Injection moulding machines Fakuma 2024: Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is switching up efficiency

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As a pioneer in all-electric efficiency, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag's exhibition at Fakuma 2024 will highlight tools and solutions designed to conserve resources and enhance performance in an economical, space-efficient, and time-saving manner. The exhibit will feature eight compact Intelect machines.

Given the rapid rise in electricity prices and changing legal requirements, energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly significant purchasing argument. Having developed an Intelect injection moulding machine for every market segment, including automotive, electronics, packaging, medical and consumer, the company will present how they are now assisting processors to save even more energy.

Using live exhibits, visitors are invited to explore how digital features like My Assist, automation and OPC-UA connectivity can help processors get more out of their equipment while minimising wasted downtime. Testament to the rapid growth in LSR innovations, three exhibits will also showcase how the technological advancements are aligning to the latest regulatory policies.

Intelect Multi for Automotive Applications

With automotive accounting for the largest share of multi-moulding components, another main stand exhibit features the compact Intelect 130 Multi machine equipped with a flexible 6-axis articulated robot from Sepro. Offering speed, precision and energy efficiency advantages over their hydraulic multi-component counterparts, the smaller footprint Intelect Multi fills an important gap in the market. By increasing the mould space, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has engineered a compact cell that can easily accommodate multi-cavitiy tools.

Manufactured in the 2K injection moulding process with PC and ABS material, the tool comes from BIA Kunststoff- und Galvanotechnik, high-quality interior elements are created. The tool is rotated by a fully integrated turntable from Polarform. This turntable is equipped with its own inverter and a drive system from Sumitomo, achieving rotational speeds up to 0.9 seconds, depending on the mold size. In this arrangement, the Intelect Multi is combined with the flexibility of a 6-axis robot and thus two parts are created in each production process, with a total cycle time of 25 seconds.

New injection unit expands application spectrum

Business Development Director Medical Andreas Montag will present the company’s global medical offering, which now comprises a powerful injection unit for a 180 ton machine. With the introduction of a 910 injection unit — the largest that can be accommodated in this 180 ton machine – the range of applications in the clamping force range of 130-180t is expanded.

To demonstrate this flexible combination and fine processing control, the exhibit will mould syringe plungers from a non-porous High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) using a 32-cavity tool, with a shot weight of 29 grams. This application is realized in cooperation with elm-plastic, who also provide the tool and appropriate peripherals. Processors can also add a 50 mm screw, allowing them to mould larger parts. Having the option to rapidly switch between three screw sizes (45, 50, and 60 mm, with the option to add 55 mm too), ensures that the optimum screw size is selected to suit each medical application, further increasing processing flexibility and production capacity.

Best-in-class LSR

Year-on-year, demand to showcase Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s technical LSR competence intensifies. Capped at three Intelect LSR packages at Fakuma in order to present the market with balanced options, live demonstrations range from the manufacturing of an infusion valve on the main booth in collaboration with Ach Solution, to dental covers on the Kracht stand (A6-6206), plus a single-cavity heat protection cooking mat in partnership with Elmet Elastomere and Momentive Performance Materials (A4-4307).

Each of these exhibits will highlight Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s market-leading positioning in the LSR market. In particular, the company’s OPC-UA programming capabilities and how the ability to view data from integrated technology, including dosing systems, multi-cavity tooling and automation, can optimise efficiency for processors.

The automation options on display also illustrate three payload classes from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s in-house SAM-C range. The SAM-C20 (payload: 20 kg) on the Intelect 180 with LSR package demoulds parts from a 64-cavity mould from ACH Solution. In the mid-weight range the SAM C-10 will feature on the Intelect 130 Momentive exhibit, in the Kracht exhibit, a SAM-C5 carefully removes tooth covers from the tool, which is delivered by EMDE, and places them in containers on the side of an Intelect 75 in order to comply with the required hygiene standards.

Energy efficient Packaging machines

Processing packaging materials in the most efficient way directly addresses one of the major operating expenses for mass-packaging moulders — energy consumption. Business Development Director Packaging, Arnaud Nomblot and team will prove the advantages of switching to all-electric. Citing examples of up to 70 percent reduction in energy costs, this year’s packaging exhibit features an Intelect 2 S 220/660-1400, efficiently manufacturing four decorated food containers in PP, with an integrated IML side entry robot.

The exhibit features a four cavity mould tool from Société Nouvelle Caulonque. Feeding labels with precision into the packaging machine is an automated IML system supplied by Pagès Group, with IPB Printing. supplying the high quality labels and Total Energies providing the material.

Increased data transparency due to digital process companion

Providing greater processing transparency to help run machines at their most efficient, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag will unveil its advances in My Assist and how further optimisations offer processors even deeper data insights. These newest upgrades, summarised by the company as the ultimate ‘digital process companion’, presents easy to read dashboards, consumption data and KPIs, all defined by the end user. The ability to connect and oversee digital data across multiple machines in a single production facility is also available.

This level of high data transparency makes it possible to spot deviations, aggregate data captured from all OPC-UA filtered sources and react to changes in production processes at the earliest stage. The ability to merge data from multiple sources facilitates complete digital mapping of all production and environmental factors, including historical data. Adding Human Virtual Interface (HVI) and an Expertise module also enables users to put data findings into context by adding labels and more detailed annotations.

Higher production output and automated assembly

Testament that high end and innovative solutions can work together and be cost efficient, this year’s Hekuma collaboration (A7-7202) features Asian tooling specialist Jestar Mold Tech. Rather than using a conventional stack mould to manufacturer petri dishes, Jestar supplies the 2+2 single face tool to support a seven second cycle time and high production output.

Showcasing that robotics aren’t confined to demoulding, the Sepro booth (A1-1203) further addresses labour shortages by presenting the future of automated assembly. Optimising efficiency, two moulded parts – a hull and sail boat – are removed from an Intelect 130 by a SDR16E linear robot integrated into the injection moulding machine. The next process step involves the sail being passed to a Sepro articulated arm robot 6X-140.2, which assembles the hull and sail in collaboration with the linear robot. The assembled sailboat is then placed on a conveyor belt. The system is a great example of the close co-operation between Sumitomo-Demag machines and Sepro 6-axis devices.

Other partners at the stand include Digicolor, who supplies materials to all machines, and Regloplas, who supports with suitable temperature control units.

Each of the eight exhibits at Fakuma 2024 is intended to exemplify the close collaborative approach that Sumitomo (SHI) Demag adopts with every industry partner, and the combined drive to boost efficiency for processors locally and globally. A strategy that is totally aligned to the new management team headed up by CEO Christian Maget and CSO Anatol Sattel.

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