MGS Mfg. Group Inc. has bought two KraussMaffei injection molding machines with 880 tons of clamping force to mold a multishot part for an automotive customer.
Part of an automated work cell, the presses were installed at the company's TecStar Manufacturing Co.'s custom molding operation at MGS headquarters in Germantown.
Both presses are molding a part for Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. of Novi, Mich., that will go on the 2009 Dodge Ram pickup truck. The door weather-seal part has a flexible sealing component molded onto a rigid part.
Each injection press is set up the same way, with a Wittmann beam robot and a pair of six-axis Fanuc LR Mate 200ic robots. Each press also has MSG Universal Multishot Systems brand of portable injection unit.
The Wittmann robot removes the parts from the two-cavity mold, using end-of-arm tooling made by MGS. The part remains on the Wittmann robot, which presents it to the twin Fanuc articulating robots.
Working together, the Fanucs insert snap-fit connector pins onto the parts.
Both systems can run five molds, each making two parts that place different pin styles and quantities in each part, ensuring that each pin is installed correctly, Wittmann said.