K2019: Arburg to focus on digital products, circular economy and new solutions

Keen on taking on challenges, Germany-based injection moulding machine maker Arburg will showcase what it says are two prominent issues affecting the plastics industry currently: digitalisation and the sensible use and recycling of plastics, at the K2019, to be held from 16 to 23 October 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

In its arburgXworld customer portal for digital products and service portfolios new items will be the filling assistant and the plasticising assistant, as well as extended connectivity for its Allrounder machines. In addition, there will be further apps and functionalities for the customer portal.

Furthermore, in the circular economy arena it will present its arburgGREENworld more extensively for the first time and demonstrate practical solutions by means of various examples, which were also shown at the international Arburg Packaging Summit in June 2019.

At its stand 13A13, Arburg will showcase ten interactive stations along the “Road to Digitalisation”, for visitors to learn more about “smart machines”, “smart production” and “smart services”. This include, for example, the new “Plasticising Assistant” for material processing and predictive maintenance at the screw, and the control system simulator. Arburg’s six proven assistance packages, the Arburg host computer system (ALS), the Arburg Turnkey Control Module (ATCM) and the Arburg Remote Service (ARS) will also be presented at K2019. All injection moulding exhibits are provided with so-called “Basis Connectivity”, i.e., they have an IIoT-Gateway and can be interconnected with the higher-ranking ARS und “arburgXworld” customer portal systems easily and standardised using interfaces.

The “arburgXworld” customer portal has been available to customers in Germany since March 2019. The firm says “feedback is excellent”. In addition to free functions such as the main “Machine Center”, “Service Center”, “Shop” and “Calendar” apps, there will be additional fee-based functions offering considerable added value starting at K2019. New features are, for example, the “Self Service”, the dashboard for the machine status, the control system simulator, the collection of process data and the machine design. In addition, the customer portal will be available internationally in 18 languages as of the trade fair.

On an Allrounder 570 A with a clamping force of 2,000 kN and Gestica control system, Arburg will demonstrate a particularly “smart” application. The new filling assistant is integrated into the control system, meaning that the Allrounder “knows” the moulded part it is to produce – in this case a pair of Uvex goggles made of PA12.

Arburg developed the filling assistant together with its Aachen-based partner Simcon. It was first presented on an active Allrounder at the Technology Days 2019, but the application at K2019 takes it one step further: The simulation model created offline and the geometry are read directly into the control system. At the Gestica control system, the degree of part filling, relative to the current screw position, is animated in real time as a 3D graphic. In co-operation with Simcon, the functionality of the filling assistant has been extended, in order to cover a larger mould and material spectrum. The machine operator can compare the results of the simulation created offline with the filling performance of the last cycle interactively on the Gestica monitor. This results in benefits with regard to set-up time, safety and efficiency.

The electric Allrounder 570 A is integrated into a turnkey system. It is used to injection-mould sophisticated safety goggles in a cycle time of around 30 seconds. Pick-up and transfer for optical inspection, laser marking and packaging is handled by a six-axis robot. In addition, the production cell is equipped with the Arburg Turnkey Control Module (ATCM) SCADA system, which enables 100% traceability of the parts.

In terms of the circular economy, Arburg will be presenting two applications. In the first, around 30% recycled material will be used in the production of PP cups. For this practical example of a closed circular economy, Arburg will cooperate with Austrian recycling systems specialist Erema (hall 9, stand 05), which provides the recycled PP. In a 4-second cycle time, eight cups will be produced on a hybrid Allrounder 1020 H. This new size machine in the company’s portfolio will be presented as a packaging version. The exhibit has a distance between tie bars of 1,020 millimetres, a clamping force of 6,000 kN and features a new size 7000 injection unit. This is also available for the Allrounder 1120 H machines and offers a maximum shot weight of around 4,200 g PS.

In the second circular economy application, a PCR material derived from household waste will be used to produce a technical product. The PCR available on the market is processed by an electrical two-component Allrounder 630 A in a Profoam foaming process, the second material is TPE. The injection-moulded part is a machine door handle whose two halves are mounted in the mould. This is followed by partial overmoulding with the soft component. The application illustrates a way to reintroduce PCR material into the cycle to produce high-quality, durable functional parts.

Furthermore, numerous activities – both for customers as well as internally – have been bundled in the new “arburgGREENworld” programme, which rests on four pillars of “Green Machine”, “Green Production” and “Green Services” – relate to offers for customers while the fourth pillar – “Green Environment” – includes Arburg’s internal processes.

In terms of innovative solutions, an electric Allrounder 470A with a clamping force of 1,000 kN will demonstrate how functional in-mould products can be produced using IMSE technology (Injection Moulded Structured Electronics). In this process, films with integrated electronic functions are inserted into the mould and overmoulded with PC. As a demonstrator, the machine produces a night light in a cycle time of around 75 seconds.

An electric Allrounder 270A, equipped with a size 5 micro-injection unit with 8-mm screw, eight-cavity mould and LSR cartridge, will be manufacturing microswitches from non-post curing LSR. The part weight is a mere 0.009 g, the cycle time around 20 seconds. The moulded parts are picked up by a Multilift 3+1, optically inspected in the gripper, separated according to cavity and finally packed in paper bags. Such microcomponents are used in the automotive and medical technology sectors.

Overmoulding of hybrid components is demonstrated by a vertical Allrounder 375 V with 500 kN of clamping force, which features compact automation in the form of a Multilift Select robotic system mounted on the machine base. The inserts are provided as a roll and the contacts are overmoulded to form hybrid connectors in a cycle time of around 15 seconds.

In addition, a new Freeformer will give a technological outlook on how fibre-reinforced components can in future be produced using Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF).

A total of eight Allrounders and one Freeformer will be demonstrating new machine technology on the Arburg stand. Another eleven machines can be seen on partner stands. 20 Arburg exhibits at K2019 will therefore cover a wide range of processes, including thin-wall moulding, hybrid technology, in-mould labelling and film technology, multi-component moulding including sandwich processes, micro moulding, Profoam foaming technology, cube technology and the processing of LSR, magnetic plastics, bioplastics and recyclates. The applications cover the industries and trend topics: automotive and e-mobility, electronics, lightweight construction, medical technology and packaging.