At the FIP Solution Plastique 2022 in Lyon taking place from 5 to 8 April, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will present highly efficient injection molding technology together with ultra-modern automation and auxiliaries to interested trade visitors at booth K01.

The FIP Solution Plastique is the leading trade fair platform of the plastics processing industry in France. At this fair, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will be present with three injection molding systems. All three of these stand out by their extremely high energy efficiency.

LSR application on SmartPower COMBIMOULD

With a multi-component machine from the servo-hydraulic SmartPower series, a SmartPower 120/130H/130S COMBIMOULD LSR, a mobile phone holder will be manufactured from PC and LSR, using a 1+1 transfer mold with a needle shut-off cold runner supplied by Elmet, Austria. The machine will be equipped with a W921 robot, a TEMPRO plus D2 140 dual-circuit temperature controller and an ATON plus 30 dryer, all from WITTMANN, as well as a Top 5000P metering pump from Elmet. The LSR used is Siloprene LSR 2749, a material characterized by excellent adhesion to PC. The material loading system for the thermoplastic component is geared to handling extremely small quantities, to avoid remoisturizing after transport.

In addition to their compactness and user-friendliness, the machines from the SmartPower series stand out above all by their intelligent, thrifty use of energy, due to the combination of a fast-response, speed-controlled, air-cooled servo motor with a robust constant displacement pump, known as the “Drive on Demand” system.

Complete integration with EcoPower 55 production cell

WITTMANN BATTENFELD will demonstrate its digitization expertise at the FIP with the production of a medical part. The machine to be used is an all-electric EcoPower 55/350, equipped with the software packages HiQ Flow for compensating viscosity fluctuations, HiQ Melt for material quality monitoring and HiQ Metering for active closing of the check valve.

Equipment integrated in the machine’s UNILOG B8 control system via WITTMANN 4.0 will include a WITTMANN W918 robot, a gravimetric dosing unit GRAVIMAX 14, an ATON plus 70 segmented wheel dryer and three temperature controllers from the TEMPRO plus D series, as well as the TEMI+ MES system. The web browser included in the UNILOG B8 control system also provides access to the TEMI+ MES system. The production cell interlinked by WITTMANN 4.0 supports electronic mold data sheets, and is thus able to check whether the auxiliary appliances connected to it are sufficient for the selected product data set, or whether additional equipment is needed.

The automation system is implemented via an Easy Cell developed and manufactured by WITTMANN BATTENFELD Deutschland in Nuremberg. The Easy Cell requires no safety gate and thus takes up only a minimal amount of space beside the injection molding machine. In spite of its compact design, customers receive the complete range of CE-compliant safety features.

MicroPower 15/10H/10H COMBIMOULD

WITTMANN BATTENFELD will demonstrate its expertise in the field of multi-component injection molding of micro parts with a MicroPower 15/10H/10H producing a 2-component plug for the sound carrier head of a vinyl record player made of PC and electrically conductive PC, using a single-cavity mold supplied by Ortofon, Denmark. The conductive PC features an extremely low conductivity resistance, which ensures excellent signal transmission. The machine is equipped with an integrated camera system and a WITTMANN W8VS4 Scara robot for fully automatic quality inspection and parts removal.

WITTMANN automation and auxiliaries

In addition to the robots and auxiliary appliances connected to the machines on display, numerous robots and auxiliaries from WITTMANN will also be shown as stand-alone solutions at the FIP in Lyon.

From its range of automation equipment, a SONIC 108 ultra-highspeed robot and a WX142 robot with A-B-C servo axis will be exhibited. The SONIC 108 has been optimized for maximum-speed parts removal in packaging and pick-and-place applications. It is designed for cycle times below 4 seconds, with the IN/OUT time remaining below 0.9 seconds. Its maximum load capacity is 2 kg.

The granulators are another highlight of the exhibition program. The models on display will be a G-Max 9, a G-Max 23 and an S-Max 2. The G-Max series consists of beside-the-press granulators specially designed for in-line recycling of sprue from injection molding machines with clamping forces of up to 4,000 kN. G-Max granulators are energy-efficient and come with a small footprint as well as a sound-insulated cutting chamber, which significantly reduces sound emissions. The S-Max screenless granulators feature toothed rollers with low motor speeds (27 rev/min at 50 Hz) for efficient, low-cost granulating of engineering plastics as well as styrene, acrylic and fiberglass-reinforced materials.

Temperature controllers will also be showcased at the FIP, including the models C90 from the TEMRO basic series and a TEMPRO plus D160 single-circuit as well as a TEMPRO plus D90 dual-circuit appliance. The TEMPRO plus D temperature controllers offer advantages such as a comfortable touch screen with visual temperature monitoring, self-explanatory menu navigation with extended display options and function memory locations. The numerous options available make it possible to adapt the appliances to the requirements of virtually all applications found in plastics processing. Display panels with a wide range of WITTMANN flow controllers will also be shown, including the FLOWCON plus automatic water distributor.

In the area of material loading technology, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will present at the FIP the central loaders FEEDMAX basic and FEEDMAX plus, as well as a standalone loader, the FEEDMAX S 3-net. The FEEDMAX S 3-net is the optimal loading device for flexible feeding of small material quantities up to 120 kg/h in continuous operation. In this model, a second filter has been installed for the first time to prevent dust from penetrating into the motor in the event of incorrect re-insertion of the main filter after cleaning. In addition to the individual material loaders, a coupling station with the M8 IPC control system for central material conveyance and drying systems will be exhibited.

And finally, a GRAVIMAX 14 M gravimetric blender and a volumetric blender from the DOSIMAX series will also be on display, as well as a DRYMAX primus 60 dryer, an ATON plus 30 segmented wheel dryer and a CARD 3G compressed air dryer. The compressed air dryers from the CARD G series are small and efficient. They are ideally suited for drying applications with low throughput rates.

The WITTMANN Group

The WITTMANN Group is a globally leading manufacturer of injection molding machines, robots and auxiliary equipment for processing a great variety of plasticizable materials – both plastic and non-plastic. The group of companies has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria and consists of two main divisions: WITTMANN BATTENFELD and WITTMANN. Following the principles of environmental protection, conservation of resources and circular economy, the WITTMANN Group engages in state-of-the-art process technology for maximum energy efficiency in injection molding, and in processing standard materials and materials with a high content of recyclates and renewable raw materials. The products of the WITTMANN Group are designed for horizontal and vertical integration into a Smart Factory and can be interlinked to form an intelligent production cell.

The companies of the group jointly operate eight production plants in five countries, and the additional sales companies at their 34 different locations are present in all major industrial markets around the world.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD pursues the continued strengthening of its market position as a manufacturer of injection molding machines and supplier of comprehensive modern machine technology in modular design. The product range of WITTMANN includes robots and automation systems, material handling systems, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, temperature controllers and chillers. The combination of the individual areas under the umbrella of the WITTMANN Group enables perfect integration – to the advantage of injection molding processors with an increasing demand for seamless interlocking of processing machines, automation and auxiliaries.

Press release from fortuna.gr