ENGEL at Plastpol 2016

ENGEL at Plastpol 2016

press | release

ENGEL at Plastpol 2016

Intelligent solutions for enhanced quality
and process stability

Schwertberg, Austria – April 2016

ENGEL is making its customers more competitive with reliable, flexible and efficient machine concepts along with automation from a single source. The system expert headquartered in Schwertberg, Austria, will demonstrate what this means in practical terms by presenting two technically demanding applications at Plastpol 2016, which takes place in Kielce, Poland, from May 17th to 20th. The demonstration will clearly illustrate how the ever accelerating integration of intelligent assistance systems and the networking of machines and systems can unlock even more efficiency and quality potential.

iQ solutions raising process stability and quality

Producing parts of consistently high quality shot for shot calls for more than just an accurate injection moulding machine: fluctuations in environmental conditions as well as raw materials and wear have an impact, and may necessitate the readjustment of parameters. At Plastpol, ENGEL will be presenting iQ weight control, software that recognises and automatically compensates for deviations from the specified melt flow by adjusting the switchover point, injection speed profile and holding pressure in the same shot. The production of complex, three-dimensional housing components using an all-electric ENGEL e-motion 170/110 T injection moulding machine will impressively showcase the strong potential of the software. The component design includes various breaks, delicate grid structures and alternating wall thicknesses; in this case, even the smallest changes in general conditions can mean the cavity is not completely filled and rejects are produced. “With iQ weight control, we are improving the cost-effectiveness of injection moulding production significantly,” points out Piotr Nachilo, managing director at ENGEL Polska with headquarters in Warsaw. “Demand is increasing for self-adapting assistance systems. Integrating additional intelligence in the CC300 control unit for injection moulding machines enables customers to improve process stability and product quality, regardless of how qualified their employees may be.”

While the iQ weight control software optimises the injection process, the focus in developing iQ clamp control was on the injection moulding machine's clamping unit. This software will also be installed on the ENGEL e-motion injection moulding machine at the Plastpol event. On the machine display, visitors to the trade fair will be able to see how iQ clamp control determines and automatically adjusts the ideal clamping force shot by shot on the basis of the mould breathing.

inject 4.0 points the way to the smart factory

The iQ weight control and iQ clamp control software solutions, developed by ENGEL for electric injection moulding machines, are part of ENGEL’s wide-ranging inject 4.0 programme. With inject 4.0, ENGEL is enabling clients around the world to utilise the possibilities presented by the fourth industrial revolution. “Industrie 4.0 is nothing new for ENGEL – in many areas it has been current practice for a long time,” says Nachilo. “Our modular approach to inject 4.0 makes it easy for our customers to get on board. There is no need for a complete solution from day one: optimisation of production processes starts with individual machines and may be expanded gradually into a global production network.”

The aim of inject 4.0 is to establish the smart factory: a production operation that continually enhances itself through the networking and integration of production systems, systematic utilisation of process and production data and the deployment of adaptive production systems. A smart factory has three areas: smart machines for greater process capability, smart production for higher productivity and smart services for improved availability. The ENGEL range already has solutions in all areas, and will present some of these in Kielce. Visitors to the ENGEL stand will be able to experience the smart factory at first hand with iQ products (smart machines) as well as e-factory (smart production).

ENGEL has its own manufacturing execution system (MES): specifically tailored to the needs of the plastics processing industry, ENGEL e-factory achieves very deep vertical data integration (to the level of individual cavities). ENGEL e-factory ensures transparency by enabling centralised access to all relevant status and process data and comparing this with quality indicators and commercial objectives. The networking of injection moulding machines and manufacturing cells makes it much easier for a processing firm to utilise its machine park as effectively as possible, check the status of injection moulding machines and create documentation. It is not only machines in a machine park that can be integrated into the system, but also (if required) various locations around the globe.

Both of the processing cells at ENGEL’s stand are incorporated in the ENGEL e-factory and may be controlled via a central master computer.

More output per square metre

The second machine on show at the ENGEL stand will focus on the need for maximum output from minimal floor space. “For many of our customers, surface area productivity is a major indicator of efficiency,” emphasises Nachilo. “ENGEL offers compact solutions across its range of machines, including large-size machines.” Thanks to its dual-platen technology, ENGEL duo machines with clamping forces from 3,500 to 55,000 kN are more compact than injection moulding machines from other manufacturers in the same clamping force class. Low-friction platen guidance on carriages facilitates outstanding platen parallelism and sensitive mould protection, thus ensuring a high level of operating safety and lowering the number of rejects.

In Kielce, ENGEL will use an ENGEL duo 3550/500 with clamping force of 5,000 kN to produce stable stacking boxes from polypropylene. An ENGEL viper 20 linear robot will remove the boxes and place them on a conveyor belt. The RC300 control unit for the robot is fully integrated in the CC300 control unit of the injection moulding machine. The additional movement instructions for the robot integrate seamlessly with the graphical user interface of the machine control unit, which considerably simplifies above all the programming and operation of complex process workflows and makes an additional PLC unnecessary. To enable fast parameterisation despite the complexity of the system as a whole, the CC300 control unit offers users various process mapping options, from simple selection of prefabricated standard processes to the object-based graphic generation of complex sequences.

Within the integrated system solution, machine and robot access a shared database and coordinate their movements in the interests of greater overall efficiency. As a result, for example, it is not necessary for the robot to wait until the mould is completely open; part removal can begin during the actual opening, which cuts the cycle time.

In view of accelerating networking and the systematic use of process data, the human/machine interface is becoming ever more important. Given the development of the CC300 control unit and a consistently applied control philosophy, ENGEL was geared to needs of the factory of the future at an early stage.

ENGEL at Plastpol 2016: hall F, stand F-3

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At its trade show stand, ENGEL will produce complex, three-dimensional housing components using an all-electric ENGEL e-motion injection moulding machine. Such a demanding application will clearly demonstrate the high potential of the intelligent assistance systems of iQ weight control and iQ clamp control.

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In order to continue to boost productivity, efficiency, quality and flexibility in production, simply using the best injection moulding equipment is not enough; its potential must be leveraged to the max. This is where inject 4.0 comes to play with the smart factory concept.

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Large-scale machine, small footprint: at Plastpol 2016, an ENGEL duo 3550/500 with integrated
ENGEL viper robot will produce polypropylene stacking boxes.

Pictures: ENGEL

ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH

ENGEL is one of the global leaders in the manufacture of plastics processing machines. Today, the ENGEL Group offers a full range of technology modules for plastics processing as a single source supplier: injection moulding machines for thermoplastics and elastomers together with automation, with individual components competitive and successful on the market in their own right. With nine production plants in Europe, North America and Asia (China and Korea), and subsidiaries and representatives in more than 85 countries, ENGEL offers its customers the excellent global support they need to compete and succeed with new technologies and leading-edge production systems.

Contact for journalists:
Martin Streicher, Group Marketing Director, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH,
Ludwig-Engel-Strasse 1, A-4311 Schwertberg, Austria,
tel.: +43 (0)50 620 3800, fax: -3009, e-mail:

Susanne Zinckgraf, Public Relations Manager, ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH,
Ludwig-Engel-Strasse 1, A-4311 Schwertberg, Austria
PR Office: Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 85, D-67435 Neustadt, Germany,
tel.: +49 (0)6327 97699-02, fax: -03, e-mail:

Contact for readers:
ENGEL AUSTRIA GmbH, Ludwig-Engel-Strasse 1, A-4311 Schwertberg, Austria,
tel.: +43 (0)50 620-0, fax: -3009, e-mail:

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