Auxiliaries

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 most plastics processing electricity is the main energy source. Electricity use is not, as is sometimes thought, fixed and uncontrollable, it is variable and controllable. For most sites, the electricity use will be directly related to the production volume in a given time period. 

One of the quickest ways to start to control energy use is to integrate reporting into the accounts package (along with all the other vital business numbers). Energy use and management is not a ‘technology fix’, it is a vital business measurement and tool. Some of the most effective energy management efforts can come directly from the accounting function. 

Universal Robots A/S, the Danish maker of collaborative robots, launched its latest model this week in Japan –– a cobot with a 30-kg (66-pound) payload. The UR30 is the second in the firm’s new range of cobots and is built on the same architecture as its award-winning UR20 model.

If energy use is not visible and measured then there will be no improvement. Every site needs an ‘Energy Policy’ – a statement of commitment on energy use.

Blown film manufacturers need to increase their use of recycled resin while maintaining product quality and plant efficiency. Nordson filters are helping.

Hellweg Maschinenbau designs a wet shredder for plastics recycling that significantly reduces energy costs while maximizing throughput rate.

Mobile workstation by AGS includes a cobot and work area for its use alongside human workers. The workstation is primarily for EOAT and gripping systems.

Leading injection molding machine makers, including Arburg, Engel and Wittmann Battenfeld, are planning to showcase their wares at Fakuma 2023 in Germany.

Munson Machinery Co. has a new screen classifying cutter model that is designed for flexible conveyor or manual loading and downsizing of diverse materials.