Injection moulding machine
A connected injection moulding machine continuously supplies data on mould cooling, cycle time, electricity and compressed air. Plastics processors use it to cut energy use and scrap, detect faults earlier and bring machines from different makers onto one data basis.
Injection moulding machine at a glance
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Verified projects featuring Injection moulding machine
Monitoring injection mould cooling via IO-Link to cut energy use
From gut feeling to hard data: at RAFI in Bad Waldsee, sensors and the moneo IIoT platform make the injection moulding process transparent. Temperatures, flow rates, compressed air and energy consumption are recorded, visualised and analysed continuously.
Consolidating fragmented machine communication and separating IT from OT
A manufacturer of electrical connection technology replaces its scattered communication servers with soffico's Orchestra and cleanly separates IT from OT. At the Thuringia plant, around 120 machines were connected in three days.
Energy efficiency in plastic injection moulding – 11% lower energy consumption per part
Determining the optimal maintenance time – predictive filter monitoring of a material distribution system
Greiner Packaging standardises connectivity to improve quality and OEE
Data-based production optimisation in injection moulding production
Connected injection moulding machine: cooling, energy and quality
In the solution examples, flow and temperature sensors on the mould cooling circuits record flow and return temperatures and the cooling water volume, and the values reach ifm's moneo platform via IO-Link masters and Ethernet. The in.hub HUB-EN200 records temperature profiles, cycle times and machine states and analyses them directly at the machine, without a cloud. To connect entire plants, manufacturers use OPC UA, Modbus and the EUROMAP 63 driver that Kepware developed together with Greiner Packaging. Balluff monitors older machines without connectivity using a magnetically mounted sensor for temperature, vibration, air pressure and humidity that sends its data to the cloud via the cellular network.
The examples come from plastics processing in chemicals and raw materials, metal and electronics, and automation, as energy monitoring, condition monitoring and scrap reduction. With in.hub, a plastic packaging manufacturer used 11 percent less energy per part and saves around EUR 32,000 a year. With ifm, RAFI discovered an oversized cooling water flow and adjusted the cooling circuit. Greiner Packaging has connected around 500 machines in 11 plants with Kepware, and the data is now available in real time instead of overnight.
Podcast episodes featuring Injection moulding machine
Ensuring Quality with IoT: How RAFI and ifm Digitalize Injection Molding
Zoom into the WAGO Plant & Partner Ecosystem Enables Predictive Maintenance of a Material Distribution System
OEE key figures at a glance – easy connection of brownfield with existing machines
Connected injection moulding machines: frequently asked questions
What data does a connected injection moulding machine provide?
A connected injection moulding machine supplies data on temperatures, cycle times, machine states and consumption. At RAFI in Bad Waldsee, sensors also measure the flow and return temperatures and cooling water volume of the moulds, the machine's power draw and the compressed air supply to the machine and robot arm. ifm's moneo stores all values, shows them in dashboards and raises alarms when limits are exceeded, for example when a robot drops a part because of insufficient pressure.
Why is it worth monitoring mould cooling?
The cooling phase determines part quality, and even small deviations affect cycle time, dimensional stability and appearance. At RAFI, the data showed that instead of the target temperature difference of two degrees Celsius, only 0.8 degrees was being reached. This indicated an oversized flow rate. After the cooling circuit was adjusted, energy demand fell without affecting process stability. Gradual fouling of the cooling channels also becomes visible.
What is EUROMAP 63 used for on injection moulding machines?
EUROMAP 63 is an interface for exchanging data with injection moulding machines, allowing machines from different manufacturers to be read in a uniform way. Kepware developed a EUROMAP 63 driver together with Greiner Packaging that integrates the machines into an OPC UA architecture. At Greiner, KEPServerEX uses it to collect data from around 500 machines in 11 plants and passes it to inray's OPC Router, which makes it readable for the MES and its SAP database.
How does IoT help avoid injection moulding defects and scrap?
IoT helps by analysing many process parameters at once and detecting anomalies before defective parts are produced in series. Bergi-Plast uses Optalio's MONITORING.SUITE for this, which takes data directly from the machine interfaces and correlates the parameters with each other. A major issue was short shots, parts that were not completely filled. The plan is to combine the process data with images from camera systems so that such defects are detected early and manual sorting is reduced.
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