More output per square metre
The second machine on show at the Engel stand will focus on the need for maximum output from minimal floor space. "For many of our customers, surface area productivity is a major indicator of efficiency," emphasises Nachilo. "Engel offers compact solutions across its range of machines, including large-size machines." Thanks to its dual-platen technology, Engel duo machines with clamping forces from 3,500 to 55,000 kN are more compact than injection moulding machines from other manufacturers in the same clamping force class. Low-friction platen guidance on carriages facilitates outstanding platen parallelism and sensitive mould protection, thus ensuring a high level of operating safety and lowering the number of rejects.In Kielce, Engel will use an Engel duo 3550/500 with clamping force of 5,000 kN to produce stable stacking boxes from polypropylene. An Engel viper 20 linear robot will remove the boxes and place them on a conveyor belt. The RC300 control unit for the robot is fully integrated in the CC300 control unit of the injection moulding machine. The additional movement instructions for the robot integrate seamlessly with the graphical user interface of the machine control unit, which considerably simplifies above all the programming and operation of complex process workflows and makes an additional PLC unnecessary. To enable fast parameterisation despite the complexity of the system as a whole, the CC300 control unit offers users various process mapping options, from simple selection of prefabricated standard processes to the object-based graphic generation of complex sequences.
Within the integrated system solution, machine and robot access a shared database and coordinate their movements in the interests of greater overall efficiency. As a result, for example, it is not necessary for the robot to wait until the mould is completely open; part removal can begin during the actual opening, which cuts the cycle time.
In view of accelerating networking and the systematic use of process data, the human/machine interface is becoming ever more important. Given the development of the CC300 control unit and a consistently applied control philosophy, Engel was geared to needs of the factory of the future at an early stage.
