Say goodbye to "Industry 4.0" when you stop by Booth W403, where KraussMaffei Group GmbH is tossing the customary term for something more specific to attendees at NPE2018.
The German machinery maker, headquartered in Munich, is calling its version of connected equipment and production processes "Plastics 4.0."
"This fourth industrial '(r)evolution' will radically change the working world," Paul Caprio, president of U.S. subsidiary Krauss-Maffei Corp. in Florence, Ky., said in a news release. "One example is automatic optimization of intelligent machines, which ensures that processes are stable."
KraussMaffei's Adaptive Process Control (APC) Plus, for examples, boasts intelligent machine function by quickly compensating for disruptive fluctuations and environmental influences during the manufacturing process.
Additionally, the company's DataXplorer system automatically records the sensor and control data of an injection molding machine. It offers operators a microscopic look at the process, allowing them to see and respond to unclear fault patterns. The system can display up to 500 high-resolution signal paths, visualize those signal paths and make them available for further evaluation.
Visitors will get a chance to see KraussMaffei's Plastics 4.0 portfolio in action and can get direct access to specific production parameters via a QR code on certain components and bags at the booth.
Beyond the machinery maker's IT-savvy capabilities, the group will show its two-platen hydraulic GX series injection molding machine with a clamping force of 900 metric tons.
At NPE, the company said the machine will have faster clamping speeds of up to 0.45 seconds. The machine will be producing 20-liter buckets in a two-cavity mold in an in-mold labeling process. Cycle times are less than 14 seconds, the company said.
"The GX with the speed option features an efficient, cost-effective and attractive alternative to manufacturing large components for the packaging and logistics industries — a market that has undergone continuous growth in the USA in recent years," Caprio said.
KraussMaffei will also feature its FiberForm application in combination with swivel plate technology for multicomponent injection molding on a 450-tonne GXW. The company said the FiberForm process, which combines the thermoforming of composite sheets and injection molding in one step, results in fiber-reinforced plastic components that are lightweight, but maintain a high level of strength.
The lightweight thermoplastic parts are used primarily in automotive applications.
"This combination can be used to create completely new visual and haptic component features for thermoplastic composites in a single process," Caprio said. "Thanks to the [thermoplastic elastomer] component, the center armrest produced at NPE has functional parts and visible parts with surfaces that are extremely soft and visually appealing, which increases comfort and visual aesthetics in a vehicle."
Also on deck for KraussMaffei at NPE: an all-electric 51-tonne PX SilcoSet press, which will be producing special dosing caps for the medical industry, and a 200-tonne two-platen CX series press with a 16-cavity mold that will be making 16 different design variants of a plastic housing for a game console.
