Wireless LAN saves on mould hot runner costs

Avoiding complex wiring, a 'Wireless LAN' fpermits low-cost remote monitoring of hot runner temperature controllers and the operating condition of the hot runner system.

Gammaflux Europe offers 'Wireless LAN' for all of its hot runner temperature controllers.

It permits particularly low-cost remote monitoring of the temperature controllers and the operating condition of the hot runner system, and eliminates complex wiring.

Instead, each controller is equipped with a small aerial for the wireless transmission of data to the base station.

This station then relays all data in real time for evaluation and visualization, e g, to the production manager's office or to a laptop.

'Wireless LAN' uses the standards b and g with a rate of 54Mbit/s.

For data transmission it is equipped with WEP, WPA and WPA2 codes, which must be activated for data protection and security against outside interference.

Together with the data from the control systems of the injection moulding machines - transmitted either conventionally or likewise by WLAN - the data thus obtained permits a complete monitoring of production, said Gammaflux.

Wireless LAN allows a production manager to remotely monitor the injection moulding shop's entire production and the operating condition and status of individual machines.

Thanks to the constant overview this system affords, the production manager can efficiently coordinate the work of the machine operators and service engineers for mould changing, production optimizing and/or troubleshooting operations.

Gammaflux told manufacturingtalk.com that this remote monitoring facility is particularly useful during night shifts or weekends, when only a minimum of personnel is on duty.

Wireless LAN does not operate in just one direction either: without having to leave the office, the production manager can make any required adjustments to the settings of each individual hot runner temperature controller.

* Optimising production processes - one of the ultimate aims behind Wireless LAN, said Gammaflux, is to enable a large part of the production process to be optimised from the production manager's office or laptop.

The Fill and Cool System from Priamus, which since K 2007 can be integrated into the hot runner temperature controllers from Gammaflux, likewise serves this aim.

* Easily retrofittable - the Wireless LAN option is available for all Gammaflux controllers equipped with PCs and can also be retrofitted without difficulty.

The company-internal remote monitoring facility made possible by Wireless LAN can also be augmented, in conjunction with a telephone modem, by a low-cost external remote diagnosis and maintenance facility.

In the event of a malfunction, a Gammaflux engineer can make an 'on-line inspection' of the hot-runner controller, analyse its condition, interpret the stored data and then give precise instructions for the elimination of the fault or malfunction.

Experience has shown, moreover, that in this way the Gammaflux engineers can make better and more efficient use of the analytical functions incorporated in the controllers.

And if a Gammaflux engineer personally attends a problem, the on-line inspection has already told the engineer where the problem probably lies and what replacement parts will be necessary.

Being thus well prepared, the Gammaflux engineer will need only a minimum of time for the job, and the cost to the customer will be considerably less, said Gammaflux.

* Hot runner temperature control systems - the Gammaflux TTC family of hot runner temperature control systems provides state-of-the-art performance for injection moulding applications up to 640 zones.

The LEC controllers are suitable for smaller hot runner systems with up to 24 zones.

They are available for 2, 6 or 12 zones.

All controllers are of modular design, which means that individual control cards are easy to remove, add or replace.

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