Automation in every process step
The feeding of inserts into your mold by robot, complex rotational movements in the injection molding process or the removal of parts: Servo drives come into their own wherever movements have to be carried out in or on injection mold tools.
This mainly includes movements on individual mold components as well as the translatory or rotatory movement of individual or several plates up to the complete mold half. Special movements, such as the axial movement of shut-off needles of hot runner systems, can also be executed precisely. In the end, the decisive factors for the development of an automation concept are the required forces and speeds as well as further relevant process parameters, which form the basis for all planning and calculations for the specific application.
Automation in injection molding
More speed, more precision, more control
Modern requirements demand more control and more efficiency in the entire injection molding process - in the future, too, the performance of your machines must be increased, your capacities perhaps expanded. The clear advantages of servo technology here are speed, precision and energy-efficient operation. The servo-driven processes take place at high speed, always with pinpoint accuracy, and do not require any hydraulic operating pressure, which must be permanently maintained, since power is only absorbed during movement.
Digital control units enable safe process monitoring and application possibilities that go beyond the mere control of a machine. For example, intelligent control units make it easy to configure the process parameters, monitor the operating status of the machine and thus optimize the mold and the process during operation.
Servo solutions in the clean room
A gain in cleanliness
Despite technological progress: A major part of the translatory and rotatory movements in injection mold tools are still realized by hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical components.
On the one hand, the size of the mold can cause a space problem in certain premises due to a much higher build up with racks. On the other hand, however, hydraulic solutions in particular also involve the risk of particle contamination in production, which makes them unsuitable for use in all cleanroom classes. Only with considerable additional effort, such as the enclosure of the hydraulic blocks or the use of special FDA-approved hydraulic oils, is the application possible.
The use of servo-electric drives in the mold enables not only a more compact, but also a clean, oil-free and safe application under cleanroom conditions. A wide range of users can benefit from this, including, for example, producers of food packaging or medical components.
With specialized servo technology
Realize competitive advantages
The switch to servo drives is initially associated with costs and often means rethinking, away from familiar processes. However, from the medical and pharmaceutical sectors to the beverage industry, more and more industries are implementing servo-electric drive concepts in their injection mold tools. High international competitive pressure is omnipresent, so any gain in quality, cleanliness, precision and efficiency can mean a decisive advantage. With an external control unit for the servo drives, you also keep all optimization and expansion options open for the future.
In order to set the right parameters right from the start, companies should consult servo technology providers who specialize in injection molding processes and not only supply components, but can also provide full support for projects from consulting to commissioning. Because only then can the automation concept be adjusted to your application to deliver the optimum results today and the day after tomorrow. The world will continue to turn - so we better turn with it.