Autonomous production for up to 18 hours
Extreme efficiency and autonomous production to minimize unit costs - these were the requirements in a nutshell for the new production cell. - One crucial point for us was that we did not have to hire any additional staff - says Renner - which would have pushed up our unit costs too far. Quite apart from the fact that our region already suffers severely from skilled labor shortage anyway.
- We looked very carefully into what really makes sense in this case - reports Gottfried Hausladen, Regional Sales Manager of Wittmann Battenfeld in Germany. - As little as possible, as much as necessary - this principle was the key factor to reach the optimal solution for our customer.
In the end, a turnkey production cell was delivered, grouped around a servo-hydraulic SmartPower 120/350 injection molding machine equipped with a WP80 sprue picker, as well as a temperature controller, blenders and material handling devices, a material dryer and a G-Max grinder for in-house recycling of sprue and production scrap. In addition, the Wittmann engineers had integrated into the line concept a conveyor belt and a parts carousel. The carousel consists of two levels, each with four large product collecting boxes, where there is enough room for injection-molded parts from up to 18 hours of production.
- Product changeovers take place as rarely as possible, since every mold change costs time - Renner explains. Nevertheless, the machine’s flexibility was another requirement with long-term production planning in view. - We are well known for our fast response to customers’ wishes. For quick deliveries of sample parts, we have invested in a 3D printer as well - says Renner.
- The particularly large mold platens of the injection molding machines from the SmartPower series contribute substantially to the new production cell’s
flexibility. We are able to set up relatively large molds efficiently on our 120-ton injection molding machine - says Renner - This gives us a good basis for further expanding our own production at our facility in Regensburg - she continues.
Everything from a single source
- One big advantage for us is that Wittmann delivers complete production cells from a single source - emphas Elfriede Renner-Weigert - We have only one central contact partner for the entire system. That gives us a feeling of security.
So Wittmann also took care of the public funding application, for example. Due to the high energy efficiency of the SmartPower series, RING was able to make extensive use of the German government's funding opportunities.
RING also received ample support from the Wittmann application technology department in setting up the tools, and the application engineers continue to support the customer for further process optimization. For this purpose, primarily the online support tools are being used. Via a secure Internet connection, the Wittmann process specialists can link up with the SmartPower machine’s control system’s interface, view the parameters and make suggestions for even more efficient settings. - We have already acquired a lot of process know-how - says Stephanie Renner. Her brother Walter is still taking part in seminars and workshops at the Wittmann training center.
