Product category:
Handling and automation equipment
News Release from: Wittmann UK | Subject: Robots, automation systems
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 31 August 2007
Plastics moulding includes gravimetric
blending
Provider of plastics manufacturing equipment will be showing robots, automation systems, in-mould labelling as well as granulators, material handling and gravimetric blending.
At this year's global plastics exhibition K2007 show in Dusseldorf, Germany Wittmann's display will reflect the theme 'Innovative Technologies for Higher Productivity' The company's 460m2 stand - Hall 10, Stand 10A04 - will feature over 80 different auxiliary equipment products Doors to the K 2007 show will open on October 24
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Sep 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Among many new products from Wittmann's six key product groups, will be robots and automation systems, in-mould labelling and mould design, mould cooling and heating, granulators, material handling equipment and its newest product family: gravimetric blending.
Wittmann will be showing its products as work cells in order to demonstrate complete peripheral equipment in operation around processing machines, as well as in six product specific areas.
** Gravimetric blending - after the recent acquisition of the M-Tek blending and conveying line from Mould-Tek, Wittmann now offers a superior and precise gravimetric blending product line ranging in material throughputs from 130 to 5,000kg/h (285 to 11,000 lb/h).
Further reading
Control enhancements save 30% drying energy costs
By enhancing the microprocessor control on portable plastics materials dryers, energy bills savings of some 30% have been realised.
Portable plastics dryer optimises conditions
Portable dryer with advanced valves and integrated microprocessor control on the dual hopper configuration offers for optimum drying efficiency for plastics processing.
Feeder package and moulder to transform filters
A granulator and materials feed package that, together with a new all-electric moulding machines, is set to transform the production of filter housings.
The new Wittmann blenders excel through a proprietary three-level blending process, resulting in the most precise and uniform blend for every batch.
This technology is labelled RTLS (Real Time Live Scale) and relies on progressively shorter opening times of the dosing valves.
Through the continuous compensation of differing flow characteristics of the plastic pellets through adaptive software algorithms, a single standard and highly precise valve can be employed for virgin materials, regrind and powder.
At K2007, Wittmann will show the GMX 1 series blender with 130kg/h (285 lb/h) and the GMX 3 with 340kg/h (750 lb/h) of material throughput will be displayed.
** Robots and automation systems - in the Robots and Automation Systems product range, Wittmann will display four new product innovations, as follows.
* The 7 Series robots will be displayed with the new TeachBox R7.2 Touch with SVGA graphics screen and 800 x 600 pixels of resolution and USB port.
The USB port permits the storage and management of an unlimited number of teach programs on external Wittmann memory sticks.
Additionally the internal Flash Memory Cards provides further storage space when no memory stick is attached.
The basic functions of the R7.2 TeachBox remain otherwise unchanged and are entirely compatible with controls of the CNC6.2 and R7 generation.
* The W7x5 horizontal robot with SCARA kinematics will be shown with a horizontal stroke of 1200mm, which allows the use on moulding machines with clamping forces of 2000-2500kN (200-250 tonf).
Similar to the smaller model with a 900mm stroke, this robot was also designed for shortest removal times and combines the advantages of speed of the rotational horizontal axis with a parallel gripper motion to the surface of the mould, which significantly facilitates the use and programming of motions within the mould area for the operator.
The W7x5 is equipped as a standard with 3 servo drives and provides the highest flexibility for the implementation of automation projects.
* The ultra high speed robots series is extended with the W733.
The W733 UHS robot is equipped with a newly developed telescopic vertical arm with up to 1200mm of stroke and can handle payloads up to 5kg (11 lb).
Depending on the length of the stroke motion, the time for in-/out movements is just 0.3-0.5s.
These times are possible using highly dynamic servo modules and motors with extremely high performance density, whereby simultaneously minimum masses of the rotational axes need to be moved.
This guarantees on one side the direct transfer of forces, as well as the minimization of masses.
* The new W723 robot with telescopic axis and 10kg (22 lb) payload is mechanically based on the popular W721 robot for mounting on moulding machines up to approximately 3000kN (300 tonf) of clamping force.
Instead of the vertical single axis, a newly developed telescopic axis is employed, which offers the complete features and options of the W72x series.
This robot is best suited for use in production areas with low overhead clearance.
* Many of the robots are connected via the standard Ethernet interface to central PCs and are communicating possible error messages and conditions via emails.
* The W711 robot with 5kg (11 lb), as well as robot model W753 with a 75kg (165 lb) payload and servo driven A/C-axis combinations, will be displayed along with the automatic recognition of End-Of-Arm Tooling using RFID technology.
* In-mould labelling: Latest In-Mould Labelling (IML) system produces of 2+2 round cups and lids from a stack mould.
The system runs at a total cycle time of 4.7s and simultaneously removes the finished parts and inserts the two different labels (banderole and flat) into the respective cavities.
The automation is based on the modular concept of the high-performance side-entry W727 robot and is completely supplied together with an in-house developed stack mould from Wittmann.
The system will be run on a Demag Series El-Exis 200 moulding machine.
** Mould cooling and heating systems to be shown ae as follows.
* The Mould Temperature Controllers product group will release the new Tempro Plus C series, in the open version with 90 deg C (195 deg F) water, as well as the pressurized systems with 140 deg C (250 deg F) and 160 deg C (290 deg F) water in single and dual zone units.
Standard features are: Leak Stop mode, unlimited purging of cooling channels prior to mould changes and permanent return temperature monitoring.
Optional are miscellaneous interfaces to process machines, as well as pressure and flow monitoring.
This allows the optimum temperature and process control.
The Wittmann temperature controller line is completed by the economical Tempro Primus and Tempro Basic units, the model Tempro Direct 120 temperature controller with direct cooling and the oil unit Tempro Plus 250 for high heat applications.
** Material handling systems - the highlight of the show display for the Material Handling section of Wittmann is a completely integrated central system, which will be controlled by the new M7.2 control system.
All components connected to the central system on the booth, the battery dryer Drymax, various sizes of the intelligent drying hopper Silmax, a coupling station with electrically coded manifolds, as well as a representative cross-section of different sizes and variations of the Feedmax vacuum loaders will be operated and controlled through the high-level M7.2 control.
The complete integration of the miscellaneous components allows a uniform and centralized visualisation of all operating modes, as well as the display of higher layered alarm conditions of the system.
* The new Drymax E Series with 80m3/h of dry air supply and a new high-performance control system will be presented.
The Drymax E Series will be equipped with two independently operating desiccant beds and are specifically designed for ambient conditions with very high humidity.
The optimized units excel through a highly efficient drying process including the SmartRegen function.
Various equipment options allow single hopper operation, with or without integrated material conveying, as well as the dual hopper operation with the SmartFlow function allowing automatic intelligent air distribution.
* Latest version of the popular Portable Drying Conveyor (PDC), provides, in addition to the dry air generator, the integrated material conveying by means of a maintenance free three-phase blower.
Employed are the latest Just-In-Time (JIT) loaders which provide the conveying of dried resin in vacuum mode and with dry air supply.
After every conveying cycle an automatic purging of the material lines is performed to avoid the remoisturization of material residing in the lines.
The material demands of the JIT loader are treated with highest priority, in order to avoid a material shortage at the machines and interrupt, if necessary, the conveying cycle to drying hoppers.
* A further show release will be the newly developed Drymax E180 battery dryers offering the lowest energy consumption with dew points down to -60 deg C (-75 deg F).
The unit is equipped with the option return air cooler, process filter and dew point sensor.
Perfectly fitting are the Silmax E150 and E300 drying hoppers which are connected via the real time bus CAN-Bus to the dry air generator and permit a closed loop integration for optimum drying results.
* The compact Drymax ES40 dryer with 40m3/h of dry air supply and a two-silo dryer of Drymax D60 will be presented.
** Granulators - from the Granulators product group Wittmann will introduce several new developments for the Sumo series screenless granulator and MAS and MC Series conventional granulators.
* The latest MAS series family of compact granulators offer a constant and reliable regrind result and excellent price/performance level.
* The low speed series of screenless granulator will be shown in its entirety.
The range from the smallest model, the Sumo Minor 1 with 1 breaker knife and 2 sections of trapezoidal shaped roller cutters on the rotor, up to the Sumo Junior Double 8 model with eight breaker knives and 10 cutting rollers.
All Sumo Series models offer the same advantages as all the other screenless granulators from Wittmann, as follows.
* Low noise operation and uniform particle size with little or no dust granulation.
* Reduced wear through low 27 rev/min rotor speed.
* Simple handling and cleaning.
From the MC series of central granulators, the model MC 34 44 with cutting chamber dimensions of 340mm x 440mm will be shown.
This unit is optimized for the recycling of PET bottles and other blow moulded components or larger injection moulded parts.
The granulator hopper can handle a variety of feeding methods (i e: manually, by robot or conveyor).
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