Engel has achieved two new milestones in the development of high-volume, low-cost production of thermoplastic composites.
ENGEL's organomelt process, for the first time in the world, is used to mass produce front end brackets with integrated air ducts. To process UD belts, ENGEL is also expanding its range of production systems using a consolidation press.
On November 6-8, 2018, Engel (Booth: 9-B25) will showcase its milestones at Composites Europe 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany.
Fully automatic one injection process
The use of the ENGEL organomelt process for the processing and functionalization of thermoplastic continuous fiber reinforced semi-finished products such as thermoplastic fabrics or UD tapes will be an important focus of ENGEL at this year's show. The world's first high-volume application has been launched in the US. Valeo Front End Modules manufactures front end brackets with integrated air ducts for a well-known German OEM in Smyrna, Tennessee.
In July of this year, the structural components received a car award from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) for their innovative production based on organic sheets and their outstanding performance. These parts show a very high organic sheet composition, which is significant Reduces weight and improves impact performance. In addition, it is possible to integrate air ducts directly into the bracket using a double-shell structure. This fully automated mass production system solution from ENGEL includes:
Du A duo 1700 injection molding machine with a clamping force of 17000 kN;
✦ 3 easix joint robots for the preparation of multiple metal inserts and the operation of organic sheets;
✦ a viper 90 linear robot;
✦ A specification 5 infrared heating furnace.
ENGEL as a one-stop supplier provides all the components of the production unit and makes them a systematic solution.
In one injection process, two half shells are simultaneously produced in the same pair of molds. To this end, the two organic sheets are simultaneously heated in an infrared heating furnace and then buried in a mold to pass through the same pair of molds. The injection molding process is molded and directly functionalized. The Tepex dynalite organic sheet supplied by Bond Laminates is a glass fiber impregnated with a polypropylene matrix resin. The glass fiber reinforced polypropylene material is also used for overmolding. Usually, only uniform The thermoplastic method makes it possible to integrate this molding process and achieve functionalization, as well as to integrate the support structure and functional components by means of bonding. 'Automatic one-shot injection process to meet the low unit cost required by the automotive industry Significant contributions have been made. 'Christ Wolfsberger, Business Development Manager, Composites Technology, Schwertberg, Austria, emphasizes. Other benefits are: Specialized application of thermoplastic polymers, enabling development to return parts after their end of life The recycling strategy into the material cycle has become easier.
New consolidation press for UD belts
ENGEL organomelt technology is suitable for both organic sheets and unidirectional (UD) glass fibers and/or carbon fiber reinforced strips impregnated with thermoplastic matrix resins, which make it possible to design semi-finished products that meet the requirements, and thus Better use of the lightweight design potential of the part. These parts can be partially reinforced with just a few strips, or they can be produced with a stack of several millimeters thick. Cost-effective for high volume production These laminates must be prepared and consolidated in-line during the injection molding cycle.
As a system supplier, a single company from Engel offers an integrated, fully automated solution for the entire injection molding process from individual strips to functionalization. Two systems for the production of blanks, ie one with optical image processing The pick-and-place strip stacking unit and a consolidation press will be on display for the first time at Composites Europe. 'With this new development, we successfully completed the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tape in the injection molding cycle. Consolidation of the material laminate. Dr. Norbert Müller, Head of the ENGEL Lightweight Composites Technology Center, said, 'Consolidation presses can be seamlessly integrated into the entire process, which significantly improves the custom strip solution. Productivity. '
The consolidation press developed by ENGEL and its partner Fill (Gurten, Austria) can be used to consolidate fiber laminates with mature fiber orientation and different wall thicknesses. All process steps are automated. The consolidation process includes: The fiber laminate is placed in a mold, the closed mold is sent to a hot press, heated, and the mold is sent to a cold press, consolidated, cooled, and returned to the initial workstation where the mold is opened and the consolidated mold is removed. Semi-finished product (blank), while placing a new fiber laminate to restart the cycle.
Strip layup unit with high resolution camera technology
The strip layup unit was developed by ENGEL. Similarly, for the shortest cycle time, it uses the pick-and-place principle, which means that the strip placement and the spot welding can be done in 3 s intervals. Since the quality of the laminate depends to a large extent on the positioning accuracy of the strip, ENGEL equips the paving unit with a measuring system with high-resolution camera technology. The measuring system is provided for use during the laying process. Data for active intervention to ensure maximum placement accuracy. Pick-and-place layup technology with optical image processing provides a high degree of flexibility in use, and strips can have almost any width and contour. In the process, the laminate obtains the shape required for the part, so that it can be shaped and functionalized in the injection molding step after consolidation without the need for an intermediate finishing process. ENGEL has used this solution to manufacture its own products. The rotating arm of the e-pic robot is made of carbon fiber reinforced tape.
All future-oriented technologies at a glance
For the automotive industry, which is very sensitive to price, with decades of experience in the automation of injection molding machine manufacturing and production processes, ENGEL has a key success factor in the development of efficient production processes for the production of innovative lightweight composite materials. Since 2012, ENGEL has been at its Lightweight Composites Technology Center, integrating its own lightweight expertise with the technical experience of other companies, universities and research institutes. An interdisciplinary development team looks at all future-oriented Composite technology, in addition to the processing technology of fiber reinforced thermoplastic semi-finished products, also includes HP-RTM, SMC and reaction processes such as in-situ polymerization (T-RTM).
At Composites Europe, ENGEL's lightweight construction experts will showcase a wide range of technical possibilities and introduce current development projects.