Sustainable Plastics - July/August 2024 - 16

competence days
The process used HiQ Metering,
HiQ Melt and HiQ Flow
software packages.
Energy saving
The EcoPower 180/750+ DC,
running on direct current directly
or indirectly from photovoltaic
panels, was developed
and patented with Minden, Germany-based
electrical terminals
molder Wago GmbH & Co.
KG. First shown at K 2022, the
machine ran again at the Competence
Days with a B8X control
system and a WX142 linear
robot, but molding a PP lid in a
two-cavity mold this time.
Key to operating the maThe
new G-Max-GL granulator is
Wittmann's largest granulator
continued from page 15
control system and WFC 120
water flow regulators moulding
climbing net holders. It featured
an " ingrinder " system with an
S-Max " by-the-press " granulator
for inline sprue recycling,
thus reducing product carbon
footprint with direct material
feeding. The HiQ Flow system
compensated for process fluctuations
on account of moulding
recyclate. The cell used
TEMI+ for both CO2 footprint
recording and integration into
manufacturing execution
tems, as well as iMAGOxt
sysfor
energy
consumption analysis.
Data can also be put to other
uses in plastics processing.
Schramm described how another
customer - Frimo GmbH
- was using the Tagtec product
authentication and identification
system on moulded automotive
door panels. Tagtec
technology was developed
by
Sensorinstrumenten
Systemtchnik.
It involves adding
markers to a masterbatch from
Austria-based masterbatch producer
Gabriel-Chemie to create
an intelligent plastic that can be
used in a variety of applications.
16
July/August 2024
The markers consist of invisible
2-8 µm inorganic luminescent
pigments from Leuchtstoffwerk
Breitungen, Germany, which remain
unaffected in the hot melt
during compounding and injection
molding.
The system identifies material
in small and even shredded/
granulated plastic parts, as
Wittmann Battenfeld demonstrated
live K 2019. This also
makes it suitable for recycling
applications. Identification
is achieved by exposing the
pigment to UV light and a Lumistar
camera-based sensor
system then analyses random
distribution of selected light
spots. This pattern is mathematically
coded, stored in an
internet database and then
used for product identification.
Virtual reality
In a following presentation, Giorgio
Pigozzo gave an overview
of the 'Wittmann 4.0' smart factory
concepts, covering
smart
machines with HiQ adaptive
moulding, smart production,
MES, smart work cells with intelligent
user interfaces and
self-optimizing data exchange,
fthrough smart services with
remote maintenance and virtual
machines.
Once again, the topic of artificial
intelligence cropped up,
this time in reference to the new
Wittmann Holoverse system,
which provides a virtual reality
interface between molding machines,
robots and machine operators,
with data visualization
and voice control.
The Holoverse system was
demonstrated on a Gravimax
GMX 76 blender, and in
moulding PP snack boxes in a
single-cavity mold on a Smartpower
120/350 equipped with
a B8X control system and a
W918 linear robot. Mixed-reality
glasses enable 'looking into
the future'. The system comes
with access to a central speech
recognition system for voice activated
commands to machines
and robots. This is facilitated by
insertion of additional equipment
information into the viewer's
field of vision. The snack
boxes, produced by Miraplast
Kunststoffverarbeitungs GmbH,
involved integration of a living
hinge and a flange for closure.
chine in DC mode is salt battery
power storage and 'supercap'
electro-chemical capacitors to
compensate for short-term load
peaks. There are now DC-operated
robots and the new Tempro
plus D 90 DC temperature
controller, all powered directly
via the intermediate DC circuit
of the moulding machine.
Other energy-saving improvements
were also shown.
Drymax plus 60 dryers, Flowcon
plus flow and Tempo plus
D temperature controllers are
now available with EcoDrive.
The Tempro plus D temperature
controller has cut the required
supply temperature from 41.5°
to 27.5° C, speed from 2,900 to
2,000 rpm, pump pressure from
3.8 to 1.0 bar, and power consumption
by 63.8%, from 1,493
to 540 Watts. And yet, flow rate
improved from 16.3 to 21.7 liters/minute.
New
granulator
A new G-Max XL granulator
shown in Vienna is Wittmann's
largest beside-the-press granulator.
It
can granulate parts
up to 200 mm by 500 mm with
throughput of up to 100 kg/
hour. Wittmann says the granulator
running at a speed of
340 rpm offers optimum speed/
torque combination and ensures
long life of the easily accessible
grinding chamber.
The G-Max XL is suitable
for beside-the-press inline recycling
and as a small central
granulator. The open cutting
rotor provides for good air circulation,
ensuring rapid cooling
of the granulated material.
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