Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 30

K 2019 preview

›› Continued from page 28

Sodick will launch the GL-range of
injection moulders for European
customers at K 2019

Engel will demonstrate the
iQ Process Observer

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Beyond the introduction of new products, the conference programme at K
2019 will include a series of presentations
covering treatment of waste plastics and
how this can be better managed with
regards to reducing any related environmental impact.
One of the planned sessions will
discuss the potential of the Ideonella
sakaiensis bacteria. First identified by a
team of researchers who were collecting
PET-contaminated sediment near a plastic
bottle recycling facility in Japan, the bacteria produces two enzymes which promote
breakdown of the plastic material. Following this first process, 75% of the PET was
ultimately mineralised by the wider microbial community.
In the longer-term, it is hoped that this
and related bacterial enzymes showing
the same function can be harnessed into
a controlled bioremediation strategy.
While the most obvious sustainability
innovations relate to improving the recyclability of plastic in order to reduce plastic waste, sustainability will feature across
a broad range of applications. A series of
machine manufacturers will be bringing
new products to the K Show, each of which
offer ways to improve performance in order to reduce material and energy usage.
Sodick (Hall 15, stand C55) has recently completed construction of a new
European headquarters facility in Warwick. Following on from this, the company
is now planning to introduce a range of
injection moulding machines (IMMs) for
European customers.
Already well-known for its range of EDM
machines, the company's IMMs include
a series of energy-saving features. These
include the V-Line shot calibration system, which ensures shot size is optimised
before injection into the mould tool. This
helps to reduce flash and related waste.

As with many IMMs, the Sodick hardware incorporates control systems which
support Industry 4.0 capabilities, including capture of machine performance data.
Fine tuning of the machines based on this
information can help reduce energy consumption, with savings magnified across a
factory floor of connected hardware.
With headquarters in York, Pennsylvania, Graham Engineering (Hall 16,
stand A71) will be displaying its new
Navigator machine control system at the
upcoming K Show. The company produces a series of extruders for production of
medical tubing, blow moulding and sheet
production.
Navigator offers supervisory line control on an open architecture. This supports data collection for process analysis, while also covering machine trouble
shooting. At the top of the range, the
company offers the XC300, which can
support integrated production lines with
multiple components.
The four major divisions of German
machine specialist Brückner Group
(Hall 3, stand C90-E90) will each be presenting solutions supporting Industry 4.0
data analysis at the upcoming K Show.
Under the banner 'Leading Digital',
Brückner Maschinenbau, the company's
extrusion specialist, will preview the Easy
Operation software suite. This supports
intelligent line operation to deliver an
overall process view and related analysis. The system is controlled via a single
interface, including machine service processing, remote maintenance and part
procurement.
Kiefel, the division of Brückner specialising in the design and manufacture of
machines used to produce plastic films,
will launch Smart Service, Smart Production and Smart Machine. As with Easy Operation, this suite supports data collection
and Smart Factory production.
Austrian IMM manufacturer Engel
(Hall 15, stand B42-C58) will also be introducing new Industry 4.0 systems at K
2019. As part of this, the machine specialist will launch new functionality for its iQ
range of machine control systems.
According to the company, the new
iQ Process Observer goes beyond basic monitoring and analysis of individual
moulding operations to cover several
hundred parameters over the four key
phases of injection moulding - plasticising, injection, cooling and demoulding.
This delivers a complete overview across
production, allowing early detection of
process issues and the opportunity to intervene before these affect the full batch.
Speaking about the new control system, Paul Kapeller, product manager for
digital solutions at Engel, said: "The iQ
Process Observer is currently the only assistance system on the market based on
live data, which actively indicates changes
in the process and counterproductive settings, helping to improve stability throughout the process."

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Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019

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