Injection Moulding Asia Machinery
Japanese machine makers pull out all the stops The Japanese International Plastics Fair (IPF) show,
had planned to come to the show in the afternoon could not come. We assume the number was hundreds, maybe more than 1,000 even,” explained the spokesperson. Hence, IPF probably learnt a lesson or two: not to have the show too close to the end of the month or when there is a public holiday looming! But a silver lining on the cloud is that the foreign visitor count was up by 3,631, compared to 2,154 in 2011. The currency devaluation of the yen against the US$ (part of “Abenomics” – the policies effected by Japanese Prime Minister Abe to overcome years of deflation and lacklustre growth) has led to a decline in prices of Japanese machinery (compared to European technology). This, coupled with the fact that the weather was unusually warm and pleasant in Japan for this time of the year, probably attracted more foreigners to visit the show!
held in Tokyo’s Makuhari Messe, from 28th October to 1st November, had 776 exhibitors (470 from Japan and 306 from overseas) exhibiting over a gross space of 54,000 sq m. The visitorship was slightly lower than the 2011 exhibition, but nevertheless Japanese producers had plenty on show. Lower turnout of visitors due to multiple factors he organiser, IPF Association, of the triennially-held show expected a better turnout of visitors this year (with a target of 45,000 visitors), compared to the 2011 show. The lower visitorship in 2011 was attributed to the earthquake in Japan. However, at the end of the five day show this year, the visitor count was 39,376, down by about 5% compared to the 41,591 visitors at the 2011 show. There were no natural calamities in Japan this year (thank God!), so why the lower turnout? According to an IPF official, “The show period was held at the very end of the month. Many companies were busy working out their monthly sales and closing their accounts. This prevented people from coming to the show, not only from the management level but also white and blue-collar workers.” Furthermore, the official explained that the Monday (3rd November) after the show was a national holiday and since Japanese workers are known for their industrious nature, “they would probably have taken the opportunity to use the long weekend to go on a holiday.”
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Asian markets a draw factor NCs, robots and injection moulding machine maker Fanuc depends on the Asian market for its sales, with the region taking up almost 60% of its exports, said Hiroyuki Uchida, Senior Executive Vice-President of the Robomachine Business Division. “In fact, the Asian market has been growing since 2000. Sales in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, are growing better than China,” he added.
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Fanuc showed robot integration in the machine
The Mt. Fuji-headquartered company, which was recently named one of the top 100 innovative companies in the world by Forbes, expects consolidated sales of around 500 billion yen this year. “Sales are up because of the depreciating yen. Yes, it has helped!” said Uchida enthusiastically. He also said that while Fanuc holds the “number one spot in the world” for its robot sales, injection moulding machinery output has also increased to 3,000/year. The company still produces its machinery in Japan, with assembly of some products undertaken at a Chinese plant in Beijing; and robot system integration in Shanghai and the US. “We have around 45 branches worldwide, but none
IPF show this year had a lower visitor turnout
He also said that as the previous record shows, Friday afternoon is the busiest for the show but, unfortunately, a train accident happened on the Friday of the event. Trains from the Tokyo main station to Makuhari Messe stopped running completely for a period of time. “Many people who 1 N OV E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 014
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Injection Moulding Asia Machinery undertake any “real” production. This is because of the high cost and the need to ensure quality performance of the machinery produced. It is easier to undertake robotisation than transplanting technology to other countries,” said Uchida, referring to the Mt Fuji facility’s use of robots in the production process. Another company enjoying the spill over from the currency depreciation is Niigata Machine. “We are doing well in the US market. We are selling an average of 28-30 machines/month,” said Denny Yanagibashi, General Manager of the Marketing Department. As for Asia, he said, “Sales are growing in China, India, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia and Indonesia need a further push.” When asked if the company would follow the trend of setting up facilities in growing markets, Yanagibashi said, “We used to have factories in China, India and Thailand but closed them down. At that time we were making hydraulic machines that require a lower input of technology. Now, that 1there is 14:22:55 a trend for all-electric machines, we may PRA-210 x 138–EN.pdf 2014/10/9 consider setting up a facility in China.” Meanwhile, Toshiba Machine started up a facility in Rayong, Thailand, early this year, adding to its other facilities in China and India. “We are making all-electric machines in the 50-350 tonnes range, targeted at the medical
and consumer markets,” said Jun Koike, General Manager of the injection moulding machine division. Currently, it has a staff force of 70 and expects to increase this to 200 over the next two years. In India, in 2012, it bought over Indian firm L&T Plastics Machinery. Toshiba India has a facility in Chennai, where it makes around 600 machines/year. But even with its overseas facilities, Toshiba still exports 80% of the 2,000 machines/year it produces from its home base, especially targeting special machinery for production of light guide panels in China. Another company focused on export markets is Toyo Machinery & Metal. “We export 70% of our output all over the world,” said Tatsunori Morikawa, Manager of the Marketing Team. He also pointed out that the company has a facility in China, in Changshu, where it produces around 20 standard-design machines/month. Plus, it is looking at setting up a facility in India. “It is a huge market with good potential.” Generally, Toyo is seeing a growth of 30% in Asia. “This is because of the Chinese market, and is mainly focused on the smartphone sector. There are a number of Japanese and South Korean transplants in China who request special machinery,” explained Morikawa.
Injection Moulding Asia Machinery Machinery Works press. The sheet is transferred to a mould (Suruga Engineering) where the PA6 material is injected. The direct injection technology, an alternative to heat press and stamp moulding processes, is able to realise long fibre composite moulding and boasts 50% reduction of material costs, especially cutting down use of the expensive CFRP.
Technology updates • Fanuc, which had one of the largest booths at the show, had three main highlights. Having focused on selling its injection moulding machinery to the connector and precision moulding sectors, it has introduced what it says are “cheaper, in between sized models” (130 and 220 tonnes clamping force) targeting automotive parts makers. It already offers 50, 100, 150, 250 and 300 tonne models in the range. A two-component model was demonstrating production of an air conditioning part in ABS and PP. It also displayed a machine for liquid silicone rubber (LSR), its first. Another highlight was robotic system integration, with a robot inserting metal parts in micro connectors, inside the machine.
• Toyo Machinery is also entering the LSR sector (Si-100675D machine) and CFRP hybrid moulding (ET-80HR2 D75 machine). Another new entrant is the SAG + alpha technology shown on the Si-180 model. The “gas suppression system” includes a newly coated screw (SAG) reinforced with a vacuum system (alpha) to curtail the build-up of gases during plasticising. This is especially useful for resins that require pre-drying, like PET for instance.
• JSW displayed two all-electrics for the automotive sector: J450ADS incorporating Trexel’s MuCell foam technology and the J280ADS with the die slide technology. The latter allows hollow parts to be welded in the machine, which means no other ancillary equipment like a welder is required. It is targeted at parts like windshield washer tanks.
• Ube Machinery presented its Cav-Change Innovation, which is a multi-shot technology it first showed at IPF 2011. The updated version of the process was shown in a component featuring a stitch design. The coloured stitch moulding, which is back moulded on a foamed elastomer part and is made of PP, replicates actual stitching. The concept is targeted at automotive interiors.
• A veteran in LSR moulding (of over 30 years), Nissei Plastic Industrial showed its NEX180III-5ELMN model with the newly developed SPPS (spiral plunger system) for small volume, high pressure moulding. It uses an inline screw (first-in, first-out concept) and combines it with a newly designed plunger metering injection unit. The 180tonne machine was moulding a magnifier, processing two types of LSRs with different hardness and a PA66. Another highlight was the NEX110III-12EG electric machine updated with a “gas generation control moulding system” (a trend replicated by other machine makers). Basically, it features a special screw and smart feeder to prevent moulding defects (burns and short shots), arising from gas generated when processing plastics like PC, for instance.
• Sodick premiered its GL (Global Standards) series, demonstrating applications like 3D in-mould appliqué moulding, fine pitch connectors, insert moulding and medical parts. The GL-100 Vent machine features “outgas reduction” made possible with a nitrogen vacuum system. Also on display was a tiebarless 3-tonne all-electric machine (M4-3000) that was moulding a washer part in PA9t material, with a thickness of 0.093 g and weight of 0.057 cc. Though the machine maker has no plans to sell or market the machine, the washer part did make for an interesting display! • In the auxiliary sector, Yushin displayed a new concept cartesian robot designed to handle complex tasks. Two arms are arranged in a V configuration working in tandem, each with a wrist unit boasting three NC servopowered axes. The robots were shown arranging letters on a cube on its six sides, as well as picking up a large ball. Though not due for commercialisation just yet, the concept is close to human dexterity and beyond the capabilities of standard traverse robots.
• Of the five injection moulding machines Toshiba Machine was displaying, a highlight was the 550-tonne LFormer (550-26BP) vertical machine undertaking glass fibre/carbon fibre in-line moulding (Toshiba called it on-line blend). Targeted at the automotive sector, for lightweighting and metal substitution, it was shown moulding a PA6 transmission casing with intermeshing carbon fibre (15%) and glass fibre (15%) reinforcements. Calling it hybrid moulding (a technology also replicated by other machine makers moulding carbon fibre-reinforced plastics or CFRPs at the Automotive show), it utilises Lanxess’s part sample subsdiary Bond Laminates’s produced Tepex sheet material, which is using heated by a Heraeus near infrared Toshiba’s LFFormer heater and then pressed by a Satoh
• Another auxiliary equipment maker Matsui Manufacturing’s booth was one of the largest at the show and it needed the space to present its ten different trouble shooting solutions, in line with its push for the Factor 4 concept in facilities. The displays were in collaboration with partners to eliminate resource wastage, increase added value and productivity. Partners included Husky Injection Molding, Frigel Process Cooling, Tria, Moldex3D, Trexel, Showa Denko and OPM Laboratory. 3
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