Digital Technologies for the Plastic Industry

Industry 4.0 means exchange of data/information between machines in order to increase the quality and efficiency of production. This is only possible with standardised interfaces. With machines and processes becoming increasingly complex, existing hardware interfaces are now reaching their limits. This is why EUROMAP develops new interfaces on the basis of OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA). This platform ensures an independent interoperability standard, which secures a reliable exchange of data in the field of industrial automation in a number of industries.

The presentation will show where digital design has made it possible to make smart solutions and functionalities within machines (process and maintenance) and production management. This will be illustrated via a movie showing a high flexibility production cell, and a real case from DBI Plastics where the use of iQ weight control has improved product quality and significantly reduced scrap.

This presentation will give an overview of how systematic use of ADM concept  (Additive Design & Manufacturing) has helped us develop and produce one of the world’s first genuine AM based industrial products: CONRADT – a plastic material loader – that is produced in Denmark and distributed Globally. We give other companies access to our knowledge and huge print capacity (60+ printers) and we have increased tremendously the number of plastic parts you can print cheaper than by molding. Interesting case stories and plenty of examples.

The Manufacturing Execution Systems better known as MES have primarily been used in big or huge enterprises. But with the introduction of new “digital speaking production machines”, “internet of things” and affordable technologies from the IT industry, small and medium-aized enterprises are now reaping the benefits of big data analysis, production traceability and performance measurements. How is this possible? Interesting cases will be discussed.

The impact of Industry 4.0 on the plastics industry will be analyzed in this talk with a focus on the injection molding technology. A new business model for the plastic industry is proposed, which fosters closer cooperation with suppliers and Internet-of-Things integration of equipment on the manufacturing company shop-floor. Automated quality control, predictive maintenance, and energy efficiency are identified as main levers of improvement, and associated cost savings are quantified. This study shows how the paradigm of Industry 4.0 is able to disrupt the industry by decreasing machine downtime and offering remarkable improvements in machine up-time. The present research aims at highlighting some of the opportunities for the plastic industry enabled by the implementation of an Internet of Things architecture.

How to get 100 % production monitoring for injection molded plastic parts for certain quality features? Kistler have developed a measuring system what can predict your injection molded plastic part dimensions or quality features. The system requires process optimization software Stasa QC, a DoE bases software that links sensor information to DoE database.

Industry 4.0 and new demanding materials such as biopolymers and other materials with a high variation in viscosity are the current challenges customers have to face in a more and more networked production. Priamus shows possible solutions to control these challenging materials and processes by using cavity pressure and temperature sensors and how communication and data can be handled between injection molding machine, Priamus, MES System and other peripherals on a global scale.

Digitalization is a keyword for each industry, everybody is talking about Industry 4.0.
In fact profile extrusion is still a very analog process. When an extruder is operated by a controller panel everybody is talking already about digitalization. Future extrusion lines will not only have to record all process data, but will also have to use them for autonomous control of the line itself. That does mean, the extrusion line is checking inline profile quality and is taking care by itself, that the process is running within the limits. Already now our extrusion line is reporting data to our production control center by direct data transfer. Data is available wherever you are.

Hardware product development remains a challenge in spite of industry 4.0 advances. A lack of compatibility between prototyping and production platforms results in scalability challenges, and increased risks as manufacturers are forced to jump from prototyping to production. In this presentation, Lasse Staal will explain how Freeform Injection Molding (FIM) allows companies to move seamlessly between low and high-volume production in response to customer demands. By combining key benefits from AM and Injection Molding, FIM offers the same low start-up costs, short lead-times and design freedom as 3D-printers, but without constraints on materials and scalability. The result is LEAN Lifecycle Management: seamless scalability, extreme flexibility – and higher product lifecycle profits.

iQtemp is a service brand of Renishaw GmbH and Listemann Technology AG for conformal cooling. It combines different technologies for conformal cooling such as additive manufacturing, vacuum brazing, and others for the best result. Focus on process reliability as well as maintainability of temperature control systems are key factors of this unique service. Lots of basic information about conformal cooling, practical examples of full series production and an interesting case study offer an excellent impression of state of the art in modern conformal cooling. Quality of the cooling liquid and corrosion in the cooling channels are the main challenges for customers and will also be addressed in the presentation.

This talk will present various use cases in both thermoplastics and metals printers. It will also show how the technology works and how HP leverages its own technology in various other businesses.

During the last 5-10 years, simulation tools for the plastic industry have matured and are so easy to use that even small companies without 100% dedicated resources may have development processes that include simulation. Including simulation in your development processes will lead to fulfilling your quality specifications in the first molding attempt without delays. With injection Molding simulation you can determine the correct wall thicknesses, gate position, runner dimensions, cooling layout etc., and obtain higher quality products at a lower price in less time. A strategy for simulations is a part of Industry 4.0. Examples and suggestions for working processes are part of this presentation.