WITTMANN BATTENFELD shows Power at the Plast in Milan

From 5 to 9 May, WITTMANN BATTENFELD will present state-of-the-art injection molding technology, automation and peripheral equipment to interested trade visitors at the Plast in Milan in hall 22, booth B121-C122 and booth D125.

In Italy, the economic situation in the plastics sector improved substantially in 2014, and this positive trend has continued so far during the first months of 2015. Therefore the outlook for the Plast 2015 in Milan is positive this year for introducing innovative equipment and processes to interested trade visitors.

In the area of injection molding technology, the Wittmann group’s main focus at this year’s Plast lies on the machines of the PowerSeries, from which a representative example of every product line will be shown. The highlight of the fair will be the new SmartPower, which will be showcased in two clamping force sizes. The SmartPower is a servo-hydraulic machine model, which is currently available with clamping forces ranging from 25 to 120 t. Outstanding features of the SmartPower series are extreme energy efficiency and compact dimensions, combined with generous mold fixing areas.

On a SmartPower 60/210, a polyamide part will be manufactured with a mold supplied by Greiner Packaging, Austria. A WS80 servo sprue picker from WITTMANN, also a novelty, will remove the sprue.

On the second SmartPower, a SmartPower 120/525 a front panel for a coffee machine will be manufactured, using a single-cavity mold supplied by Wittner, Austria. This is a high-gloss visible part made of PC/ABS. The parts are produced by using the variothermic process VARIOMOULD® and the mold technology BFMOLD®. In this technology the entire space below the cavity is used for heating and cooling. This enables extremely even and, above all, quick cooling of the mold area. Therefore this technology is of interest not only in order to reduce cycle times, but also to prevent warpage and to reduce tension. Moreover, sink marks and joint lines can be prevented with the help of this technology, above all on components with a visible surface or parts with a high-gloss surface. The parts will be removed and placed on a conveyor band by a WITTMANN W818 robot.

A machine from the all-electric EcoPower series will also be on display at the Plast. On an EcoPower 180/750, an ice box made of PP will be manufactured using IML with a single-cavity mold supplied by Mold&Matik. A W821 top-entry robot from WITTMANN will take care of parts handling. This demonstrates the pooled competence of the Wittmann group to supply everything from a single source.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD’s series of large machines will also be present at the Plast. On a MacroPower 450/2100 E, an “organic sheet” component made of PP for the automotive sector will be manufactured with a single-cavity mold supplied by Georg Kaufmann, Switzerland. This is a demonstrator part to visualize the possibilities of the technology. The mold is equipped with a hot runner with needle shut-off, an edge fold slider to form the organic sheet inside the mold, and a punching die to punch out an aperture in the organic sheet. The automation system designed by WITTMANN Robot Systeme is specially adapted to this application and comes with a provisioning station for the organic sheet cut-outs supplied by Bond-Laminates, Germany, a heating station with heating elements supplied by Krelus, Switzerland to heat the organic sheet, a multi-functional gripper with needle gripper to receive the heated organic sheet, and a suction device for finished parts removal. The MacroPower E, the large hybrid machine model from Wittmann Battenfeld, has a servo-electric injection unit and a servo-hydraulic clamping unit, which enable optimal energy efficiency and precision.

The smallest machine from the PowerSeries, a MicroPower 15/10, will be showcased at the booth of our partners, the University of Padua, hall 22, booth D125. On this machine, lenses will be manufactured on a mold supplied by Awetis, Germany, from 2-component liquid silicone rubber supplied by Momentive, Germany, with the material being conveyed by a dosing pump supplied by EMT Dosiertechnik, Germany, from two 1-liter cartridges to the injection unit.

WITTMANN automation and peripheral equipment
In addition to the robots and peripheral equipment integrated in the injection molding machines, WITTMANN BATTENFELD presents a broad range of robots and peripheral equipment as stand-alone solutions.

From the automation sector, two W818 robots will be shown, one of which comes with a new display, plus one robot from the new pro series, a W843 pro with a special automation system, and the new WP80 servo sprue picker.

The W818 robots come with the innovative SoftTorque functionality of the R8.3 robot control system. The SoftTorque function basically enables parts demolding by allowing the ejector to press the finished plastic parts into the gripper. Here, the operator only needs to place the parts removal gripper roughly in front of the part. All further process steps are handled automatically by the ejector and the robot’s control system.

The W8 pro series from WITTMANN features maximum dynamism and simultaneously lowest possible energy consumption. Its sturdy structure and sophisticated modular concept ensure an optimal price/performance ratio for every application.

The new WP80 sprue picker presents itself in combination with the innovative Net8 control system, which replaces the previous SA7 picker control system. In the proven way, the WP80 handles the precise removal of sprue and small parts from injection molding machines.

The peripheral equipment exhibited at the Plast in Milan includes the temperature controller models TEMPRO Basic C, TEMPRO plus D, TEMPRO plus D Micro and TEMPRO Direct C. Special highlights are the TEMPRO plus D appliances. TEMPRO temperature controllers provide ultimate thermal stability and optimized processes and offer clear and complete visualization of processes – and consequently unlimited process control. In this series of appliances, a generously dimensioned 5.7" LCD color screen provides the visual display. Several buttons on the display are absolutely freely configurable, to enable retrieval of the data required in each individual case exactly as desired. The TEMPRO plus D Micro model also on display is a dual-circuit temperature controller specially developed for use in micro injection molding.

Additional appliances shown at the Plast will be DRYMAX E and G dryers, which are equipped with two desiccant beds to supply a constant flow of process air with drying air of consistent quality for perfect drying of plastic granulate, as well as a stand-alone material loader from the FEEDMAX S3 net series with remote control, and a GRAVIMAX G14 gravimetric metering device provided with wear-resistant, high-precision stainless steel valves. The range of exhibits is rounded off with various flow controllers and an M7.3 demonstration control unit for use in central conveyor systems.

And last, but not least, two examples from the WITTMANN group’s range of granulators will be presented as well, namely a Minor 2 screenless beside-the-press granulator and an MAS 2 grinder with an open rotor.

Source: WITTMANN BATTENFELD