K 2016 marked the European rollout of Progressive Components Inc.'s CVe Live global monitoring tool — which monitors details of an injection mold and sends the data to the cloud — giving both molders and their customers instant access to the data.
CVe Live was developed by Progressive's sister company, AST Technology. It is simple to use, with only one button on the unit, according to Progressive President Glenn Starkey. One of the modules is installed per injection press.
Each device does several functions, displayed on the mold in a seven-digit display, including cycle count, cycle time since the first production cycle, cycle time for the past 25,000 cycles, efficiency percentage both historic and recent, and a cycle-time reset.
CVe OnDemand uses comprehensive reporting data from CVe Monitor when running OnDemand software, which is available at no charge from CVeMinotor.com. It supports ten languages, for use with molds around the world. The information is presented in clear color-coded charts.
Interviewed at Progressive Components' K 2016 exhibit, Starkey said CVe acts like a car's check engine light, signaling changes in the molding conditions right away, reducing unscheduled stoppages. It also is a good tool for preventive maintenance, he said.
Another benefit, he said, is total transparency between a molder and a customer.
Progressive Components is based in Wauconda, Ill.
Tel. 847-487-1000, email [email protected].