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(Photo credit: SACMI)

Compression Molding

Smart Pack: The advanced controls r-evolution by SACMI


Smart Pack is a new advanced control package that can be installed on latest-generation SACMI CCM (Continuous Compression Molding) presses. The results: much lower risk of error, quicker and simpler settings - especially with resin or size changeovers - and early problem detection.

The cornerstone of SACMI’s services for latest-generation CCM compression presses, Smart Pack takes production to the next level by focusing on three main digital manufacturing drivers: re-action, feedback on process, prevention&prediction.

SACMI aims to provide customers with:

  • immediate, tangible economic benefits
  • simplified operation
  • waste and error prevention
  • long-lasting mold and machine efficiency.

Controls integrated on the press: pellet insertion, hydraulic system, thermoregulation

Available as premium content on latest-generation CCM presses, SACMI Smart Pack includes advanced hw/sw controls that help customers handle at least four aspects of the process. These aspects take the form of key daily tasks:

  • Pellet insertion, that is, insertion and correct positioning of the dose. All the operating parameters are controlled via a user-friendly digital interface. Faster, easier machine set-up - especially when a change of size or resin is required - delivers considerable advantages and can reduce task completion times by up to 50%. Moreover, the system can prevent any malfunctions that might stem from an incorrect setting.
  • Hydraulic system. Hydraulic oil is the life-blood of the machine. Hence the importance of these controls, which concern hydraulic oil quality and contamination. Before the oil decays, the machine detects the drift and predicts when this will become a problem, making maintenance tasks more effective and easier to plan.
  • Thermoregulation. Monitoring the thermal dynamics of the molding/cooling process brings the advantages of:
    • thermal drift prediction
    • higher molding process quality
    • longer machine component lifespans
  • The mold. Preventing condensation from forming on the molds plays a key role in extending the working life of these critical components. Mold maintenance itself is ‘predictive’, as is the approach to problems linked to any decay of the cooling circuit liquid.

Immediate, tangible economic benefits

More plant availability = immediate economic benefits. This simple formula encapsulates the main advantage of the system: an immediate increase in plant availability and, therefore, tangible, measurable economic benefits for customers.
But that’s not all. With Smart Pack, SACMI CCM presses automatically ‘know’ when an incorrect resin has been loaded. Data matching between the set recipe and the rheological characteristics of the incoming resin ensures the press automatically recognizes any wrong material.

But how much time does recognition take? Well, it varies according to the rheological characteristics of the specific resin, but what counts is that this time is always sufficient to prevent the disastrous ‘domino effect’ of an incorrect production set-up and the ensuing economic damage.

Everything is designed to make workers’ tasks as simple and effective as possible. If problems arise, in fact, the machine issues a warning: if the worker fails to intervene, it blocks the process, preventing insertion of the wrong resin.

Also on existing CCMs

Smart Pack can also be used on existing presses in the following versions: CCM24SF, CCM32MC, CCM48SD, CCM64MC.

www.sacmi.it

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