Hybrid Manufacturing

The future of the plastics industry emerges as a focal point, in a world inundated with crisis reports and the relentless hustle of daily life. Hence, it’s crucial to take a step back and examine the industry through different lenses.

The future of the plastics industry emerges as a focal point, in a world inundated with crisis reports and the relentless hustle of daily life. It’s crucial to take a step back and examine the industry through different lenses.

In the turbulence, the future of the plastics industry emerges as a focal point. With forecasts depicting a landscape characterized by both challenges and opportunities. In a world inundated with crisis reports and the relentless hustle of daily life, it’s imperative now more than ever to hit the pause button and reassess our perspectives.

The IKV Colloquium demonstrated the plastics industry’s resilience in addressing current challenges. On February 28th-29th, 2024, RWTH Aachen University’s IKV organized an event fostering industry-academia exchanges.

Clamping force calculation is essential for injection molding projects to avoid expensive corrections later.

EU-supported SmartCore project creates nanorods with a core-shell structure comprised of a multi-stimuli-responsive smart polymer and a piezoelectric ZnO shell. An array of these stimuli-responsive nanorods on a surface constitutes smart skin. These combine force, humidity, and temperature sensing (F-H-T) with high spatial resolution.

IKV has consistently pushed the boundaries of knowledge, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, and driven progress in the dynamic field of plastics.

Tailored compounding for serial production and directly pelletized to the injection molding machine. Shortened supply chain (10 to 3 steps) from compounding to injection, achieving up to €1.0/kg in energy and cost savings. It accomplishes high requirements with tailored compound formulation in-house.

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) can succeed 6% reduction in energy consumption, a 9% decrease in rejects, and a 10% enhancement in systems efficiency. This approach significantly accelerates the timeline from project planning to AI deployment, condensing it from months to a matter of weeks.

Artificial intelligence can revolutionize Injection Molding by extracting insights and improving process indicators. The Lüdenscheid Plastics Institute in Germany is conducting some studies to teach companies to understand how to use AI effectively.