“It is only possible to maximise efficiency and quality potential where all components in a manufacturing cell are perfectly coordinated from the start,” points out Nguyen Hieu, Head of ENGEL VN in Ho Chi Minh City. Injection moulding machines, automation and process technologies are developed and manufactured in-house. To integrate other peripheral units and moulds, ENGEL has established a global network of system partners. “In Asia we have very strong partners who can implement ideal solutions because they also understand the needs of local processing firms intimately,” says Kurt Hell, Manager of ENGEL’s Packaging and Medical Business Units in Asia. “By working with Asian suppliers, we guarantee high cost efficiency even for most demanding applications while keeping delivery times short across the whole system.” Last year, ENGEL appointed dedicated business unit managers for Asia based in Shanghai, China. With this new structure, ENGEL can support its customers in various industries even more targeted in solving their very individual challenges.
All-electric e-mac: stable and efficient in continuous use
At the Plastics & Rubber Vietnam event, ENGEL will use an e-mac 440/180 injection moulding machine on its stand to produce oval bowls typically used for ready meals. Thanks to in-mould labelling (IML), ready-to-use packaging leaves the production cell. “IML makes high quality decoration affordable while facilitating the efficient production of small batch sizes,” says Hieu. The two system partners involved with the exhibit are based in Taiwan. IML automation is provided by JET Engine Automation, while the 4-cavity mould is provided by CNN Plastic System.
Since high productivity requires a dependable, high performance injection moulding machine, the all-electric e-mac is solely equipped with very powerful servomotors. The ejection and clamping are also handled servo-electrically. This guarantees the best possible precision and process stability while maximising the effectiveness of the machine as a whole. In continuous use, the highly energy efficient machine guarantees stable production around the clock.
With the CC300 control unit, the e-mac offers full flexibility for the integration of robots and other peripherals as well as the deployment of intelligent assistance systems from ENGEL’s inject 4.0 range.
Self-optimising injection moulding machine
inject 4.0 is ENGEL’s answer to the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution, also referred to as Industry 4.0. The aim is to realise the smart factory, in which production processes continually self-optimise through the networking of production systems; the systematic usage of machine, process and production data; and the deployment of intelligent assistance systems. In this way processing firms can increase the productivity and quality of their production operations while responding to demands – which are changing ever more quickly – with maximum flexibility.
ENGEL is already offering a whole series of advanced and proven products for digitalisation and networking, and continues to develop the range. The modularity of the inject 4.0 concept makes it easy for plastics processing firms to harness the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0. Even individual solutions promise considerable benefits.
At the trade event, the e-mac injection moulding machine will underline this point. Equipped with the iQ weight control assistance system, the machine identifies fluctuations in environmental conditions and the raw material, automatically compensating for these shot for shot. Throughout the process, it keeps the injected melt volume constant and thereby stops rejects being produced.
ENGEL will be taking another assistance system to Ho Chi Minh City: iQ clamp control software, which calculates mould breathing in order to determine ideal clamping force and adapt it automatically.
Launch for new e-connect customer portal
ENGEL is introducing its new e-connect customer portal to Asia: it will be available in Vietnam from April 2018. “The aim in this development was to provide customers with more specific information, establish contact with them even faster and provide the best possible support to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0,” says Hieu.
From the first order onwards, all machines and system solutions supplied by ENGEL are stored in the system, with the current status also shown. For the best possible overview, users can reproduce the structure of their individual machinery in the system and even assign production lines to different halls or departments online. Making support and service enquiries online is not only convenient for users, but also speeds up order processing. As soon as a customer makes a request, it is automatically forwarded to the service team so that they can start looking for the cause immediately.
The new customer portal assists with online support and remote maintenance as well as further service products in ENGEL’s inject 4.0 range, including e-connect.monitor for condition-based, pre-emptive maintenance.
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH
ENGEL is one of the global leaders in the manufacture of plastics processing machines. Today, the ENGEL Group offers a full range of technology modules for plastics processing as a single source supplier: injection moulding machines for thermoplastics and elastomers together with automation, with individual components also being competitive and successful in the market. With nine production plants in Europe, North America and Asia (China and Korea), and subsidiaries and representatives in more than 85 countries, ENGEL offers its customers the excellent global support they need to compete and succeed with new technologies and leading-edge production systems.
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