Arburg is present at Fakuma 2023 with nine exhibits on, plus eleven additional machines on partner stands. A production cell built around an Allrounder 470 E Golden Electric will be producing small plastic dolphins fully automatically. The material used will be a post-consumer recyclate (PCR) based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE, Healix XHD-FN) made from old fishing nets.
The electric injection moulding machine with a clamping force of 1,000 kN is equipped with a 1+1-cavity mould. In a cycle time of around 30 seconds, the two curved upper and lower shells of the dolphin are produced and removed by the six-axis robot. Welding the injection-moulded polyolefin parts using ultrasound and then pad printing them are also challenging tasks in terms of application technology. For the sophisticated 3D geometries, Arburg's partner Herrmann Ultraschalltechnik has developed a special sonotrode contour. To ensure that both halves fit together exactly, it is essential to select the right gating point for reduced shrinkage and distortion, and to have a precise and reproducible injection moulding process. The next step is to give the dolphin a "face" in a multi-colour tampon printing system from partner ITW Morlock. The surface is pre-treated and activated beforehand using plasma from Plasmatreat so that the ink adheres well. The finished product is finally deposited on a conveyor belt.
Arburg has a recyclate package and various pilot functions in its product range for the reliable processing of recyclates or other batches with fluctuating material qualities, including its aXw Control RecyclatePilot – used in this exhibit - which analyses the injection process without additional sensors in the mould, detects deviations from a previously stored reference and ensures consistent mould filling by means of adaptive control of the injection process.
Handling is performed by a Yaskawa six-axis robot integrated into the control system. Directly programmable via the machine controller or the associated Arburg manual control panel, the robot is as simple and quick to operate as a Multilift linear robotic system.