46 33-33 65
e-mail: contact@arburg.com
production - and all this available worldwide.
www.arburg.com
ARBURG the perfect