Efficient plastic parts production at CHINAPLAS 2017

Arburg has a number of innovative plastic processing solutions to present at this year’s CHINAPLAS. Two automated hydraulic and electric Allrounders and the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing can be seen on the company's own exhibition stand, A41 in Hall 5.1. These produce smartphone covers from LSR, medical technology connectors and spare parts for the aerospace industry. Further innovative Allrounder applications featuring medical technology and LSR processing are presented by Hekuma (Hall 12.1, Stand J41) and Mehow (Hall 4.2, Stand D01).

Arburg has been engaged in the Chinese market for 25 years and is currently represented locally by its offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. TIn the interim, many of our customers have come to rely on Arburg's comprehensive consulting, service and machine technology. We are very proud to support our customers and to grow along with them," emphasises Zhao Tong, Managing Director of the Arburg organization in China. "In Guangzhou we are presenting some interesting applications for medical technology, the consumer industry and the aerospace sector with our entry-level electric and hydraulic machines from the Golden Electric and Golden Edition series, as well as the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing. In addition, visitors to our exhibition stand can also find out more about the Arburg host computer system (ALS) and Industry 4.0."

Precise production of medical technology parts

Arburg added the "Golden Electric" machine series with clamping forces from 600 to 2,000 kN to its range in spring 2016 with the aim of facilitating cost-effective entry into electric moulded part production. Like their successful "Golden Edition" hydraulic counterparts, the new electric machines offer an excellent price/performance ratio thanks to consistent standardization, e.g. a fixed combination of distance between tie-bars, clamping force and injection unit size.

An Allrounder 370 E Golden Electric with a clamping force of 600 kN is used at the Chinaplas 2017 to demonstrate that these machines are also suitable for the precise production of medical technology parts. The exhibit uses a 2-cavity mould from Wellmei i to produce Y connectors for intravenous drip therapy in a cycle time of 18 seconds. The finished PC moulded parts are removed and set down by a Multilift Select linear robotic system.

Another Arburg machine for medical technology is on view at the Hekuma stand in Hall 12.1, Stand J41: A hybrid Allrounder 520 H uses a 64-cavity high-performance mold to produce pipette tips with a capacity of 200 micro-litres from PP in a cycle time of only around 4.8 seconds. The quality control and robotic systems are supplied by Hekuma. Weighing 0.35 grams each, the molded parts are set down in trays of 96 units.

To find out more about Arburg's medical technology options, visitors can also attend an expert presentation on 18 Mai at the Medical Plastics Conference being held alongside the exhibition.

Complex LSR processing

As a pioneer in processing liquid silicon (LSR), Arburg has been presenting complex production solutions on a regular basis for over 40 years. The fact that entry-level hydraulic machines are also suitable for these tasks is demonstrated at the Chinaplas 2017 by a hydraulic Allrounder 420 C Golden Edition with a clamping force of 1,000 kN. Configured for LSR processing, the machine produces flexible LSR covers for the iPhone 6 in a cycle time of around 25 seconds. The parts weigh 21 grams. The mould is provided by Prover, while the LSR dosing unit comes from 2 KM. A Multilift Select robotic system performs the handling tasks.

Mehow, Stand D01 in Hall 4.2, is also presenting an LSR application. There, a turnkey system built around a hydraulic two-component Allrounder 470 S with a clamping force of 1,100 kN and two size 170 and 100 injection units produces wine bottle closures using a hard/soft combination (PC/LSR). Handling is performed by a six-axis robot in this case.

Industrial additive manufacturing with the Freeformer

Although Chinese customers mostly use the Freeformer for product development purposes, at the Chinaplas 2017 Arburg is showing the potential of industrial additive manufacturing of functional parts. Here, a Freeformer produces a spare part from PC for the aerospace industry.

Using 3D CAD data as a basis, the parts are produced from inexpensive qualified plastic granulates using Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF). The Freeformer is equipped with two discharge units as standard. This enables it to process an additional component in order, for example, to manufacture a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities or as a hard/soft combination. Alternatively, it can be used to build structures from a water-soluble support material, enabling complex part geometries to be realized.

Industry 4.0: Host computer networks production

Arburg has more than 30 years of experience in the IT networking of machines. ALS enables optimum production planning, the exchange of data between the machine and the peripheral equipment and full end-to-end traceability of products and process data. Visitors to the exhibition stand can see how the Arburg host computer system (ALS) can be used to record and archive the relevant process data online. ALS is also a key component for Industry 4.0.

The automation experts from Arburg China are extending their activities together with customers, focusing on Industry 4.0 and "Made in China 2025". Arburg is also due to speak on this topic on Wednesday 17 May at the high-level Industry 4.0 Conference hosted by Chinaplas organiser Adsale with the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau - German Machinery and Plant Manufacturers Association).