Shopfloor monitoring & process monitoring at SolidPlast

ENGEL's shopfloor monitoring is a crucial tool for the modern manufacturing industry. It is a digital system that monitors the entire machine park and provides transparency in production.

shopfloor monitoring...

• analyses production data retrospectively.
• recognises optimisation potential at the touch of a button.
• has a low configuration effort.
• works independently of the manufacturer.

All of these features speed up daily business, relieve professionals and provide an overview regardless of location.

The iQ process observer permanently records and analyses several hundred process parameters in real time. The focus is on problem parameters. In this way, it optimises quality, efficiency and costs in production.

iQ process observer...

• detects process-relevant deviations and evaluates them.
• automatically evaluates their impact on production using algorithms.
• uses data and expertise to optimise processes.
• stabilises the injection moulding cycle and thus contributes to high quality in series production.

Overall, the iQ process observer reduces costs and saves energy. Also, less time is needed for machine monitoring.

The Polish company SolidPlast, based in Kartuzy, was faced with a challenging task. Their customer required the use of polyoxymethylene (POM) for the production of a three-part assembly of a gas measuring cell in building technology.

POM is known for its strength and rigidity. However, it presented the company with technical challenges due to its shrinkage properties during injection moulding. These are considerable, especially when producing precise and dimensionally accurate components in series.

Due to limited production space and the desire for maximum productivity, SolidPlast invested in new injection moulding machines in 2020:

1. a tie-bar-less ENGEL victory 320/100 and
2. an all-electric e-mac 265/80

The vision of Dariusz Barton, the managing director, was clear: no more quality controls, but a focus on quality-oriented production. With the two new modern machines, he took the first step.

The next step was to enable the integration of digital assistance systems from ENGEL through. Therefore, the following tools were implemented to optimise the processes:

• shopfloor monitoring
• process monitoring with iQ process observer
• iQ weight control
• iQ clamp control

The future belongs to transparency and knowledge. This is especially true at a time when customers' requirements are constantly growing. Dariusz Barton was specifically looking for a provider that not only met current requirements. It should also be open to future digital possibilities.

ENGEL was chosen because it offers the smartest solution with the best control system on the market.

The internal implementation was consistent. New employees were specifically trained in the use of the intuitive CC300 control unit of the ENGEL injection moulding machines. This was crucial, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified personnel with experience in injection moulding technology.

The aim was to improve overall efficiency (OEE) and carry out process monitoring from the desk. shopfloor monitoring in the ENGEL customer portal e-connect and makes it possible to monitor and analyse the entire production at a central monitor. It provides key figures on the reject rate, downtimes, cycle times and much more.

The introduction of shopfloor monitoring and the iQ process observer at SolidPlast in combination with the new machines produced impressive results and improvements in production. The company already had experience with iQ weight control and iQ clamp control. The other tools, however, were a first.

The integration of shopfloor monitoring with the remote maintenance tool e-connect.24 was clear and simple. It only took one session for new employees to explain the system. After that, they have already been able to use and understand it properly.

One of the biggest advantages is the traceability of problems and downtime during shifts when the office is not manned. This is often the case with night shifts. These can now be better tracked. Future risks are also better predicted. In the event of an emergency, it is thus possible to react more quickly.

SolidPlast now uses shopfloor monitoring every morning in a 15-minute meeting. The problems of the previous day are discussed.

Through the iQ process observer, Dariusz Barton was able to monitor the process parameters in real time and adjust them to his needs. This led to a smooth production flow with all relevant signals lighting up "green". It enabled trend monitoring across the entire history. This allowed operators to react early to potential problems before a machine had to be stopped. In addition, the history helped to better predict mould wear, resulting in longer service life.

A concrete example:
In the system, a mould was on "yellow" due to a higher ejection force. A technician cleaned and greased the mould, which extended its life. In addition, the system also detected problems with the temperature control. The special thing about this was that the temperature control units came from a different supplier. They were not integrated into the control system.

Time and costs could be significantly reduced overall through process monitoring with the iQ process observer. SolidPlast saves approximately eleven hours per month through fewer quality controls in the laboratory alone.

The outer housing parts are produced on the ENGEL victory 320/100, which uses the iQ weight control and iQ clamp control assistance systems in addition to the iQ process observer.

The tool analyses the injection pressure curve during the injection process. It automatically adjusts the injection profile, the switchover point and the holding pressure to the current conditions. This compensates for fluctuations in the environment and in the raw material even before a reject part is produced.

This tool ensures the optimum clamping force. It determines the appropriate value based on mould breathing for each injection moulding process. During the production of the gas measuring cells, it was found that a lower clamping force than originally set manually was sufficient. This solution solves the problem of over-moulding and enables SolidPlast to produce burr-free parts fully automatically. At the same time, the lower clamping force reduces energy consumption and mould wear.

Overall, there were positive effects throughout. shopfloor monitoring and iQ process observer ensure reliable production of quality products.

• Considerable costs were saved.
• Eleven hours per month were saved. This alone is only possible by reducing the time spent on quality controls in the laboratory.
• Unexpected problems are detected and corrected. This further improves efficiency and mould life.

This shows that digital tools such as the iQ process observer and shopfloor monitoring can revolutionise production in plastics processing.