INJECTION MOULDING

gift.” Boasting that the machine is efficient, consuming 50% less energy than previous machines, with claims that the new Hybrid Allrounder cuts CO2 emissions by 12,000 kg. This efficiency is something that the company claims carries over into the running costs of the machine, with the Arburg stating in its press release: ‘production-efficient, user-friendly and reliable all at the same time! The perfect combination of electric clamping unit and hydraulic injection unit significantly reduces acquisition and operating costs.’ This greater energy efficiency is partly put down to the machine using much less oil in comparison to others on the market; Arburg claims 35 per cent less oil is needed, and for another, waste machine heat is used to pre-heat the oil. In addition, the required cooling water capacity is also between 50 and 70 percent lower, leading to lower dry cycle times and greater efficiency.’

Combining new technology and strengthening what the company sees as proven, tried and tested was a priority in the development of this machine. This was emphasised by Guido Frohnhaus, managing director technology & engineering, who said: “When designing the new Allrounder 470 H, we significantly enhanced our proven technology to optimise the energy footprint and reduce cycle times. Contributing factors include the new oil management concept, flow rate splitting for simultaneous movements of hydraulic secondary axes and the extended use of the Arburg servo hydraulic system.”

The company claims that the splitting of the flow rate in the process allows a second axis to be successfully implemented meaning cycle times are reduced, creating greater efficiency.

The company is also bullish about the user-friendly nature of the machine: a realtime Ethernet bus replaces the individual ribbon cables of the control modules, which the company claims increases the service and service life of the machines. The distribution of the hardware on and in the machine base has been completely restructured. The control manifold and hydraulic accumulator technology have been moved inside so that there is more space for peripheral equipment at the rear side of the machine and maybe most notably, the pneumatic and central lubrication systems are on the operating side, which according to the company allows for easier maintenance access and less downtime when small tweaks need to be made to the machine.

The circular economy is a concept that Arburg is clearly keen on promoting and this was especially prominent at both the press conference I attended and the Anniversary Day. ‘ArburgGREENworld’ is a programme that aims to provide guidance for circular approaches across Arburg’s network. The company committed to delivering significant demonstrations for its ‘GREENworld’ digitalisation products, the ‘efficiency arena’ showcased nine stations relating to Greenworld and ‘ArburgXWorld’ demonstrating how digitalisation was used to enable to circular economy along the value chain.

The ‘ArburgxWorld’ product has a number of functions ranging from allowing Arburg customers to trace materials to effectively acting as a customer portal allowing a customer to log jobs for machine repairs.

The efficiency arena was also home to the hybrid allrounder which produced products from the ‘Greenline Series’ which was producing a product made from 50% castor oil.

The past year has been a success for Arburg, despite cautious financial predictions for 2022, the company exceeded its own forecasts. Jurgen Boll, managing director for Finance, Controlling IT at Arburg explained: “We gave a forecast of our turnover expectation for 2022, and were typically cautious in mentioning a figure of 750 million plus euros.

We were almost certain that we would reach 800 million, but with the global situation, we thought many things were possible – in a negative sense. Much more so than in the past.

“The surprise is, that there is indeed an “8” at the front, but this is followed by a “75”! We achieved a whopping turnover of 875 million euros in 2022! Compared to the 2021 turnover of 735 million euros, this constitutes an increase of 19 percentage points!”

2023 has started at a more sluggish pace for the company, with the management team admitting that January and February have been slow, however they put this down to a ‘struggling automotive industry’. It is clear that Arburg doesn’t see this as a trend for the long term. Boll added: “The company is coping well and all economic indicators are pointing upwards […] We too have been faced with major challenges due to material shortages and supply bottlenecks, and still are. However, the situation has eased slightly.” Boll explained.

ABOVE: Digitalisation is becoming increasingly important in machines such as this; 5G networks and user-friendly interfaces are at the forefront of Arburg technology.

INSET: the Allrounder 470 H, the company’s ‘anniversary’ gift and the jewel in the crown of recent celebrations.

Another piece of technology that the company was keen to shine a spotlight on was a range of turnkey solutions. The automation arena was home to possibly the most desirable giveaway of the week; a toolbox produced by the hybrid Allrounder 1120, a sleek design that I unfortunately could not take home due to restrictions on my hand luggage!

Other features on display in the Automation arena included medical vaccine containers, a product that has proved to be more vital than ever in a world post pandemic. In terms of automation and robotics, the star of the show was arguably vertical rotary table machine Allrounder 1600 T and a total of five integrated robotic systems. This was complimented by another turnkey system with what the company describes as a ‘high level of autonomy of around twelve hours for pallets, intermediate layers and finished products. ‘

The company also unveiled new applications for its injection moulding range for the packaging industry. The new applications can produce thin-walled products, according to the company: “The 720 A “Ultimate” Allrounder featuring a clamping force of 2,900 kN and a new electric injection unit in size 1300, it is able to produce four thin-walled IML round cups with a wall thickness of just 0.37 millimetres in a cycle time of 3.95 seconds.” As well as high output, the machine also offers a high level of efficiency with the machine consuming 20% less energy.

Retrofitability is also a major factor in Arburg’s strategy as a company with the company offering options to refit machines that aim to make older machines more effect. According to the company modernisation of machines helps save 50,000 tonnes of C02 per year.

3D printing has been a fixture at Arburg for nearly a decade, the company were keen to illustrate this to the press at its anniversary days. Although it is not clear whether the company has had the success expected from its ‘Arburgadditive’ range its commitment to upping its game in this area is unwavering, the company’s 3D printing products were on display in the prototyping centre with the new Freeformer 750-3X being on display.