Plastics Technology - Dedicated to improving Plastics Processing.
Issue link: http://pty.epubxp.com/i/707262
question of what is the optimum flow rate for coolant in the mold, something Steinbichler says no one knows without trial and error. The question becomes even more important, he notes, when you consider that different flow rates in various cooling circuits are often necessary for effective cooling. The new mold-temperature control measures water tempera- tures in the cooling circuits and regulates the pump speed to provide only the amount of flow required. It is a system incorporating Engel's e-flomo electronic flow monitoring and control at the water manifold, plus a new water-temperature-control unit (TCU) with variable-speed pumps, jointly developed by Engel and HB-Therm of Switzerland (hb-therm.ch), and Engel's brand-new iQ flow control software. Furthermore, Engel is imple- menting the OPC-UA (Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture) protocol as an interface to the TCU within its CC300 machine control.Engel says OPC-UA is becoming a new industrial standard but has not been used before now in injection molding. Its "universal" cross- platform communication capabilities are seen as a superior alternative to today's point-to-point communication standards such as RS-232 and RS-485. In this case, OPC-UA allows the e-flomo unit to "talk to" the TCU, using the iQ flow control software in the CC300 machine control. The first step is to set the ΔT (in/out water-temperature differ- ence) for each cooling circuit, based on published literature values (for example, 1-3° C for high-quality technical parts and up to 5° C for larger parts). Using sensors in the water circuits, the iQ flow control software will control the TCU pump speed to provide the Welcome to K 2016 season! The first of the major machinery man- ufacturers to preview its technology introductions at the show was Engel, which hosted a gathering of the inter- national plastics press at its headquarters in Schwertberg, Austria, in June. Its news included injection presses, robots, and auxiliaries. Dr. Stefan Engleder, Engel's chief technology officer (and soon to become CEO), said that Engel (U.S. office in York, Pa.; engel- global.com/us) will be highlighting three main initiatives in R&D;: energy efficiency, system solutions, and the "smart factory," other- wise known as Industry 4.0. SMARTER MOLDING COOLING Using the example of a 50-metric-ton (m.t.) all-electric e-mac 50 press, Engleder said 42% of the energy used in processing goes into mold cooling. His colleague, Dr. Georg Steinbichler, sr. v.p. of R&D; technologies, added that the majority of molding rejects around the world stem from errors in mold-temperature control, caused by deposits or dirt clogging circuits and pressure fluctuations in water supply. What's more, he said that a change of 1° C (1.8° F) in mold surface temperature can make a 2% difference in cooling time. To address these related issues, one of Engel's major introduc- tions at K will be its mold-temperature control system including new iQ flow control software. This new companion to Engel's iQ weight control and iQ clamp control is designed to answer the By Matt Naitove Executive Editor Engel Previews K 2016 Introductions Advances in mold cooling, machine condition monitoring, and in-mold decorating will be key exhibits in Dusseldorf. Engel's new iQ flow control software is integrated into the CC 300 machine controller. It uses new OPC-UA protocol to regulate both an Engel e-flomo electronic flow monitor/controller and a special TCU with variable-speed pump. Large car interior parts like door panels can be made cost-effectively with the new DecoJect process. Surface characteristics like color, gloss, texture, and feel (haptics) can be provided by an in-mold film. Mold e-flomo OPC-UA iQ flow control 14 AUGUST 2016 Plastics Technology PTonline.com K 2 0 1 6 P R E V I E W Close -Up On Technolog y