Practical tips

Increase your
produclion ellciency
w
w
w
.
a
r
b
u
r
g
.
c
o
m
2
A company's success is no coincidence. Produclion ellciency counls!
And it counts throughout the entire value-added chain from prod-
uct design right through to production planning, and including pre-
dominaling inluencing laclors such as energy managemenl, or lhe
appropriate corporate strategy.
How are things at your company? Do you make rational use of your
resources and exploit all available potential? With inspiring tips and
concrete examples, ARBURG wants to motivate you to track down
improvement potential in your injection moulding facility and to
actively exploit this.
Take lhe lrsl slep il will be worlh il!
Knowing what counts!
3
Our practical tips consist of ten modules that can also be applied
individually and a self-test:
Product design ........................4
Mould technology ..................6
Machine technology ...............8
Peripherals ............................10
ConguraIion .......................12
Process integration ...............14
Process control ......................16
Production planning .............18
Energy management ............20
Corporate strategy ...............22
PuI your producIion e!ciency
to the test! ............................24
4
Production

Practical tips
Do you use computer-aided simulations to design components and
delne lolerances approprialely lor plaslics?
When designing products, do you pay attention to angles and radii,
to enable a smooth injection moulding process?
Do you reduce wall thicknesses to save on materials and shorten
cycle times?
Do you combine plastics, e.g. in order to integrate functions
in the component or minimise production steps?
Do you select materials carefully with a view to reducing the energy
requirement of the production process from the outset?
Do you look into the possibility of using recycled or recyclable
materials, in order to reduce waste?
Do you think about using new materials, e.g. to improve material
input or suitability for processing?
Product design
5
Practical example
By replacing PA 6 GF 30 with Ultramid

High Speed a plastic with

improved low characlerislics lhe processing lemperalure can be
reduced by approx. 40C, with comparable mechan-
ical properties. So, for the production of a spinning
top weighing 17.3 g, the energy requirement of the
cylinder module was reduced by around 15% and
the cycle time by about 10%.
Energy require-
ment - 0.2 kWh
Cycle time
- 0.97 s
Further
information
6
Practical tips
Do you use computer-aided simulations to shorten development
times and optimise the injection moulding process?
Do you endeavour to achieve a stable production process? Examples:
Do you reduce moving mould elements? Do you ensure good de-
moulding?
Do you use hot or cold runners to save on materials?
Do you insulate heated moulds to reduce the energy required for
temperature control?
Do you segment mould temperature control to ensure good process
control?
Do you use near-contour cavity cooling to enable fast cycles?
With multi-component applications, do you examine the use of
robotic technology as an alternative to transferring parts in the
mould? The advantages are simple, cost-effective mould technology.
Do you ensure that media channels are generously dimensioned so
that optimum cooling and temperature control can be achieved?
Do you design moulds lo permil lhe highesl possible inlow
temperatures to be selected?
Do you pay attention to the quality of the cooling water, to ensure
pipe cross-sections remain unobstructed?
Mould technology
Production

7
Practical example
To counter energy losses, insulation of hot moulds with respect
to the environment and the mounting platens is important.
In this way, during the production of optical lenses of
PC with a mould temperature of 90C, it was possi-
ble to more than halve the energy requirement for
temperature control.
Energy
requirement
- 1.1 kWh
8
Practical tips
When selecting machines, do you focus on functionality
and performance and not just on energy requirement?
Are you aware of the potential savings that can be achieved through
high-quality technology? Examples: Fast cycles through simultaneous
movements. Good process stability through high reproducibility.
High availability through reliability.
Do you compare achievable unit costs, not just the pure investment
costs of the various injection moulding solutions?
ARBURG uses a cost-effectiveness calculator to determine the most
ellcienl solulion lor lhe applicalion al hand lrom lhe variely ol
products on offer.
Do you reduce the production energy requirements
through the targeted use of IE2 motors, speed-
controlled pump drives or electric drives?
Do you examine the possibility of improved insulation of cylinder
modules lor specilc applicalions, lo reduce energy requiremenls?
Do you consider liquid cooling of drives to reduce waste heat?
This is particularly important in air-conditioned areas of production.
Machine technology
Production

9
Practical example
Electric machines may be more expensive, but they deliver a
higher performance than standard hydraulic machines.
In a comparison of both types of machine for the
production of drippers for irrigation systems, the
result is as follows: With an electric ALLROUNDER,
the energy requirement can be reduced by around
45% and the cycle time by 20%. So, the extra
investment pays for itself within a few months.
Energy require -
ment - 1.06 kWh/kg
Cycle time
- 0.83 s
Further
information
10
Practical tips
Do you control and monitor peripherals centrally to ensure
high process reliability?
Do you ensure simple and, ideally, uniform control to reduce time
spent on programming and training?
Do you employ speed-controlled, electric drives instead of pneumatic
systems for automation? The advantages are simple set-up,
low energy requirement, precise sequences and short cycle times.
Do you check your compressed air system regularly for leaks,
in order to detect and rectify any leakage at an early stage?
Do you adapl inlow lemperalures ol cooling unils lo each
injection moulding process, to reduce cooling costs?
Do you keep media supply lines short and insulate hot areas to
reduce the energy requirement for cooling and temperature
control units?
Do you ensure that media lines are generously dimensioned so that
optimum cooling and temperature control can be achieved?
Do you pay attention to the quality of the cooling water, to ensure
pipe cross-sections remain unobstructed?
Do you clean cooling water pipes regularly to prevent the formation
of deposits and therefore extended cooling times?
Peripherals
Production

11
Practical example
Unlike pneumatic devices, sprue pickers with servo-electric
movement axes do not require any set-up when changing orders.
In addition, the servo motors enable simultaneous,
stroke-dependent and exceptionally dynamic and
fast movements. In this way, the cycle for producing
a token holder became around 10% faster.
Cycle time
- 1.4 s
Further
information
12
Practical tips
Do you tailor the performance of machines and peripherals precisely
to suit the product range to achieve a perfect combination in terms
of energy and the technical process?
Do you select and dimension individual components in line with the
relevant requirements, in order to reduce cycle times and energy
requirements?
Do you endeavour to ensure high utilisation of the injection unit?
As ulilisalion increases, lhe specilc energy requiremenl lalls.
Therefore, fast cycles are also desirable from an energy point of view.
Do you exploit the diverse range of modular equipment and expan-
sion stages to the full, and so adapt technology to suit your needs?
As your technology partner, ARBURG can provide you with detailed
advice on the right technical equipment. Using an intelligent, learn-
ing" applicalion dalabase, we are in a posilion lo give well qualiled
advice and provide a detailed concept for processing technology.
Do you make use of the ARBURG Customer Center for detailed
machine comparisons and mould and process tests?
ConguraIion
Production
e!ciency
13
Practical example
A machine concept for especially high productivity is achieved
by combining servo-electric drives for mould movement and
dosage with hydraulic accumulator technology for in-
jection. For the production of an IML container, with
this solution it was possible to reduce the cycle time
by 27' and lhe specilc energy requiremenl by
15%, compared with a standard hydraulic machine.
Energy require -
ment - 0.15 kWh/kg
Cycle time
- 1.8 s
14
Practical tips
Do you integrate upstream and downstream tasks in the injection
moulding process lo oplimise logislics and lhe malerial low?
Do you link individual work steps together in a targeted
way to shorten throughput times or reduce transport distances?
As a main contractor, ARBURG provides you with all-round advice:
from project planning of production cells through to all the
necessary services.
Do you automate the feed of inserts, to increase process reliability
and stability?
Do you use robolic syslems lor genlle removal ol lnished parls lo
keep rejects to a minimum?
Do you perform quality assurance inline, in order to react immedi-
ately to problems and reliably separate substandard parts?
Do you coordinate machines, moulds and automation systems with
one another at an early stage to achieve the best possible results in
terms of investment costs, cycle times and process stability?
In the early design phase, do you examine whether you have
allowed sullcienl lexibilily lor lulure applicalions?
Do you control the machine and robotic system centrally, so that
sequences are mulually harmonised lor lhe specilc applicalion lo
the best possible extent?
Process integration
Production

15
Practical example
The production of a toy buggy requires several work steps:
inserting the metal axles, removing the individual parts
including sprue, and llling axles, chassis and rool lo
creale lhe lnished producl. Wilh a robolic syslem,
all these steps can be automated. The result is an
autonomous, constant production process.
And the simultaneous removal and insertion of
parts means the cycle is also around 15% faster.
Availability
+ 10%
Cycle time
- 5 s
16
Practical tips
Do you use machine control systems centrally to ensure consistent
monitoring of quality and to keep rejects to a minimum?
Are you familiar with the available options for quality and process
control? Example: Do you analyse the signals from the supply of gran-
ulate, compressed air or water and from automation components?
Do you make use of automatic On/Off functions for unmanned
preparation?
Do you use start-up programs for a fast, controlled and automated
production start?
Do you focus on achieving a smooth, uninterrupted production
process when setting up?
Do you also search for ways to reduce cycle times, so that the
machine is optimally utilised?
Do you set process parameters individually to save energy?
Examples: Do you reduce clamping and nozzle contact forces during
the residual cooling time? Do you make use of the entire cooling
time for dosage? Do you only open moulds as far as necessary?
Do your employees regularly receive thorough further training by
specialists, so that they can fully exploit the potential of the machines?
Do you take advantage of customised, on-site training courses, so
that ongoing production processes can be directly optimised?
Process control
Production

17
Practical example
When robotic systems are fully integrated in the machine
control system, sequences can be optimised in a targeted
way; for example if the the robotic system already
moves into the mould during the opening movement
or its movement is synchronised with the ejector. In
this way, the cycle time for producing a stacking box
can be reduced by around 10% with no additional
investment costs.
Cycle time
- 2 s
Further
information
18
Practical tips
Do you regularly switch pumps off during machine downtimes to
save energy? Do you compare pump operating hours with
operating hours in automatic mode?
Do you ensure preventive maintenance to prevent unplanned
downtimes?
Do you use computer-aided planning for your production, to avoid
time-consuming manual data acquisition and simultaneously
improve machine utilisation through greater transparency?
Do you keep track of essential maintenance work in order to have a
precise overview of available capacity?
Do you optimise batch processing times to keep set-up processes to
a minimum?
Do you organise set-up processes and prepare them carefully to
minimise machine downtimes? Example: Do you maintain a well-
organised tool cart?
Do you practice set-up processes so that they can be optimised
and systematised?
Do you continually record production data to enable detailed
analysis and seamless documentation?
Do you archive setting data centrally so that you can always
access the most recent, optimised data?
Production planning
Production

19
Practical example
A host computer system eliminates the need for manual data acquisition.
Production planners save around 15 minutes per order; while operators
save approx. 5 minutes per shift and machine. As pro-
grams are transferred online, set-up processes are com-
pleted about 6 minutes faster. Downtimes are immedi-
ately obvious from a central point and can therefore be
recliled 3 minules lasler, on average. So, over a year,
huge time savings are achieved in total.
Working time
- 1500 h or more
Downtime
- 500 h or more
20
Practical tips
Do you analyse the energy requirement of processes, machines and
peripherals, so that you have a solid basis for decision-making and
can achieve further optimisation? Example: Peripherals can
sometimes dramatically increase the overall energy requirement.
This is particularly the case with technical parts.
Do you make use of the energy measurement system integrated in
machines to automatically record and document energy values?
Do you use lhe specilc energy requiremenl as a key indicalor lor
performing meaningful comparisons?
Do you have statistics on the energy requirement? Systematically
recording these helps to identify potential energy savings.
Do you monitor your energy requirement, so that you can introduce
organisational measures to pre-empt expensive current peaks?
Do you specilcally look lor polenlial energy savings? Lxamples.
Do you check your compressed air system regularly for leakage?
Do you separate machine and mould cooling circuits?
Do you use energy several times over through heat recovery?
Energy management
Production

21
Practical example
Preparing compressed air is an extremely energy-intensive process:
only approx. 4% of the electrical energy used is available as pressure
energy. Compressed air systems must therefore be
inspected regularly. At a pressure of 7 bar, several
minor leaks logelher equivalenl lo a hole jusl 4 mm
in diameler allow as much as !9.8 l ol compressed
air per second to escape unused into the environment.
Energy
requirement
- 8.8 kWh
22
Practical tips
ls produclion ellciency an inlegral parl ol your slralegy?
Do you strive to achieve the rational use of all resources continuously
and therefore for the long term?
Do you set realistic goals, e.g. for higher productivity, fewer rejects
or lower energy requirements?
Do you keep your employees informed about set goals and planned
measures?
Are your employees aware of the costs resulting from increased
energy requirements, use of materials and personnel, set-up times,
downtimes and rejects?
Do your employees know their responsibilities with regard to
produclion ellciency and lhe company's sel objeclives?
Do you raise your employees' awareness ol produclion ellciency
lhrough ongoing lraining courses and qualilcalions?
Do you systematically identify potential and exploit it to the full?
Example: Do you analyse recurring sequences and problems?
Corporate strategy
Production

23
Practical example
At ARBURG, video analysis has proven to be a valuable tool for
optimising set-up processes. During tool changes on a turning
and milling machine, video analysis showed that the
employee had to turn around 36 times in total.
Thanks to a few low-cost measures, sequences
were improved and set-up times halved.
Set-up time
- 30 min.
24
PuI your producIion e!ciency Io Ihe IesI!
1. What role does product design play for you?
a) Product design appropriate for plastics and targeted mate -
rial selection are a matter of course. Customers attention is
drawn to potential improvements from time to time.
b) As well as product design appropriate for plastics
and largeled malerial seleclion, ellciency crileria such
as energy requirements and cycle times are taken into
account. Customers attention is drawn to optimisation
opportunities in a targeted manner
c) Only functionality is taken into account during product
design, regardless of the manufacturing process. Cus-
tomers do not receive any feedback on product design
2. What is important to you in terms of mould technology?
a) Mould costs are the top priority
b) Ensuring a stable production process
is more important than mould costs
c) As well as a slable produclion process, ellciency
criteria such as material requirements and cycle times
are taken into account
3. How do you select your machine and
drive technology?
a) I explicitly enquire about alternative machine and
drive technology
b) I seek out alternatives and compare them in
economic terms as a matter of course
c) Same machine and drive technology as always,
without looking into alternatives
5
10
0
0
5
10
5
10
0
Our sell-lesl helps you idenlily jusl how ellcienl produclion is al
your injection moulding facility and where there is potential for
improvement.
No multiple answers possible
25
4. How do you equip your production in terms
of peripherals e.g. robotic technology?
a) The machine and robotic system have separate control systems
b) The machine and robotic system form a single production
unit with central machine control system
c) The machine and robotic system have separate control systems
or form production units with a central control system
5. Do you congure your producIion !aciIiIy
!or each specic appIicaIion?
a) Regularly
b) Occasionally
c) Never
6. Do you look for solutions to automate
or link processes?
a) Never
b) Occasionally
c) Regularly
0
10
5
10
5
0
0
5
10
Subtotal
26
7. Do you systematically optimise your
production sequences?
a) Regularly
b) Occasionally
c) Never
8. Do you plan your production sequences,
such as set-up, for example?
a) Never
b) Occasionally
c) Always
9. How much do you know about the energy
requirement of your production?
a) I know the energy requirements of important
processes precisely
b) Manufacturer information is available regarding
the energy requirements of machines and peripherals
c) No detailed measurements or estimates are
available regarding the energy requirements of
processes, machines or peripherals
10. Do you seek to identify measures for minimising
energy requirements, material input, personnel,
production steps, processing, set-up times,
downtimes and rejects?
a) Never
b) Occasionally
c) Regularly
10
5
0
0
5
10
10
5
0
0
5
10
Total points
27
Evaluation of results
0-40 points
ll's lime lo gel going! There is signilcanl polenlial lor enhancing
produclion ellciency lhroughoul almosl lhe enlire value-added
chain at your company. Your ARBURG contact will be pleased to
advise you on how you can reduce your unit costs.
45-80 points
Take a closer look! You are already working very ellcienlly
in some areas. Close examination, however, is sure to reveal
further potential for unit cost reductions. Make use of the
support offered by experienced ARBURG specialists to maximise
your competitive edge.
85-100 points
Congralulalions! You are operaling al a high level ol produclivily
and are already exploiling signilcanl polenlials lor reducing unil
costs. Continue to look out for innovations and promote new ideas.
Make use of ARBURGs unique pool of expertise and gain a leader-
ship position in production over the long term. ARBURG could well
imagine publishing a success story report on your company in its
today customer magazine.
ARBURG GmbH + Co KG
Postfach 11 09
72286 Lossburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 74 46 33-0
Fax: +49 (0) 74 46 33 33 65
e-mail: contact@arburg.com
6
8
0
8
1
0
_
E
N
_
G
B
_
0
2
2
0
1
3

S
u
b
j
e
c
t

t
o

a
l
t
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
s
P
r
i
n
t
e
d

i
n

G
e
r
m
a
n
y