Product category:
Injection moulding
News Release from: Arburg | Subject: Leather injection moulding process
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 March 2007
Leather injection moulding process
developed
The injection moulding of leather fibres to give products a 'leather feel' was presented to the trade public during the recent Arburg Technology Days In Germany.
'Allrounder International' is Arburg's current annual motto and it applies perfectly to this year's Technology Days: The international plastics industry met for the Arburg Technology Days in Lossburg from 22-24 March, 2007 A new attendance record was achieved despite the onset of winter: 3,470 guests from 41 countries visited the three-day event in order to find out more about the overall product range, innovative applications and current injection moulding sector topics
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 10 Jul 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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Michael Hehl, spokesperson for the Arburg management team and managing partner, was impressed by the number of visitors.
"This response once again shows what an important occasion our event is for the industry.
This outstanding response demonstrates to us each year anew that the concept of the Technology Days is a success and exactly meets the needs of our customers.
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What other trade fair offers an opportunity to view our entire machine range, including our innovations, and such a wide range of applications.".
* International industry meeting - 3,470 guests took advantage of this unique opportunity, of which 1,465 came from abroad - some from as far as Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Columbia, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.
The largest group, comprising 161 customers and other interested parties, came from the USA, followed by the Czech group with 136 participants.
There were 100 visitors both from the Netherlands and from Poland.
* New machines and applications - in order to demonstrate the Allrounder's performance and broad range of applications, over 40 machines with a wide variety of applications were exhibited.
The entire Allrounder machine series was represented, including new machines: the largest Allrounder 920 S with a clamping force of 5000kN (500 tonf), the vertical Allrounder 275 V and the large Allrounder 720 S Golden Edition.
The range of applications included various multi-component applications, micro assembly injection moulding, the processing of leather fibre, liquid silicone (including foamed LSR), thermoset and a fully recyclable organic compound, metal and ceramic injection moulding, water injection technology, the production of optical lenses in a clean room, and the production of medical parts.
* Leather injection moulding highlight - the application technology highlight this year was the injection moulding of leather fibres which was unveiled to the trade public during the Technology Days.
The feel of the injection moulded cups was an unmistakable, typical leather feeling, which impressed both trade visitors and members of the international press.
Possible applications for this material can be found in the automotive sector, for example.
* Micro universal joint in one production step - the complete production of a universal joint on a two-component Allrounder 370 U aroused great interest.
These sophisticated parts were produced entirely using micro assembly injection moulding and were already connected together in the mould.
In addition to the highly sophisticated overall process, the 1.6g weight of the parts and the combination of the two materials, PBT and POM, make production complex.
* The 'Golden Edition' family on display - in the Golden Edition showroom, all six machines from the series bearing this name were exhibited.
Due to its outstanding success, the Allrounder Golden Edition, which was introduced as an anniversary machine series, will remain on the market.
In addition to the high-quality standard equipment and the attractive price-performance ratio, the reason for its success is due to the wide range of applications that the six machine sizes offer.
This was demonstrated during the Technology Days with the production of moulded parts for the medical technology and electronics sectors as well as the processing of a fully recyclable organic compound.
* The fast Allrounder A - the electric Allrounder A demonstrated its high-speed qualities by producing a battery housing in a cycle time of 3s and by producing cups in 2s.
The fact that the Allrounder 570 A can also be used for the processing of special materials was demonstrated with the production of protective caps made from silicone rubber.
* Optical lenses in the clean room - in the laboratory for clean room technology, the Allrounder 270 U produced optical lenses from PC using a two-cavity mould.
The machine, fully coated in a light-grey colour for the clean room, was equipped with a Multilift H which removed the parts from the mould and set them down onto an encapsulated conveyor belt.
This was used to transport the lenses into a separate clean room.
To ensure a low-dust atmosphere during the entire production and removal cycle, both the clamping unit of the machine and the working area of the Multilift were equipped with separate clean air modules, including air ionisation.
* Individual automation solutions from Arburg - a real crowd-puller was the exhibition area for the large Allrounders with a clamping force of up to 5000kN and the complete production cells.
Arburg has an in-house project department for the automation sector, which designs, builds and commissions customer-specific systems comprising an injection moulding machine, robotic system and peripherals, while also providing support throughout the entire process.
* Comprehensive service spectrum - since service has always played an important role at Arburg, the comprehensive presales and aftersales services were presented in their own special exhibition area.
Here, the visitors could closely examine the fully-equipped service vehicle and find out more about the wide range of training courses offered.
The focus at the service area was hydraulic oil quality.
Different methods of oil analysis and filtration were presented.
* First-hand expertise - theory did not take a back seat to practice at the Technology Days.
The four specialist presentations, which were held in German and in English, covered current injection moulding topics: the production of optical lenses, the encapsulation of metal parts in the microtechnology sector, the use of electric machines based on a case study from the USA, and the integration of upstream and downstream production steps in the field of complete production cells.
A total attendance of 1290 participants over three days demonstrated that Arburg made the right choices when selecting the topics.
* Experiencing Allrounder production live - the production tours, which gave the guests a chance to look behind the scenes, were in high demand.
Almost all the visitors from abroad took advantage of this opportunity.
Around 1,400 visitors took part in approximately 200 German language tours.
In addition to the numerous stations, the Technology Days also offered ample opportunity for in-depth technical discussions.
These represent a further important aspect of this successful event, which attracts the international plastics industry to Lossburg, year after year.
* About Arburg - Arburg, a German machine construction company, is one of the leading global manufacturers of injection moulding machines for plastics processing with clamping forces between 125kN and 5,000kN (12.5-500 tonf).
Fields of application include the production of plastic parts for motor vehicles, communications and consumer electronics, medical technology, domestic appliances and packaging.
The product range is completed by robotic systems, complex projects and other peripherals.
Arburg's operations are coordinated by an integrated management system and are DIN EN ISO 9001 and 14001 certified.
With locations in more than 20 countries worldwide and more than 30 international trading partners, ARBURG has a worldwide sales and service network.
Some 2,000 employees share in Arburg's success worldwide.
Production is carried out by more than 1,680 employees, exclusively in the parent factory in Lossburg (Germany).
In 2006, Arburg celebrated '50 years of Arburg injection moulding machines'.
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