Arburg will exhibit a broad range of efficient plastic part production applications from 5 to 9 May 2015 at the Plast trade fair in Milan, Italy. The Freeformer will be presented for the first time in Italy, demonstrating how one-off parts and small, multiple-variant batches can be produced from standard granulate without a mould in an additive manufacturing process, using Arburg Plastic Freeforming (AKF). The applications on view in the injection moulding area will include multi-component and LSR processing, including automation, as well as applications for the packaging industry and the medical technology sector.
“The Plast in Milan is a must for the Italian plastics industry and the perfect platform in order to gain insight into where Italian market is moving and which new areas of activity we can open up for our subsidiary,” explains Björn Noren, Managing Director of Arburg Srl. "Our strengths lie in technically sophisticated precision applications in the areas of medical technology, packaging and cosmetics in combination with complex automation. A special highlight this year will be the Freeformer. This innovative system for the industrial additive manufacturing of one-off parts and multi-variant small-volume batches is close to be launched onto the Italian market."
Freeformer additively processes two components With the Freeformer, fully functional plastic parts can be additively manufactured from standard granulate using the patented “Arburg Plastic Freeforming” process based on 3D CAD data, without the need for a mould. As with injection moulding, the granulate is first melted in a plasticising cylinder. Plastic droplets are applied layer-by-layer onto a moving part carrier via the nozzle of a stationary discharge unit, using high-frequency piezo technology at a specified duty cycle of 60 to 200 Hertz. The second discharge unit can be used for an additional component – for example, to produce a part in different colours, with special tactile qualities, or as a hard/soft combination. At the Plast 2015, a Freeformer will combine standard ABS material with a special support material to produce a key fob featuring a ball joint. The supporting structures are simply removed later in a water bath.
Innovative packaging applications Arburg will present a broad range of industrial applications and processes in the area of injection moulding in Milan. These will include multi-component injection moulding and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) processing, as well as high-performance machines for the medical technology sector and the packaging industry.
Multi-component and LSR injection moulding The production of ballpoint pen caps from two components will be demonstrated by a hydraulic Allrounder 520 S with a clamping force of 1,600 kN and size 400 and 100 injection units. An 8+8-cavity mould from Fila is used here. The main body is produced from PP in a cycle time of around 20 seconds, after which it is overmoulded with soft TPE-S. An electric Allrounder 520 E, with a clamping force of 1500 kN and size 800 injection unit will demonstrate the cost-efficient production of a technical medical part made from PVC. An electric Allrounder 470 E with a clamping force of 1,000 kN and size 290 injection unit will be configured for processing liquid silicone (LSR). iPhone covers weighing 21 grams are produced in a cycle time of around 20 seconds. Cost-effective automation solution The Multilift Select is the entry-level model among the linear robot systems from Arburg. It features servo-electric drive axes and is fully integrated in the Selogica machine controller. For the operator, this means: only one data set, a familiar approach during programming and perfect synchronisation of robotic system and machine. Moreover, the Multilift Select is extremely simple to program thanks to the teach-in function.
