Austrian equipment maker Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH used the NPE2009 to tout how it was integrating Witt- mann's background in auxiliary equipment with the injection press business of Battenfeld, which it bought in 2008.
The company unveiled an in-mold labeling system for container molding at the show, held June 22-26 in Chicago.
The system combines Witt- mann IML systems and other equipment with a Battenfeld TM Xpress high-speed toggle machine, making a 750-milliliter polypropylene container with a five-sided butterfly label, in a 4.3 second cycle time.
Company officials said they see opportunities in making turnkey systems that combine operations of the two companies, to create what they say is the world's first single-source supplier of both injection machines and related auxiliary equipment.
“The customer doesn't have time to be an integrator,” said David Preusse, president of Wittmann Battenfeld, Inc., in Torrington, Conn.
Another example of that integration, officials said, is the company's “Insider” system, which combines an injection press with conveyers, automation and safety guarding in one system, cutting floor space needed by up to 50 percent compared with conventional automation systems.
The insider system reduces robot cycle time and eliminates separate safety guarding equipment, saving money while still meeting safety rules, the company said.
On the auxiliary equipment side, the firm introduced its R8 controller to the American market. The R8 features a “Flexsafe” feature to program safety areas for the robot and a “SmartRe-moval” system to quicken the acceleration before the mold opens, to speed up robot operation.
The controller also slows down robots when they are not in critical operations, to lengthen the life of the product.
Wittmann Battenfeld also introduced at NPE its W823 dual arm telescopic robot with 5 servo axis, designed for automation of stack molds and two arm applications. It was shown for the first time in the world.
In other developments, the company showed its Tempro Direct C 250 temperature control unit, which uses direct cooling for large molds, and its Silmax E compact dryer with two or three cart mounted hoppers for more flexibility in drying.
As well, it introduced a new blender, the Gravimax GMX 14, with improved metering for better batch to batch consistency.
Also, the company showed a micromolding system — its Microsystem 50 — in a production cell for making micro parts, and several web-based offerings designed to improve training and service by better linking customers' machines with Wittmann Battenfeld service engineers.
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