Competence Days at WITTMANN BATTENFELD – into the future with “Power”

At the Competence Days, WITTMANN BATTENFELD did justice to its motto “Power for the Future” in every respect. This is what some 1,100 visitors, who found their way to Kottingbrunn, Lower Austria on April 24 and 25, were able to witness and experience first hand.

With 17 machines, more than 30 exhibits from the automation and peripheral equipment sector, as well as interesting applications and processes, WITTMANN BATTENFELD demonstrated its competence and power on these two days. But not only the exhibits met with lively interest. The new assembly hall for large machines, which was officially opened during this event, also attracted the visitors’ attention. After all, the new production facilities constitute a substantial move to secure the company’s future as a competent partner for injection molding machinery ranging from micro machines right up to the MacroPower, the large machine model which is manufactured in this hall.

The guests were given insights into latest injection molding and process technologies by a number of expert presentations on special topics. The introductory speech in this series was held by Prof. Dr. Ansgar Jaeger, Professor of Injection Molding and Mold Technology at the Wurzburg University of Applied Science, on “Megatrends reflected in injection molding technology”. This was followed by another guest speaker, Helmut Kohake, Managing Director of Müller Technik, talking about process combinations. There were other presentations dealing with the advantages of the PowerSeries, integrated production cells, technology for processing bulk materials, micro technology and the combination of variothermic technology with structured foam technology.

During the subsequent machinery demonstration, the guests were able to experience the company’s “power” live on site. They were guided to the exhibition by a robot man. Then the machinery demonstration was opened with a fascinating show program, starting with drummers followed by aerial acrobats.

One highlight among the machine demonstrations was the presentation of the first MacroPower E Hybrid large machine model, consisting of a modern, servo-hydraulic two-platen clamping unit combined with an all-electric high-performance injection unit. This combination enables the design of a large, compact machine with a minimal footprint, which simultaneously offers maximum precision and energy efficiency together with high injection speeds. On the MacroPower E Hybrid, the production of a B column for the automotive industry was demonstrated.

Other highlights were a MicroPower 15 with an LSR equipment package, on which a medical technology application was demonstrated, the presentation of the IMIW (In-Mould Internal Welding) process on an EcoPower 110 with a mold supplied by Barkley, UK, and an EcoPower Xpress 180 with IML and high-speed parts removal. IML technology was also presented on an EcoPower 180 producing credit cards from a biodegradable material, which has been developed by IFA-Tulln, Austria.

CELLMOULD® structured foam technology was shown by manufacturing pallets on a MacroPower 800 with a mold supplied by Haidlmair. With great enthusiasm, the visitors watched the production of a hockey stick – also with a mold from Haidlmair – on a hydraulic machine from the HM series, an HM 300 with ServoPower technology, using the AIRMOULD® gas injection process.

BFMOLD® variothermic technology, demonstrated on an HM 110 with insider solution, and multi-component technology, were not neglected either. Playmobil figures were injection-molded from 3 different components on an HM 65. The machinery program was rounded off by a high-speed TM Xpress and a VM 110 rotary table machine with an automation cell for parts insertion and parts removal. The exhibition program was complemented with extensive automation equipment and the complete range of peripheral appliances supplied by the WITTMANN Group. Automation and peripheral equipment were demonstrated mounted on the injection molding machines or as stand-alone solutions.

Source: WITTMANN BATTENFELD