Auxiliaries (September 01, 2003)
Canadian Plastics
Latest monitoring system ensures accuracyEcho Millenium, the latest in process system control from Universal Dynamics, is a PC Windows-based materials-handling control and monitoring system. It incorp...
Latest monitoring system ensures accuracy
Echo Millenium, the latest in process system control from Universal Dynamics, is a PC Windows-based materials-handling control and monitoring system. It incorporates simple-to-navigate screens with process chain analysis and verification, which ensures the right material reaches the right machine every time.
Users can use plant nomenclature and import pictures and/or drawings to illustrate the equipment being controlled. Operators, quality control departments and managers can generate equipment and system performance reports, monitor process variables and material usage, and quickly pinpoint problem areas. Millenium also permits users to monitor and graph process variables and alarms on most SPI-compatible devices. The program is easily retrofitted to existing Echo control systems as well as other suppliers’ material handling systems.
Hamilton Avtec Inc. 905-568-1133
Vibration welders handle wider range of tooling
Two new linear vibration welders from Dukane are being used by industrial manufacturers in automotive, medical and appliance markets to weld assemblies made from glass-filled and high-performance plastics. The optimized drive heads permit the welder to handle heavy tooling at higher frequencies than competing units, resulting in shorter weld times. The 50-in. and 38-in. models also handle a wider range of tooling weights.
A color touch screen steps the operator through the set-up and offers menus in either English or Spanish. The welders feature quick tooling changeover and easy operator access, and come with reinforced subframes with four-extra rigid guide rails. Both models have a digital/electro-mechanical drive system with no bearing surfaces to wear or lubricate.
Plastisonics Equipment Ltd. 905-791-2585
Robots target small, mid-size molding applications
The Generation IV robots from Conair are expected to increase penetration of the growing market for beam-mounted automation for most molding machine applications. The SR4040 delivers all the mechanical enhancements of the smaller Generation IV units, as well as two new servo wrist rotations that allow the larger robot to more easily manipulate parts in the machine clamp area and for post-mold fixturing.
All Generation IV robots employ the user-friendly ‘Visual’ control system and are designed to service presses up to 1000 tons, with take-out times as fast as 0.98 seconds. The design allows for long demolding stroke as well as high acceleration of the vertical arm. Vertical stroke length of almost 70 inches is available with optional telescoping arm. Other features include: longer stroke length on other axes; compact wrist block to reduce mold-opening requirements and more vertical arm designs.
Stephen Sales Group 905-940-5577
Multi-parting line systems do more with less
Multi-Parting Line Systems from D-M-E Company double the cavitation of standard single-face molds with no additional investment in new molding presses or the resources commonly employed to operate additional presses. Ideal for automotive, housewares, caps and closures, cutlery, electrical/electronic and other applications, MPL Systems can incorporate a wide range of molding solutions — stack molds, dual mold carriers and tandem molds. MPL Systems can be configured as turnkey systems, complete with mold bases, hot runner systems, temperature controllers and centering devices.
D-M-E of Canada Ltd. 800-387-4651
Multi-tip nozzles allow for direct horizontal gating
The HPS III-MH1 multi-tip nozzle from Ewikon Hotrunner Systems allows for easy installation in standard mold inserts. The nozzle provides open horizontal gating of up to four parts simultaneously at a gating angle of 90 degrees. In addition to the standard design, a version with angled open inserts is available, which allows the gates to be positioned close to the bottom of the mold insert.
The nozzle has a standard pitch diameter of 22 mm, with other diameters available upon request, and short melting residence time.
Ewikon Hotrunner Systems of America Inc. 800-980-4815
High-speed, vibration-free sprue picker
Wittman’s Model W602 sprue picker offers vibration-free operation, even under the highest speed conditions of the vertical arm. It also has even greater stability for the kick control than previous designs. The W602 incorporates a microprocessor controlled pneumatic vertical shock absorber to further eliminate vibrations of the arm during descend.
Standard features include a freely adjustable pivot axis between 45 and 95 degrees and the simple changeover of the removal arm from rear side to operator side placement.
The vertical arm is available in stroke lengths of 500 to 700 mm and is fully adjustable over the entire stroke. A locking cylinder prevents the arm from drifting down into the mold in the event of air pressure loss. The swivel base allows rotation of the arm behind the fixed platen for mold changes.
Nucon Wittmann Inc. 888-466-8266
Shear hopper offers compact solution
The K-Tron Feeder Group’s Shear Hopper is a compact alternative to traditional mechanical feeder agitation. It reliably prevents bridge building of cohesive materials.
The Shear Hopper consists of a flexible hopper liner fixed to the top and bottom of a standard hopper, with a ring mounted around the middle of the flexible hopper liner. A motor moves the ring in eccentric circles, thus agitating the flexible liner and preventing material bridging. The hopper motion is gentle on the bulk material and improves material flow for better accuracy.
K-Tron America 856-589-0500
Barrier screw can be fine-tuned for each resin
According to Xaloy, its new barrier screws deliver 20 to 35% more melting capacity than competitive barrier screws, and they permit better pressure control and lower processing temperature as well.
Based on an R.F. Dray design, the new screws employ a dam at the end of the solids channel. The dam is interchangeable, allowing adjustment of its height to fine-tune the screw’s pressure profile to particular polymers for optimum throughput, melt temperature and homogeneity.
Barrier screws are available in extrusion versions called Melt King, and in injection molding versions called Melt Optimizer.
Dier International 905-474-9874
Color instrument agreement across all makes and models
GretagMacbeth’s NetProfiler Version 1.5 allows instruments of virtually all makes and models to agree. NetProfiler, an Internet application that remotely monitors, calibrates, adjusts and certifies a network of spectrophotometers, has already proven effective with GretagMacbeth’s Color-Eye brand.
Now, it covers a broader range of spectrophotometer brands to provide a universal color measurement standard — an industry first. NetProfiler enables effective global supply chain color management among networks of disparate instruments.
Prism Instruments 888-717-7476
Dryer reaches higher throughput levels
A new model of the Maguire Low Pressure Dryer (LPD) with five times the maximum capacity of the next-largest LPD unit makes the advantages of vacuum drying available to a new range of plastics processors. The LPD-1000 resin dryer accommodates processing machine throughputs up to 1000 lb./hr. Like smaller models, it requires one-sixth of the time and as little as 20% of the energy needed by conventional hot-air/desiccant dryers.
Nucon Wittmann 888-466-8266
Energy-efficient dryer keeps dew points low
Comet’s ERD Baby uses dehumidified compressed air from the plant’s air system for the drying process. When pre-dried compressed air is expanded to atmospheric pressure, the dew point sinks to a low level. Subsequent heating of the process air reduces the relative humidity.
The dryer provides a 30% average energy savings over desiccant dryers, and dew points below -40F.
The ERD Baby is maintenance free and available in sizes ranging from two to 3,000 lb./hr.
Comet Automation Systems, Inc. 937-296-9166
Dryer optimized for two-shot molding
The new dual-h
opper PDII Series from Dri-Air Industries handles two different resins simultaneously, offering individual control of drying temperatures and times. Each hopper has adjustable volume control as well, so the operator can set the hopper capacity to accommodate different shot sizes and processing rates.
Material conveying is also simplified; one loading system conveys dried material to each injection unit separately. Buyers can select various hopper sizes as needed and specify either four-bed or two-bed drying technology.
Mould-tek Industries Inc. 416-285-5400