Live production via plug-and-play
“The roadshow provides our customers with the opportunity to experience the major strengths of the little CX series live and on site and to field-test the products,” explains Dr. Hans Ulrich Golz, Managing Director of KraussMaffei and President of the Injection Molding Machinery segment of the KraussMaffei Group. Since mid-June the CX 35 – 180 has been traveling by truck across Europe. It is securely installed on a platform, making it easy and quick to incorporate into production via plug-and-play. On July 12 and 13 it was featured at the information days at Stäubli. Here, it produced components known as crown wheels in cycle times of 15 seconds using a high percentage of recycled materials.
Customers are impressed by the machine’s APC function
There was a large positive response to the live presentation of the machine’s APC (Adaptive Process Control) function, which can be used to substantially accelerate zero-defect production. If the percentage of recycled materials in the CX 35 changed and this led to fluctuations in viscosity, the interested visitor could watch live on-site and follow along as the APC function on the MC6 control system balanced the parameters. The visitors were also impressed by the direct visual comparison of an overpacked component without the APC function and a good part with the APC function. “The topic of production efficiency during injection molding is ever-present for us. Therefore we are always open to new, efficient solutions, such as the APC function. As a manufacturer of clean room technology, the clean two-platen technology of the CX series accommodates our needs quite well,” explained participants Wolfgang Spettel and Thomas Carle from the laboratory equipment manufacturer BRAND GMBH + CO KG from Wertheim.
Fast and safe mold changes
The visitors experienced noticeable time savings along with short set-up times for mold changes. This was made possible by the new mechanical ejector coupling from KraussMaffei in conjunction with the mechanical bayonet clamping systems from Stäubli. The new ejector coupling is easy to release, opens fast, is easy to couple again and can be clamped quickly. Thanks to its streamlined design it is very readily accessible, which makes these steps easier. “In just a few seconds, the QMC 106 system from Stäubli produces a stable connection between the injection molding machine and the mold. In addition, a safety lock integrated into the bayonet lock prevents unintentional release of the mold,” adds Roland Rathmann, Key Account Manager at Stäubli.
The SPX 10 sprue picker also demonstrated its strengths in mold changing. It is integrated into the protective housing to save space and does not have to be manually readjusted in a parked position. Even the data record for the new mold does not have to be reprogrammed; instead, it is directly coupled with the sprue picker and therefore automatically adjusts itself. “All additional components of the CX such as the sprue picker and the APC function are integrated into the new, intuitively operated MC6 Multitouch control system. That makes it noticeably easier to operate,” explains Dr. Golz.
100 percent added value for the customer
With the new CX series, KraussMaffei has reworked its successful CX machine series with clamping forces from 350 to 1600 kN and consistently taken advantage of every opportunity to increase efficiency. Optimizations have made the new CX 15 percent faster, its drive uses 10 percent less electricity and it saves 20 percent of oil volume. Good sound insulation makes the CX 30 percent quieter and it is 25 percent more efficient thanks to the sprue picker, adaptation of the plasticizing unit and the new APC (Adaptive Process Control) function.
