New activeFlo upgrade from Sumitomo reduces waste and eliminates part defects
01/09/2014 Sumitomo (SHI) Demag
As any good process validator will testify, it is not what a system is told to do that is important, it is what the machine is actually doing that matters. New activeFlo technology from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag digitally monitors individual mould cooling circuits to reduce waste, eliminate part defects and prevent costly mould damage."Only recently have we been able to establish what's happening in probably the most critical area of an injection moulding machine - the mould cooling circuit(s)," comments Nigel Flowers, Managing Director Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. "It's hard to believe considering that mould temperature is one of the most important control characteristics of process validation. Therefore, ensuring that it is monitored is critical to a stable process and the consistent manufacture of high quality, dimensionally accurate plastic parts," adds Nigel.
New activeFlo technology now enables machine operators to digitally monitor each individual circuit, recording data on both flow and temperature and giving plastics manufacturers control and confidence over their process. "Whilst we've been flying blind, cooling circuits have caused many a problem, including lack of water flow from the mould heater, blocked waterways, scale / rust build up and incorrect piping, resulting in part defects with high waste rates, plus costly long term mould damage," explains Nigel.
Easily retrofitted to existing Sumitomo injection mould machines in the field, a DIN-Rail mounted interface module is equipped with compact sensors which use a vortex flow measurement principle to monitor the middle of each circuit flow path. Available with two flow ranges (1-15 l/min & 2-40 l/min), the sensors have no moving parts which, when combined with a large flow path, make them ideally suited to mould cooling even when using heavily contaminated water.
Data from the sensors can be fed into production monitoring systems or other ancillary devices like hot runner controllers (such as those produced by EFI Systems), or the moulding machine control system using the hub's on-board communication ports. As well as seeing at a glance the cooling status within the tolerances set, the system will prevent an operator starting the machine until the flow circuits are all within the optimum operating window, for example. For added accountability, historical data is stored with a log of each circuit, enabling manufacturers to easily identify problems, track performance and create a robust production process.
For more information, please contact:
Nigel Flowers
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag
Tel: +44 (0)1296 739500
Fax: +44 (0)1296 739501
Email: nigel.flowers@dpg.com
Web: uk.sumitomo-shi-demag.eu/
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