Wittmann Battenfeld helps grow the IML market
10/20/2010 9:15:00 AM
In recent months, Wittmann Battenfeld has grown its In Mould Labelling sales significantly - in the UK and worldwide. Applications are typically high speed plastics packaging lines for the food and related industries.
Barry Hill, Wittmann Battenfeld Managing Director reports an increase in interest from moulders who have the confidence and expertise to invest in systems that are increasing in flexibility; reducing in price and producing immediate cost benefits - as well as improved aesthetics. 'Now is a good time to invest in IML systems,' says Hill. 'We are expecting a lot of interest in the topic at this month's international K 2010 plastics show in Dusseldorf.'
The recent Wittmann Battenfeld Open House held in Kottingbrunn/Austria, gave the thousand plus visitors there an excellent preview of some IML development in action. The main event saw the company's high-performance W 827 Primus horizontal robots in action on a BATTENFELD TM Xpress 210/1350 injection moulding machine, performing with a total cycle time of 4.58 seconds.
The production cell produced two 750 cups, with part weight per cup coming to 22 grams. Each mould cavity has its own alignment, in order to offer the highest precision and equal wall thickness even after long operation and years in production. The IML robot placed the 5-sided butterfly labels into the moving mould half. The labels of the finished part overlap providing optical appearance of the highest quality.
After the removal of the two finished parts from the fixed mould half, the WITTMANN W827 PRIMUS hands them over to a monitoring station in the shape of a carousel. The carousel indexes the cups for visual inspection by 2 different camera systems.
The container is first inspected by a high-resolution camera system connected to the high-end image processing In-Sight 5000 system. The vision system not only checks for the insertion of the right label, but also the correct placement. Each container also undergoes a second inspection by a cost-effective ''all-in-one'' image processing sensor with built-in camera, lighting, lens, I/O and processor called a Checker® Vision-Sensor. This sensor checks the use of the correct label on the basis of the bar code which is integrated in the print. Containers which are identified as bad parts in the course of the visual inspection will be rejected in the subsequent station of the carousel, good parts will be placed with the open side down by a stacking robot in stacks of pre-selected height on the outfeed conveyor.
From the outset Wittmann France has spearheaded the company's In Mould Labelling expertise - including the sophisticated developments described above. And the pace of this activity is set to intensify in the coming months as the Wittmann Group pushes forward in a bid for sectoral leadership.
Jerome Empereur, Wittmann France, is at the helm of these innovations and ambitions: He points out that in decorative and aesthetic terms IML has always delivered superior benefits to any alternatives. 'Firstly, IML labels are able to have up to 8 colours with photographic quality. This is really a very difficult process to try and achieve through offset printing. Secondly, the general flexibility of the IML approach - able to use different kinds of label for product range variants - within the same production run is very appealing to customers. It is clear that some customers are coming to IML simply in order to make a more attractive product.'
The IML sector has been a fast moving niche of injection moulding in recent years: Empereur notes that 'the most important trend is the growing size of the market itself: Ten years ago we made mainly large installations for large mass markets like margarine tubs. Over the last 5 years, however, we have seen a large number of niche customers adopting IML. This is due in part to lowered costs for labels, moulding machines and robots - with smaller economies of scale still delivering healthy profits for IML-based moulding.'
However, in terms of global end-use, the margarine tub legacy is still strong. Food packaging industry dominates the Wittmann Group customer base together with other parts of the process industries such as paint and cosmetics. A small fraction of Wittmann IML turnover currently goes into technical applications such as crates and boxes.
The superior technology - product research and development - is at the heart of Wittmann's IML leadership. The bid to win the reduced product cycle time and mould open time is a competition that the Wittmann Group relishes. 'Not only must the cycle time figures be right - the quality and build of the IML must guarantee the faultless quality of the product. This is an area where Wittmann excels,' says Empereur. 'And because Wittmann is truly global - we can also excel at the pricing of IML systems and in servicing these installations - from Brazil to Britain to Brisbane.'
For many years, Western Europe has been the most important market for IML. Empereur's view, however, is that 'right now North America is rising up and becoming a very important IML market. Asia and especially Australia and New Zealand are interesting as well. In fact, in different ways, IML applications are developing well across all five continents.'
Throughout the world this Autumn all the eyes of the plastics industry will be focussed on the K exhibition in Dusseldorf, where the Wittmann Group will further press its credentials in IML leadership and show some leading technology to match. Two IML systems will be demonstrated for show visitors: The first production cell will make a two cavity butter tub with a five sided label. This one will utilise a W827PRIMUS robot. The accent is on cost efficiency but with some high performance. The cycle time will be less than 3 seconds overall. This system will also feature are the new Wittmann R8 control (already existing for our 3 axis robot) as applied to the Wittmann side entry robot. 'This new generation of control will offer some important improvements,' says Empereur.
The second K IML system unit, will produce a 4 cavity round cup together with wrap around label. This production cell will be similar to the unit described here from the Wittmann Battenfeld Open House session. It will have a cycle time of approximately 4 seconds, and will be implemented with a new system of part quality control by vision. The vision system will allow 360° inspection of the part without any physical turning of the item. 'This is really new and efficient,' notes Empereur. Default parts will be rejected and good parts will be stacked afterward.
Empereur believes that this year's K exhibition will leave the industry in no doubt that the Wittmann Group intends to be the sector's undisputed IML robot leader. He points out that 'the Wittmann Group has succeeded by being extremely focussed on the actual and practical needs of injection moulding customers - and the IML area will be no exception. Our whole IML approach, for example, is based on using standard elements from our 3 axis robot range. This gives us an immediate edge in terms of lead time and servicing. And this deployment of standard Wittmann product also allows us the possibility to offer some very attractive prices.' Two kinds of Wittmann IML robot cater for most industrial needs: The PRIMUS is primarily cost efficient with short lead time, and the FLEX is used for more demanding customers, who need flexibility and the provision of core and base gated parts on a same robot, without any disassembling.
Another very significant difference about Wittmann is that the company also manufactures mould tools to go with the IML systems - the only supplier in the world to do so. 'We have already proved the efficiency of this concept with a couple of turnkey projects,' says Empereur 'and we see a lot more IML business happening in this way.' Over the coming, Empereur says that 'we are going to continue our development of the IML field, with some forthcoming innovation, robot range implementation and enhanced sales networks. The goal is clear and we have an unbelievable will to reach it.'
