Special Report: Injection molding machine software runs the show

Engel's iQ software programs run on its CC300 machine control platform and are designed to automate common set-up and operating steps that workers would normally configure through trial and error, said Georg Pillwein, project manager in Engel's process technology development department. The software modules are designed to further extend the process control and functionality of Engel's base machine control for increased efficiency and process stability, said Paul Kapeller, product manager for inject 4.0, the company's smart factory initiative.

Engel's iQ weight-control software improves shot weight repeatability by compensating for fluctuations in material quality and machine conditions automatically. Initially released in 2012, the first version performed real-time adjustment of the injection switchover point and injection speed profile. The second version featured holding-pressure control to compensate for viscosity changes. The technology can also be used in more complex applications, such as two-shot molding and molding that incorporates the Mucell microcellular molding process from Trexel Inc., Wilmington, Mass., Pillwein said.

In addition, Engel introduced a variant to iQ weight control, rolling out the iQ weight monitor in the spring. The free software feature enables users to monitor the machine parameters — injection volume, material viscosity and the conformance of the pressure curve — that iQ weight control uses to operate. With it, users can better understand the process parameters and determine whether iQ weight control would be beneficial.

After the K show, the iQ weight monitor will be installed on all Engel presses, Kapeller said.

Components vital to the molding cell, such as hot-runner systems or robots, have been integrated into the machine control, allowing users to view, program and adjust them from customized screens on the molding machine.

Engel also has introduced a new mold-temp­erature control software called iQ flow control that automatically optimizes the flow rates of the cooling media in the mold-cooling circuit.

The iQ flow-control software is part of a system that combines Engel's e-flomo and e-flomo premium line of water manifold systems and e-temp, a special variable pump mold temperature-control unit (TCU) designed by HB-Therm AG, St. Gallen, Switzerland, and sold exclusively by Engel. The new iQ flow control, operating on Engel's CC300 machine control, uses the OPC-UA industrial communication protocol to connect the e-temp to the injection press.

The software and the technologies are integrated to automatically determine the optimum operating conditions. The user sets the temperature differential between the outlet and inlet of each cooling circuit, and the system adjusts the flow to maintain temperatures within the set limits, Pillwein said.

The benefit of this approach is that the mold-temperature control does not operate at the maximum flow rate, but instead is tuned to the optimum flow rates for the molded product. The pump speed of the mold TCU is adapted automatically based on the measurement values determined by the e-flomo. The e-flomo system promotes process stability while the variable-speed pump controls water flow rate, which saves energy and increases the unit's service life, Pillwein said.

Each of the iQ products is fully integrated into the Engel CC300 control. Engel also offers iQ vibration control, which minimizes robot vibration during part handling, and iQ clamp control, which adjusts clamping force for improved part quality and reduced mold wear.

KRAUSSMAFFEI UPDATES ITS APC CONTROL

KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH, Munich, expanded the capabilities of its Adaptive Process Control software, which measures and adjusts machine parameters in real time, by rolling out a new function for detecting, analyzing and documenting injection molding process data.

The APC Plus software, which runs on KraussMaffei's MC6 machine control, compensates for fluctuations that occur during injection molding by using measurements of the melt viscosity and melt-flow resistance in the mold to automatically maintain the shot weight specified by the molder. Introduced in 2014, APC takes into account proprietary parameters, the pressure-curve profile and nonreturn valve position, to adjust the injection to the holding pressure changeover point in each cycle to achieve part quality. APC minimizes part rejects, reduces machine start-up times and maintains part quality, said Paul Caprio, president and managing director at KraussMaffei Corp, Florence, Ky.

APC performs its calculations within 1 millisecond and is able to set the new switchover position in that time span. The positional difference from shot to shot may be as little as 0.01 mm.

 APC plus, which will be introduced this month at the K show, can be used with more injection processes. APC plus is suitable for multicomponent injection molding as well as for processing silicone, and can take into account the specific behavior of the raw material. The user can choose 20 basic materials from a drop-down menu. "This makes the injection machine capable of responding to faults in a material-specific manner, and it can take corrective action in the holding-pressure phase," Caprio said. APC plus is suited for use with thin-walled parts or for cascade injection molding.

At the K show, KraussMaffei also will demonstrate DataXplorer, a new system that boosts productivity and reduces downtime. DataXplorer can make rapid changes in response to factors outside  the machine, such as material changes.

The device can capture up to 500 high-res­olution signal paths representing process data for each individual injection cycle (such as heating curves and pressure curves) that can be recorded and represented graphically for evaluation. Users can extract the data and define their own application-specific performance indicators, which can be monitored through the MC6 for process optimization. The system is used to boost productivity and reduce system downtime, while improving quality and providing documentation at the same time, the company said.

MILACRON INTRODUCES SMART SET-UP SCREENS

Milacron LLC, Cincinnati, has focused on simplifying machine-control programming, said Michael Litten, manager of global controls development.

Components vital to the molding cell, such as hot-runner systems or robots, have been integrated into the machine control, allowing users to view, program and adjust them from customized screens on the molding machine.

"The ability to see more and more devices in a molding cell on the single display through the machine control greatly improves the efficiency of the machine operator to react to changes and better understand how well the overall production cell is performing," Litten said.

 In another trend, machine controls use incorporated software and protocols to connect the molding cell to the internet for remote monitoring and cloud-based storage of operating data. And the HMI has been improved with touch-screen displays and icon-based graphics. Users can quickly access data and move through display screens with the tap and swiping gestures commonly associated with mobile devices.

In addition, Milacron has recently developed a line of user-friendly "smart" set-up screens for its Mosaic line of machine controls. The screens ensure faster, more precise start-up operations.

"Users are configuring more complex molding cells, with multiple injection units and lots of zones of heat. They are designing the work cell for different processes and need the machine control to incorporate a range of external, stand-alone and independent devices onto the display of the machine control, and they require an easy-to-­understand, icon-based user interface," Litten said.

At the K show, Milacron will introduce the set-up screens on an updated version of its M-300 PET preform molding machine. It will feature an add-on unit from Milacron's Kortec division and produce co-injection PET preforms during the event.

The smart set-up screen will allow molders to make adjustments to preform layers. Instead of having to type measurements in, the user can vary layer thickness by changing layer percentages on the screen. The screen provides starting parameters for injection based on data associated with the machine, preform or final part.

The smart screen is accessible through a tab on the machine control display that pops up when selected. Litten said the plan is to make the smart screen standard with its M-300 PET unit designed for co-injection.

Litten said Milacron's Mosaic line of PC-based controls blends the sequential programming common to ladder-logic programs used by PLC-based controls with the more open architecture of object-oriented programming. The latter is useful when operating multiple sets of injection units and clamps.

NIIGATA TACKLES FILLING CONTROL

Niigata Machine Techno Co. Ltd., Wood Dale, Ill., is rolling out two enhancements to its software with its new S7000 line of all-electric injection machines, said Peter Gardner, general manager and VP of sales.

The software, operating on Niigata's V9 machine control platform, now features the company's Balanced Pressure Filling Control program as well as its Constant Pressure Filling software. Both technologies adjust the process by controlling the position of the screw so that applications are performed at the lowest possible pressures, Gardner said.

Niigata also incorporated a slow injection molding setting designed for the production of thick, clear molded parts, such as LED lenses for the automotive industry. Gardner said thick-walled parts can be molded at injection rates as slow as 0.01mm per second. "There are three aspects of the control that have to be in place to mold at this rate with a high level of accuracy and repeatability: a highly responsive controller, a highly precise optic encoder, and a load sensor which measures melt pressure behind the screw," Gardner said.

To perform the slow injection molding process with precision, Gardner said that Niigata has made its central processing unit more responsive and efficient by adding a a secondary processing unit, which handles injection-specific data.

Mikell Knights, senior correspondent

[email protected]

Contact:

Engel Machinery Inc., 717-764-6818, www.engelglobal.com

KraussMaffei Corp., 859-283-0200, www.kraussmaffeigroup.us

Milacron LLC, 513-536-2000, www.milacron.com

Niigata Machine Techno Co. Ltd., 630-875-0202, www.niigata-us.com