Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has introduced an innovative solution for sustainable injection molding with activeMeltControl (aMC). This adaptive, fully automatic control compensates for shot weight variations in materials, thus promoting sustainability.
The adaptability of aMC leads to more consistent part weights, faster return on investment, and reduced rejects. The software will be available for all IntElect 2 series injection molding machines from the first quarter of 2024.
Furthermore, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has optimized the myAssist system to increase process transparency and support plastic product traceability. These innovations strengthen the company's commitment to sustainability and efficiency in injection molding.
Pioneering Sustainability in Injection Molding with activeMeltControl (aMC).
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has introduced an innovative solution for sustainable Injection Molding with activeMeltControl (aMC). This adaptive, fully automatic control system compensates for shot weight variations in materials, promoting sustainability.
The adaptability of aMC leads to more consistent part weights, quicker return on investment, and reduced rejects. The software will be available for all IntElect 2 series injection molding machines from the first quarter of 2024.
Furthermore, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has optimized the myAssist system to increase process transparency and support plastic product traceability. These innovations strengthen the company's commitment to sustainability and efficiency in Injection Molding.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is driving sustainable injection molding with activeMeltControl. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag aims to enhance sustainability with the launch of activeMeltControl (aMC) for its all-electric injection molding machines.
These machines, known for their unique precision and high energy efficiency, have been leading the way in sustainable plastic processing. At Fakuma 2023, the company is unveiling new digital features that further underscore its commitment to sustainability, as conveyed by the slogan "Act! Sustainably."
activeMeltControl (aMC) is an adaptive, fully automatic control system integrated into the machine's control system, providing better process continuity. This, in turn, has various effects that benefit sustainable production.
"With aMC, we can compensate for shot weight variations in nearly all applications and materials, whether it's due to batch fluctuations, recycled material, regrind, drying differences, dosing variations, or the use of additional additives," explains Dr. Thomas Schilling, Product Manager for Digital Solutions.
Shot weight variations in 100% recycled material, for example, can be corrected by the software, bringing it to the level of virgin material. "This significantly reduces the customer's reject rate. Depending on the process and material, it goes towards zero."
The result is more consistent part weights throughout the batch, ensuring a rapid return on investment (ROI). Additionally, it leads to better process consistency, longer machine uptime, and reduced rejects, all contributing to sustainability.
A lower reject rate leads to higher production efficiency and resource conservation. "Furthermore, customers benefit from greater manufacturing flexibility, as a wider range of material variations can be accommodated when using PCR/PIR types."
The motivation for this development, which Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has pursued over the past four years, is the changing quality of plastics with fewer virgin materials and more recyclable material.
"Many customers have requested a digital solution to compensate for these variations in our highly efficient and precise machines. That's why we introduced aMC as a completely independent software module alongside our established active modules," explains the Product Manager for Digital Solutions.
It can be easily activated with a single click and runs fully automatically in the background. "The software compensates for viscosity fluctuations and adjusts pressure according to backflow barrier leaks. Customers can tailor it to their specific process requirements and control the machine's characteristics using an adjustment controller," reports Schilling.
Initially, aMC will be available for all IntElect 2 series full-electric injection molding machines from the first quarter of 2024, with retrofits planned for the future.
Furthermore, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has optimized its Smart Solution, myAssist, for easier usability. The software enhances process transparency for injection molders by providing more insights into process parameters.
"We are transforming myAssist into a digital process companion. We have optimized interfaces, improved data collection and visualization," says Schilling. The user interface is now flexible and customizable to individual customer preferences, allowing for the representation of cycle- and time-based data. Users can create custom dashboards with material or consumption data or define their own key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the process.
"We've improved process stability and performance while reducing data volume for better transmission. Additionally, myAssist offers more data exchange and analysis possibilities, as well as improved connectivity to other systems," adds the expert.
It also includes a high-speed knowledge database with I/O interfaces as a basic system for IoT 4.0. An HVI (Human Virtual Interface) and an expertise module provide options for manual process annotations. Moreover, myAssist connects all new IntElect machines. MyAssist also aligns with the "Act! Sustainably" motto by reducing downtime and optimizing resources and capacities. It also supports the global traceability standard for plastic products, R-Cycle, through QR codes, material labels, end products, and the upload of production data.
"MyAssist is future-proof, as it serves as our foundation for future cross-process AI applications. AI learns faster, analyzes more accurately, and adapts better. It can contribute to greater sustainability and efficiency," concludes Schilling.
