Arburg premiere Gestica control and hybrid Allrounder at NPE2018

Arburg will be at NPE2018 with large machines and innovative processes to present its leadership in Industry 4.0, with its hybrid Allrounder 1120, which has a clamping force of 6,500 kN, a new design, and a premiere of its Gestica control system.

Its NPE exhibit will also include fibre direct compounding (FDC) for lightweight construction, LSR/LSR micro-injection moulding, a high-speed IML packaging application, and the freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing.

Friedrich Kanz, Managing Director of Arburg USA, said: “Whether additive manufacturing, Industry 4.0, or LSR processing, Arburg is a pioneer in many areas and has decades of know-how in plastics processing. We don't see ourselves as a supplier of machines, but rather as a technology partner that can provide our customers with everything from a single source.”

"The brand promise 'Wir sind da.' formulates our high standards of quality, reliability, and personal proximity to our customers and partners – across all industries and technologies in plastics processing. Our nine exhibits are therefore designed to showcase an exciting cross-section of our wide range of products and services. At 900 square metres, we enlarged our stand area by nearly 40 per cent compared with the last NPE in 2015.”

The hybrid Allrounder 1120 H will be on display for the first time outside Europe at the NPE 2018 - extending the clamping force range by 30 per cent to 6,500 kN.

The new large machine offers a well thought-out design for even more ergonomics and functionality as well as its visionary Gestica control system, which offers the same look and feel as smart mobile devices. At the NPE, Arburg will make folding step stools: the eight individual parts from polypropylene are handled by a Multilift V 40 linear robotic system and combined in the injection moulding cycle with the help of a six-axis robot and assembly station. In this way, a finished product in Arburg design is created ‘ready to use’ in a cycle time of 60 seconds in a fully automated process.

All eight Allrounders on the Arburg stand are automated. A sophisticated LSR application will be showcased as a further turnkey highlight alongside the folding step stools. It centres around an electric two-component Allrounder 570 A, which produces two two-colour wrist straps from LSR (hardness 70 and 30 Shore A) in a cycle time of 70 seconds automatically. The watches are completed with housing and fastening ready to use in an injection moulding cycle using a Multilift V 15 linear robotic system and an assembly station.

Arburg will show a sophisticated LSR/LSR micro-injection moulding application at the NPE 2018 with its tool partner Kipe Molds. An electric Allrounder 270 A with a size 5 micro injection unit produces silicone membranes as used in valves for the medical technology or the automotive industry. The micro injection unit is equipped with a special 8 millimetres LSR screw for manufacturing the 0.05 grams LSR pre-moulded part (70 Shore A hardness). A servo-electric injection unit from Kipe Molds integrated into the 1+1-cavity mould and into the Selogica control system is used for the 0.005 grams second LSR component (30 Shore A hardness). A kiki robotic system removes the LSR/LSR diaphragm, feeds it to a camera inspection station, and places it in a container.

The performance of the hybrid Allrounder for high-speed applications in packaging technology is demonstrated by a "Packaging" version of the Allrounder 570 H designed specifically for thin-walled items. The production cell manufactures four IML tubs from PP in a cycle time of around just 1.9 seconds. The decorated finished parts with a wall thickness of 0.32 millimetres weigh 3.55 grams each. The mould as well as the automation system are from Brink.

Lightweight components are interesting for many industries, especially for the automotive industry. Fibre direct compounding (FDC) with glass fibre rovings is a low-cost alternative to processing fibre-filled compounds. The FDC unit on the injection unit includes a side feeder with integrated cutter, an adapted cylinder, and special screw geometry. The fibre length, fibre content, and material combination can be individually adjusted for targeted influencing of the component properties. At the NPE 2018, a hydraulic Allrounder 820 S will produce two 329 grams airbag housings in a cycle time of 70 seconds. A weight monitor integrated into the automation system displays the consistency of the shot weight and the finished parts are placed in boxes by the Multilift V linear robotic system.

With a freeformer and numerous functional parts, Arburg will demonstrate at the NPE 2018 that Arburg Plastic Freeforming is not only suitable for prototyping but also and especially for the industrial additive manufacturing of functional parts. At an interactive station, visitors will be able to pick up these parts to see their functionality and quality for themselves.

W1325, West Hall level 2.