WITTMANN Group with latest injection molding technology and peripherals at the Swiss Plastics in Lucerne

At this year’s Swiss Plastics, the WITTMANN Group presented once more to interested trade visitors its latest technology in the areas of injection molding machines, automation equipment and peripheral appliances.

In the area of injection molding technology, two absolute novelties were on display, a servo-hydraulic multi-component machine from the SmartPower series and a MicroPower with hot runner technology. Both machines stand out by their ultimate energy efficiency, extreme user-friendliness, cleanness and precision.

fig.1: SmartPower 180/525H/210L

On a SmartPower 180/525H/210L, a drinking cap made of thermoplastic and liquid silicon were manufactured with an 8-cavity mold supplied by ACH Werkzeugbau, using transfer technology. Parts removal and depositing will be handled by a W832 pro WITTMANN robot. The SmartPower 180/525H/210L on show is the company’s first multi-component model from the SmartPower series. The machine comes equipped with the new UNILOG B8 control system, which offers, for example, the possibility of viewing and operating both injection aggregates simultaneously on a visually partitioned display via a 21.5“ monitor screen with SmartScreen function.

The second machine exhibited at the Swiss Plastics was a MicroPower 15/10 specially designed for injection molding micro parts, equipped with a WITTMANN Scara robot W8VS2 for parts removal and parts depositing separately according to cavities, a camera for optical parts inspection and a clean room module. On this machine, an electronic plug were manufactured from PBT with an 8-cavity mold supplied by Küng, Switzerland. The MicroPower presented on this occasion is the first machine of this series to operate with a hot-runner mold.
The machines from the MicroPower series stand out primarily by their excellent cost efficiency, process reliability and high speed.

Automation and peripheral equipment from WITTMANN

In addition to the peripherals installed on the injection molding machines on display at the fair, WITTMANN presented various stand-alone solutions from its extensive range to trade visitors at the Swiss Plastics 2017.

In the area of automation, a W833 pro linear robot with B-C servo axes were showcased. The consistent use of light-weight technology for the axes, combined with the drive concept specially developed by WITTMANN for linear robots, gives this model maximum dynamism and simultaneously minimizes its energy consumption.

Peripherals shown at the Swiss Plastics included the temperature controller models TEMPRO plus D, TEMPRO basic and the TEMPRO Micro appliance developed for the MicroPower series. The TEMPRO Micro temperature controller is a pressurized water temperature controller with powerful pumps, a directly installed, energy-efficient heating system and indirect or direct dual-circuit cooling for inlet temperatures of up to 160°C.

fig. 2: Drinking bottle cap made of thermoplastic and liquid silicon

Moreover, WITTMANN presented FEEDMAX S3 net and FEEDMAX B material loaders equipped with LED lamps, and the TEACHBOX basic control unit for material loaders. The ATON plus G segmented wheel dryer, which combines the advantages of a constant dew point with excellent energy efficiency, will also be on display.

WITTMANN 4.0

The integration of robots and peripherals into the UNILOG B6 and B8 control systems of the injection molding machines, which is known as WITTMANN 4.0, were also an important topic at the Swiss Plastics.

WITTMANN 4.0 means that via the machine’s control system, both machines as well as robots and peripherals connected to them can be linked together and operated via the uniform Windows user interface, which enables interaction between the individual appliances. In this way, the entire manufacturing process, including material feeding and blending, temperature control, automation and injection molding can be optimally coordinated and tracked.

A production cell as defined by WITTMANN 4.0, consisting of an injection molding machine equipped with a robot and peripherals, appears as a “SmartMachine” to both users and connected ERP/MES systems, that is as an intelligent unit on the outside with flexible, adaptive sub-systems inside. For the multi-purpose design of a WITTMANN 4.0 production cell interface and for maximum protection of the injection molding machine, robot and peripherals against potential cyber attacks, a specially developed WITTMANN 4.0 router is used. With its proprietary router software, this router contributes substantially to data security in the entire system. Only WITTMANN 4.0-standardized appliances which can be clearly identified by a security certificate on the router were granted access to the production cell.

At the Swiss Plastics, an informative, hands-on demonstration of WITTMANN 4.0 were staged, using an interactive display board.

fig. 3: WITTMANN 4.0 display board

www.wittmann-group.com