Wittmann Battenfeld with innovative momentum at the K 2016

Trade fair highlight EcoPower Xpress with IML application

With the new EcoPower Xpress, Wittmann Battenfeld introduces the development of a high-speed, all-electric machine model primarily geared to the requirements of the packaging industry. The highly dynamic drive axes for injection as well as closing and opening of the EcoPower Xpress are designed for fast movements and ultimate control accuracy. Moreover, extremely high energy efficiency is achieved by using servo drives. EcoPower Xpress stands for high output with optimized utilization of energy, thus making a vital contribution to sustainability in plastics processing.

At the K show in Düsseldorf, the EcoPower Xpress will be on display with a Wittmann W837 IML system. On the EcoPower Xpress 400/1100+, lids made of PP will be injection-molded within a cycle time of 4.7 seconds with an 8-cavity mold supplied by Greiner Packaging, Austria. The W837 side-entry robot from Wittmann inserts the IML foils, removes the labeled lids, subsequently presents them to an integrated camera for quality inspection and then separates the good parts from rejects. The IML system comes with compact design and a facility for fast foil change.

Medical technology competence with the EcoPower Medical

With a machine from the EcoPower Medical series, an EcoPower Medical 110/350, Wittmann Battenfeld will demonstrate its competence in the area of medical technology at the K. In this complete clean-room production cell, equipped with a laminar flow box from Max Petek, Germany, the central pump component of the Respimat inhalator from Boehringer Ingelheim microParts GmbH, Germany, will be manufactured from PEEK. The parts and pieces of sub-sprue from the hot runner are removed from the 8-cavity mold by a handling system with a W837 side-entry robot also designed for clean-room applications, the sprue is then separated and the parts are deposited separately according to cavities. True to the motto "be smart", remote operation of this machine from outside the clean room via an external tablet will be demonstrated by this exhibit. This is an important module in the sense of a "smart machine" within the Industrie 4.0 concept according to the VDMA definition.

Hybrid technology presented on an EcoPower 110/350

The production of a hybrid structural component will be demonstrated at the K in Düsseldorf on an EcoPower 110/350, with a single-cavity mold supplied by IKV Aachen (Institute for Plastics Processing). In this application, thermoforming of metal sheet blanks will be shown combined with insert molding in an injection mold. The specially treated metal sheet blank is inserted into the mold by a Wittmann robot equipped with the new R9 control system and thermoformed by a stamp during mold closing. The formed metal sheet is subsequently insert-molded with PA, and then the finished hybrid component is removed and deposited. With the new generations of control systems, B8 for the machine and R9 for the robot, the advantages of joint product development in the sense of "everything from a single source" have become very clear.