Plastics Technology

AUG 2016

Plastics Technology - Dedicated to improving Plastics Processing.

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Starting with a single product, a water regulator, in 1976, Wittmann Group has grown into a global power in injection machinery, robots, and a wide range of auxilia- ries—including water-manifold regulators. Still family-held, Wittmann Group (wittmann-group. com) now employs 2050 people at 36 locations worldwide and is closing in on a goal of 400 million Euros annual revenue for 2017. In June, 1650 customers and business partners gathered in Vienna, Austria, to help founder Werner Wittmann and his two sons, Michael and Thomas, celebrate this achievement. The company showed how far it has come, and where it is going, with 10 injection machinery demonstrations and exhibits of its full product line—10 injection machines and work cells, plus 65 robots and auxiliaries—including many new developments in all catego- ries, the fruit of devoting 6% of revenues to R&D.; Wittmann also offered plant tours to show off its latest expansions, including a new tech center, completed this year, for demon- strating large machines at Kottingbrunn, Austria. INJECTION MACHINERY NEWS One important development highlighted in the machinery exhibits was the brand-new Unilog B8 controller, which will also star at October's K 2016 show in Dusseldorf. It is distinguished by its larger, 21.5-in., full-HD screen with multi-touch (gesture) func- tions such as wiping and zooming, as on a tablet or smartphone. The swiveling screen is divisible into sections to display more than one page at once. In addition, the Unilog B8 retains some hardware keys for frequently used functions. Exhibited for the first time in Vienna on an all-electric EcoPower 110, the new control will be available soon after the K 2016 show. The Wittmann Battenfeld MicroPower all-electric micromolding system was shown for the first time in a two-component version, molding an electronic connector for a disk player out of conductive and non-conductive acetal (POM) in shots of 3 mg and 90 mg, respec- tively. The 15-metric-ton (m.t.) press has two parallel injectors and a high-speed rotary table. It will also be exhibited at K 2016. A second MicroPower demon- stration featured the first use of a hot runner in this machine. It molded 0.05 g PBT connectors in eight cavities. The hot runner was developed together with the customer. It holds 4-5 g and has an open hot tip. The value of a hot runner in micromolding, where scrap often cannot be reused, is evident in the previously mentioned exhibit, where the sprue weighs 140 mg—50% more than the part. Last year at the Fakuma 2015 show, Wittmann Battenfeld intro- duced the medical version of its EcoPower all-electric machine adapted for clean rooms (see Nov. '15 Keeping Up). In Vienna, the company announced that its SmartPower servohydraulic press is also available in a clean-room version. A sign of Wittmann Battenfeld's renewed effort to stimulate interest in its Cellmould microcellular foam process was the demonstration for the first time on a Smartpower servohydraulic machine. It was shown on one of the new, larger models (240 m.t.). Another first was the combination of Cellmould with the BFMold (Ball-Filled Mold) tooling concept for hot/cold molding in order to produce a high-gloss surface on the foamed part. ROBOTS & AUXILIARIES Wittmann is expanding its W8 pro range of servo robots into larger sizes. While previous models handled payloads of 20-35 kg (44-77 lb), the new W853 pro and W863 pro can carry 50 and 75 kg (110 and 165 lb) respectively. By Matt Naitove Executive Editor Wittmann's 40th Anniversary Gala Unveils a Host of New Products New machinery, robots, and auxiliaries demonstrate continued momentum of technical development—and preview some K 2016 exhibits. Devoting 6% of revenues to R&D; has kept up the pace of innovation in all Wittmann's varied product lines. New Unilog B8 controller will be the standard for all Wittmann Battenfeld machines. It has a larger, 21.5-in. color screen with multi-touch (gesture) capability, as well as hardware buttons for frequently used functions. 18 AUGUST 2016 Plastics Technology PTonline.com I N J E C T I O N M O L D I N G Close -Up On Technolog y

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