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Milacron may shift work from Germany to the US and India

Milacron may shift work from Germany to the US and IndiaThe United States and India could get more injection molding machine production work under changes at Milacron Holdings Corp.The Blue Ash, Ohio-based machinery company is making to plans to phase out manufacturing at its factory in Malterdingen, Germany, a year earlier than previously planned.Spokesman Mike Ellis said machine production at the Ferromatik Milacron plant will end this year.The Jan. 30 email confirms a change in strategy for Milacron, which had previously said it would keep the plant in Germany open through the end of 2019, then move production to the Czech Republic. Now, instead, the company may move that production to existing plants in the United States and India.Ellis said another plan for production in Europe has not changed: the staging, testing and final assembly of the company's Magna Toggle Servo (MTS) and Elektron injection molding machines will remain based in the Czech Republic, at a 3-year-old plant in Policka.Ellis said: "We are currently reviewing production options for manufacturing locations of our various machines including the F-Series and the KTec."India and the U.S. (Batavia, Ohio) are the locations that are being reviewed, as we have capacity limitations in the Czech Republic due to our strong blow molding order book that was not originally anticipated."Milacron has consolidated European production of its Uniloy blow molding machinery into Policka. The company also relocated its European distribution center for aftermarket parts to another Czech plant, in Sasovice, in a move completed in 2016.Ellis also said Milacron plans to add more injection presses to its European lineup this year, including Hydron, the flexible servo-hydraulic press; and the fully electric E-Quantum.The chance that Milacron's main U.S. factory in Batavia could get the additional press assembly work had nothing to do with the U.S. tax reform package, Ellis said.Milacron's statement is more nuanced than a story Jan. 19 in the Badische Zeitung newspaper from Freiburg, Germany. The paper said Malterdingen made 100 presses a year of one type of machine that will be transferred to India.The German report quoted Denis Poelman, managing director of Milacron's injection molding press business in Europe, as saying the Malterdingen plant is no longer profitable. "The fixed costs are too high. With 100 machines, you cannot possibly keep a production plant," he told the newspaper.Poelman said Milacron's Indian location could get the production in January 2019. Production of another press model will be transferred to the United States, the core market for that model, he told the German newspaper.Milacron will continue to have administration, sales and service and product development in Malterdingen. The machinery maker is based in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash.Source: Plastics News

Aeyoung Park 2018-02-02

KraussMaffei at JEC World Paris: Strong impulses for composite processing suitable for series produc

KraussMaffei at JEC World Paris: Strong impulses for composite processing suitable for series production – A new, fully automated wet molding system shortens cycle times and increases cost-efficiency – High demand for iPul pultrusion systems– A new spray mixing head ensures faster nozzle replacement– FiberForm successfully established for large-scale productionProcesses ready for large-scale production and groundbreaking lightweight construction: At JEC World (from March 6-8 in Paris), KraussMaffei is presenting cost-efficient solutions for manufacturing fiber-reinforced plastic components. The focus is on new processes and applications that are based on both thermoset and thermoplastic matrix materials. For the first time, wet molding is fully automated"The market trend for fiber-reinforced plastics is still on a positive trajectory. There is currently strong interest in China. Our five different RTM (resin transfer molding) processes are the main source of demand in this region," explains Philipp Zimmermann, Head of the Composites/Surfaces BU. Right now, there is significant interest in wet molding, which is a highly attractive, cost-efficient alternative to manufacturing lightweight components. At JEC, KraussMaffei is debuting a fully automated turnkey solution. "It cuts cycle times in half compared to manual solutions and simultaneously increases process reliability," explains Zimmermann. The distinguishing feature of the KraussMaffei wet molding process is a simple process chain. Low mold cavity pressures when wetting fibers ensure an affordable investment and upkeep of the systems as well as elimination of the entire preforming process. Wet molding is one of just a few processes that permits the use of recycled materials.The iPul pultrusion system meets the needs of the modern ageAnother highlight at the KraussMaffei booth is the iPul pultrusion system presentation. This is the first complete system for continuous pultrusion and has production speeds that are more than twice as fast as conventional tub processes. "The new iPul system meets the needs of the modern age. Interest remains high, particularly for applications in the construction industry such as window profiles or rebars for concrete or in wind turbines. We are also increasingly getting requests from the automotive industry," says Zimmermann. KraussMaffei recently expanded its Lightweight Construction TechCenter in Munich by installing a second iPul system for manufacturing pultruded rebars for concrete elements. Together with the iPul system for flat sections, KraussMaffei now offers its customers a unique research environment to develop and test new processes and applications in pultrusion.First-class surfaces for large componentsLFI (long fiber injection) can be used to manufacture large components with excellent surfaces for trucks and agricultural machinery. "The long-fiber injection process permits the use of high fiber volumes of up to 50 percent. This process produces lightweight components with high stability. The high degree of automation ensures short cycle times," says Zimmermann. The low viscosity of the components makes it possible to manufacture large, complex, thin-walled parts. These applications feature high temperature stability and an excellent impact strength and already have paintable surfaces. At JEC, KraussMaffei is presenting a side cover for customers' commercial vehicles.A new spray mixing head ensures faster nozzle replacementThe newly developed KraussMaffei nozzle-changing component for the SCS mixing head boasts a critical advantage. Flat-fan and air-assisted circular jet nozzles that are required for spraying various sections of the component can be installed on a single mixing head and used in alternation. "This doesn't just shorten cycle times. It also reduces investment costs because only one mixing head is required and the hydraulic switchover unit that had been used previously is no longer needed," explains Zimmermann.In the structural component spraying (SCS) process, layers made up of fiber mats and honeycomb cores are sprayed with unreinforced PU, inserted into a mold and compression molded. SCS permits outer layers with low thickness, so that the manufactured components are particularly lightweight. Flat-fan nozzles and air-assisted circular jet nozzles are available for the spraying process. Flat-fan nozzles produce a fan-like flat jet and are suited for large-format coating of the polyurethane mixture on relatively level, large-sized components. The air-assisted circular jet nozzles produce a finer spray and have a lower output capacity than the flat-fan nozzles. They are used primarily for component areas with challenging geometry.Breakthrough for FiberForm in large-scale production"The FiberForm process developed by KraussMaffei has been successfully established in large-scale production. Our customers appreciate the high quality, reliability and cost-efficiency in the production of thermoplastic composites," says Stefan Fenske, FiberForm & IMC Technology Manager at KraussMaffei. FiberForm is the thermoforming and over-molding of organic sheets, platen-shaped semifinished products with continuous fibers made of glass, carbon or aramide that, for example, are embedded into a thermoplastic matrix made out of polyamide (PA) or polypropylene (PP). In this process, these semifinished products are initially heated and reshaped in the injection mold and then back-injected with a fiber-reinforced polymer. The fully automated process enables short cycle times of less than 60 seconds and, therefore, production processes that are ready for large series. The entire production process, including infrared heating technology control for the composite sheet has been integrated in the MC6 machine control system. This simplifies operation."The lightweight, thermoplastic construction is an important business unit that is undergoing continuous development. Therefore, we are expanding and optimizing our automation solutions continuously so that we can offer our customers the best possible services. Standardization allowed us to compile the findings on the infrared heating station from previous years," explains Dr. Mesut Cetin, Product and Project Manager for Lightweight Construction at KraussMaffei Automation. For example, the use of new matrix materials and natural fibers in composite sheets is currently being tested. This offers significant potential for applications in the automotive industry (e.g. for door module carriers) and for other industries such as the sporting goods and packaging industries.KraussMaffei at JEC World Paris Pavilion 6, Booth F61

Aeyoung Park 2018-02-01

WITTMANN Group reaches new record sales in robot business

WITTMANN Group reaches new record sales in robot business ▲ Novelties in the field of automation:PRIMUS 16 and PRIMUS 14 for pick-and-place applications,newly designed A-C-servo axis, W853 pro robot(from top left to bottom right).2017 has been a highly successful year for the WITTMANN Group’s robot business, with the company’s robot segment reached a new record in sales. A total of 5,000 robots were shipped from the four existing robot plants of the WITTMANN Group in Europe, China and the US.Even though the production capacities at the robot manufacturing plants in Mosonmagyaróvár (Hungary) and at the Austrian headquarters in Vienna were extended substantially during the last two years, these capacities were fully utilized throughout the year 2017, according to WITTMANN. Parallel to the increased demand for standard robots, the demand for automation solutions has also grown. In order to provide additional capacities for automation and gripper systems, the extensions of the production facilities in Nuremberg, Germany and in Písek, Czech Republic are currently under way, says WITTMANN. In addition, the extension of the automation segment in the US was already completed in 2016 and ran to full capacity in the following year. Moreover, the automation department of the WITTMANN Group’s Indian subsidiary was also extended last year.Product innovations on track The WITTMANN Group also brought about numerous innovations on the product side in last year. Two new appliances were introduced in the PRIMUS robot series, i.e. PRIMUS 14 and PRIMUS 16. These new robot models have been optimized for standard pick-and-place applications and recommend themselves by their excellent price-performance ratio. Another new model is the W853 pro robot. With its 45 kg payload, it takes up the position between the W843 pro with 35 kg and the W863 pro with 75 kg payload. Its innovative rotating servo axes come with an even more compact design, thus minimizing the mold opening stroke to achieve even shorter parts removal times. With the R9 robot control system, which offers numerous new functions, a very special new development has been launched. This control system stands out by its integrated digital robot twin functionality, which is available as standard. This is an identical digital image (or simulation) of the physical robot. It enables virtual validation of a given programmed process at any time – without any risks for the actual processing machine or the robot. And although the display screen of the new R9 TeachBox has now been enlarged to a diagonal of 10.1", its weight has been reduced by 150 g compared to the predecessor model, which improves ergonomics and contributes to fatigue-free work.WITTMANN Robot Systeme GmbHAm Tower 290475 NurembergGERMANYTel.: +49 9128 7099-0info.de@wittmann-group.comwww.wittmann-group.comSource: WITTMANN Group, China Plastic & Rubber Journal International

관리자 2018-01-29

Arburg's Technology on Tour in Germany till July 2018

Arburg's Technology on Tour in Germany till July 2018- From Hamburg to Munich: 15 exclusive events for Arburg customers in Germany- A focus on trending topics: Lightweight construction and Industry 4.0- Inspired: Excellent feedback on customer-focused series of eventsArburg is organizing a roadshow, "Technology on Tour", from September 2017 to July 2018, with 15 events to be organized in total in various regions in Germany."With this exclusive series of events we are able to inform around 50 customers at each time directly and locally about trends in plastics processing – from Hamburg to Radolfzell and from Dresden to Radevormwald," explained Oliver Giesen, Sales Director for Germany. "Demand is high and the participants of the first five events held so far were absolutely delighted.""Technology on Tour" event's first stop was Heilbronn in September 2017, and the final event will take place in Munich in July 2018."The compact presentations offer a first overview of the key topics, the details can be looked at in more depth later," said Giesen. One presentation, for example, introduces the ProFoam and Mucell lightweight construction processes as well as fiber direct compounding.The presentation on Industry 4.0 examines the digitalization of production and innovative solutions. Among other items, it outlines new possibilities for added value by means of efficient production of small-volume batches and customer-specific one-off parts, requirements concerning the smart machine, smart production and smart services in the smart factory as well as the analysis of the gathered complex data and functions of assistance systems.Based on the favorable response of its customers, Arburg is planning to take the roadshow to an international level in the coming years."I have gained a good overview of Industry 4.0 and lightweight construction and have learned how Arburg and the other attendees view and handle these issues," said Klaus Dieter Schell, Technical Director at Heinlein Plastik-Technik from Ansbach, one of the event's participants.Another participant, Christian Mirtschin, Technical Manager Factory 2 for Bergi-Plast GmbH, added that "Technology on Tour" provided him with valuable ideas and suggestions to further develop his own concept for production digitalization.Source: CPRJ.comPicture: Arbug.com

Aeyoung Park 2018-01-02

Husky was sold to Platinum Equity

Confirmed: Husky to Change OwnerYesterday, Platinum Equity announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Husky IMS International Ltd., Bolton, Ontario/Canada. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2018. Members of Husky’s management team will remain significant investors in the business through continued equity ownership.Platinum Equity will be purchasing the company from Boston based private equity firm Berkshire Partners LLC, and Omers Private Equity Inc., the private equity arm of Omers, the defined benefit pension plan for Ontario’s municipal employees. Berkshire Partners LLC and Omers acquired Husky in June of 2011. “Husky is an extraordinary company with a well-deserved reputation for developing the industry’s most innovative technology,” said Louis Samson, the Platinum Equity Partner who led the transaction. “John Galt and his team have built one of Canada’s most successful enterprises and a truly world class industrial company. We are excited to partner with such an exceptional leadership team and we aim to help them continue raising the bar.”Husky is a global enterprise with approximately 75 % of its sales generated outside North America. In addition to complete injection molding solutions, Husky provides aftermarket services and parts to a large and growing installed base of systems globally. Husky’s management team will continue to lead the company. “In Platinum, Husky has found a partner that brings a wealth of experience, a highly capable team, and a shared enthusiasm for building great companies. I am confident that by working together we will find new and exciting ways to serve our customers,” said John Galt, Husky’s President and CEO.Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with USD 13 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of more than 30 operating companies that serve customers around the world.Source: http://www.kunststoffe.de/en/news/overview/artikel/confirmed-husky-to-change-owner-5016478.html?etcc_cmp=Newsletter+KUint-News&etcc_med=Newsletter

관리자 2017-12-27

YIZUMI CONNECT 2017 Ends Successfully

YIZUMI CONNECT 2017 Ends SuccessfullyYIZUMI CONNECT 2017, the first large-scale industry event for advanced molding technology held by Yizumi and started on November 16 finally came to an end on November 22. Nearly 1500 people, including Yizumi’s customers, partners and the media were invited to the event that was featured by rich content, sparkling highlights and widely recognized by the attendees.Four seminars, nearly 1,500 attendeesYIZUMI CONNECT 2017 opened on November 16 and lasted for 7 days. During the event, four technical seminars for injection molding & packaging, die casting & robotic automation, rubber and supply chain were held. Representatives of well-known businesses, such as Silver Basis, Rifeng, Sunny, Guangdong Huwei, Nanhai Hanwen, FAW Foundry, Hongtu Technology, Great Wall Motor, Siemens and TE Connectivity and media professionals of the injection molding, die casting and rubber industries, a total of nearly 1,500 people attended the event.Polymer and metal forming equipment on showYizumi specially set up a 2,500㎡ exhibition hall at its Wusha production base for the one-week event which was a showcase for various automation solutions to plastic and rubber molding, including FoamPro foamed briefcases, multi-component console cup holder parts, high-gloss car spoilers, automotive trunk gears, 1000ml disposable containers, small cups with IML, O-rings and brake diaphragms, covering automotive, medical, mobile phones, home appliances and other sectors.Yizumi also showed the assembly of a 4000T heavy-duty die casting machine and the self-developed robotic integrated system solution at its Ronggui production base, attracting numerous professional audiences.Four concurrent forumsDuring November 16-18, Yizumi held four technical forums where more than 10 Chinese and European industry experts and business leaders gave keynote speeches, discussed the latest trends in the market and industry cooperation and exchanged ideas. Before every forum in the afternoon, Yizumi arranged a buffet lunch in Yizumi’s sports park so that the guests could enjoy the lakeside scenery and food at the same time.Connect China with Europe to explore the futureMany participants at home and abroad gave high marks on YIZUMI CONNECT 2017, the first industry gathering held by Yizumi since it was established 15 years ago, and they looked forward to the second edition of the event 3 years later in 2020. "The purpose of this event is to connect Chinese and European advanced molding technologies and the industry ecosystem, to promote the progress of the industry together. In the future, we will continue to hold such a technical activity to create a communication platform for the industry,” said Richard Yan, Yizumi Managing Director.Source: www.yizumi.co.kr

Ms. Park 2017-12-27

Autodesk Executive Interview in the 28th Hankook Delcam User Group Conference

On the 8th and9th of September, Hankook Delcam had its annual User Group Conference atSINTEX/La Vie D'or Resort in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Since it is the biggestevent for their customers, Autodesk executives attended it from oversea, and introducedAutodesk’s products, and business strategy. Vice President Pete Baxter, SrDirector Bart Simpson, and APAC Director of Sales Koji Tsujino shared theirinsights about smart manufacturing and the user group conference during theinterview with Handler. ▲ Autodesk VicePresident Pete Baxter(right), Sr Director BartSimpson(second from left), APAC Director of Sales Koji Tsujino(left) What are the Autodesk’sstrategies for smart manufacturing trend?During the presentation, I talked about big changes in themarket. The really big changes we see are that organizations have a choice.They can just focus on reducing the costs, but that’s the strategy that overtime they compete against each other, and push the costs down and down. Whatreally smart manufacturing is about using new technology to enable to add more value.What you are trying to do to add more value is providing things which is morevaluable to the customer than what they have today. One of the classic exampleis customizing the product to ensure that the product most closely matches whatthe customer needs. In the same way we will know that we will pay more moneyfor a car which is configured to exactly the way we want. Old manufacturers arepushing down this particular line, but to enable them to customize products,they have many more challenges in both designing and delivering products. Itmeans that they need to have more people involved, more complex design andmanufacturing processes, and they have to manage the information. They need totake advantage of those new manufacturing techniques that are available tothem, so it is no longer purely about subtractive machining processes,combining additive and subtractive, combining robotics, combining with datathat we get from sensors in our factories which can make our factories more flexible.Therefore, we have got more variations in the products which are needed to havefaster and more complex manufacturing processes. On top of that, we have gotthis opportunity to bring together both physical products and the digitalelement. The products which we would have thought of being dumb a few years agoare all intelligent products today. The classic example is the washing machine connectedto the Internet. All of these are about providing more capabilities tocustomers. Both in terms of products that are customized to produce in thefactories but it is also the same about the machines in that factories. In thesame way, we need to produce products which are connected for our customers.Within the factory, we use machines which are connected, so our customers want tocapture information about how the machines are used, and to understand how theycan use that to inform the decisions they make. How do you collaborate withHankook Delcam Ltd. in terms of “The future of making things”, which Autodeskis focusing on now?What Hankook Delcam is delivering to customers is thecombination of technical products and the knowledge and the expertise on howthe products are used. It means is that they have to be very close to thecustomers to understand both what the customers try to do today, and what thecustomers want to do tomorrow. Where we work closely with Hankook Delcam is toinform the decisions we make about products. The value that Hankook Delcamprovides their customers and Autodesk is their manufacturing expertise to helpinform where we take the products. By being close to their customers enablesthem to provide much more valuable input to us to deliver on the nextgeneration products. The other aspect of that is with all of resellers andpartners they develop additional technology to enhance the process and bettersupport local markets. AIMS which you heard about today is the classic exampleof additional automation which Hankook Delcam has built on top of Autodesk’stechnology which enables them to meet the specific needs of groups of customersin these markets. Overtime we are rebuilding all of the products andcapabilities within Autodesk into a series of web services specifically to makeit easier for organizations to enable them to build their own small factories. ▲ Autodesk SrDirector Bart Simpson is giving a speech on “Smart Manufacturing Overview” inthe 28th Hankook Delcam User Group Conference. What can Autodesk provideHankook Delcam Ltd. CADCAM users to improve productivity and increase sales intheir fields? We can talk about some of things which has been different sinceAutodesk acquired Hankook Delcam. Hankook Delcam has had a lot of technologyfor driving machine tools, such as machining software for measuring things onmachines tools. What Autodesk has had is fabulous technology such as simulating,designing tooling, and additive manufacturing technology. For any manufacturingcompany, they need pieces of technology working together to provide them with realbenefits. With billions dollars of investment which Autodesk has made, the keything that we have today is putting together all of these various technologyand developing capabilities to automate the workflow between those products. Last August, Autodesk launchedgenerative design feature which is a part of Netfabb software. Could you tellme the importance of this feature?Generative design is a massive change. Previously, affectively,designers had the ideas what they wanted to achieve, and then they had to comeup with the design which would enable them to achieve what they wanted. The bigchange in what a designer is doing is just telling the computer software whathe or she wants to achieve, and the computer software is coming up withdifferent solutions. Today, we saw the example from Stanley Black & Decker.That is clear on the design side how the system is coming up with a lot ofdifferent designs. In addition, there is no reason that we cannot use similar processeswe think about how we would manufacture that. Because we do the same thing withmanufacturing. We know what we want to make, but the manufacturing engineers haveto think about how we make it. However, clearly, generative design has anopportunity not only to help the design parts, but also to design manufacturingprocesses or the way the machines move to make parts. Generative design has thepotential to impact every single step in the process. Also, generative designrequires to have a lot of processing capability, because we are usingsimulation technology to understand what these different designs would give us.As we have moved to cloud computing with its virtually infinite amount ofcomputing capacity, generative design comes to its own. You couldn’t do it ifyou just used a desktop PC. What is your impression aboutthis year’s Hankook Delcam Ltd. User Group Conference?It is a fabulous event. You see the talents within HankookDelcam when you see both the customers and the big team of the engineers in thebeginning of the event. I believe that the expectation from the next generationof the customers, and the capabilities of the next generation of the engineersare the most exciting thing for the Korean market. Hankook Delcam customers andthe team are young, motivated, and intelligent. That is a great foundation forthe future for the organization, customers, and country.

Ms. Kang 2017-09-25

Marion Sommerwerck new Head of Corporate Communication and Marketing of KraussMaffei Group

Marion Sommerwerck has with immediate effect taken charge of the Corporate Communication and Marketing department of the KraussMaffei Group. She reports to CEO Dr. Frank Stieler. The graduate business economist has over 25 years of professional experience in publicity work and marketing. She joins us from the Weidmüller Group, a globally active company in the electrical engineering sector, where she worked in corporate communication. Previously, Ms. Sommerwerck was employed for many years as a marketing and PR manager at renowned consulting firms, including Arthur D. Little and A.T. Kearney. She began her professional career in the media industry, where she was responsible for the press and publicity work at the Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt (publishing group). Her future core tasks at the KraussMaffei Group will include the strategic further development and implementation of all the company's communication and marketing measures, the expansion of digital communication and the enhancement of the brand profile of the KraussMaffei Group as one of the world's leading manufacturers of machines and systems for the production and processing of plastic and rubber. CEO Dr. Frank Stieler: "We are delighted that in Marion Sommerwerck we have been able to gain a high-profile and creative communication manager for our company. We are sure that, with her expertise and support, we will be able to successfully develop further the public perception and reputation of the KraussMaffei Group."

Ms. Kang 2017-09-22