At Chinaplas 2018, which takes place in Shanghai from April 24th to 27th, ENGEL will showcase its expertise in automation at a special Expert Corner. On show will be the compact e-pic B and e-pic Z robots – integrated, with expanded software functions –, the new viper 20 speed for high-speed applications and the new 10-inch hand-held unit, which will be making its first appearance in front of an Asian audience.For many years, robots have been relied on in China to provide process stability, fast cycles and high efficiency. From standardised robot cells to customised, integrated system solutions, ENGEL meets the specific automation needs of injection moulding businesses to the letter. It achieves this through a comprehensive portfolio of robots, high levels of special automation expertise and local expertise. At its large-scale machine manufacturing plant in Shanghai, ENGEL runs an automation centre for clients in China.
“On many projects, success depends on short distances, which means fast project planning and commissioning,” says Gero Willmeroth, Sales and Service President at ENGEL Machinery Shanghai. “That’s why we have invested so heavily in local expertise over the past few years. Now we are ideally placed to handle the increasingly complex demands of our customers. Feedback from the market has been excellent. We have been able to strengthen the trust that our customers have in us.”
At Chinaplas, ENGEL’s entire automation team in Asia will be on hand to speak to customers. They will use four technically sophisticated applications to demonstrate live the full spectrum of ENGEL’s automation experience. ENGEL will also present all new robot-related developments in a special Expert Corner.
Integrated e-pic robots
Small e-pic robots, the latest products in ENGEL’s automation range, are offered in two versions: as linear pick-and-place robots (e-pic Z) and servo sprue pickers (e-pic B). The main feature of the e-pic series is the robots’ lightweight swivel arm in place of a conventional x-axis. This new kind of kinematic system - a USP of ENGEL - significantly increases dynamism and energy efficiency while facilitating a highly space-saving installation on the injection moulding machine. The swivel arm requires less space than a linear axis when moving towards both the injection and clamping sides.In a new development, ENGEL will be equipping its e-pic robots with efficiency control. This further improves energy efficiency as the robots adapt the speed of their movements to the cycle of the injection moulding process with the aid of software. Efficiency control has been an established feature of viper linear robots for years.
At Chinaplas, ENGEL will present the integrated version of its e-pic robots, clearly illustrating how efficiency potential can be maximised by combining injection moulding machines and robots. Within the integrated solutions, the CC300 control unit for ENGEL injection moulding machines becomes the main operating panel for the whole manufacturing cell; this means uniform parts data and alarm management as well as a unified look and feel. Consistent operating logic significantly simplifies activation and programming as well as control of robots and the manufacturing cell as a whole. Of course, robots can be connected subsequently to injection moulding machines by means of a EUROMAP 67 interface, regardless of machine brand.
The small robots in the e-pic series – e-pic Z (left) and e-pic B (right) – can be installed on injection moulding machines from many different manufacturers very easily.
