Wittmann Battenfeld helps Ohio molder boost cycle time remotely for face shields

Brunswick, Ohio-based Pragmatic Manufacturing LLC started producing headbands for face shields for health care workers a day after it received a two-cavity mold from MTD Products Co. in Grafton, Ohio.

The need for speed wasn't lost on either company participating in a challenge put out by the Cleveland-based Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, or MAGNET. The businesses were part of an effort to deliver more than 1 million face shields for front-line health care workers in Ohio within five weeks.

Pragmatic used the mold on one of its two recently delivered Wittmann Battenfeld injection molding machine work cells that included robots and auxiliary equipment. They had approved parts running the next day and sent a video to the machinery maker, which is based in Vienna and has U.S. headquarters in Torrington, Conn.

Everything was working fine, but the Wittmann Battenfeld staff suggested ways to achieve the fastest possible cycle times, according to Jason Long, national sales manager of robots and automation.

"Like most companies, we have cut back on in-person service calls during this crisis, but we felt confident we could improve the process by watching the video and making some changes to the robot program," Long said in a news release.

The workcell has a Wittmann W821 robot that could be adjusted to increase its speed. The Wittmann team sent an updated program to Pragmatic, and it was uploaded to the SmartPower molding machine's B8 control system.

With the adjustment, Pragmatic shaved a full second of cycle time off the process, according to Scott Klem, Pragmatic operations manager.

"This was a great example of remote monitoring and service," Klem added.

The machine is running 24/7, and Pragmatic is currently molding more than 10,000 parts per day. The finished parts are sent to another MAGNET participant, toymaker Little Tikes Co. in Hudson, Ohio, which is repackaging them into face shield kits distributed directly to hospitals around the state.