Golfers are known for revering legacy and high-performing gear. Leading golf equipment maker Ping speaks their language — and it shows in its reliance on a new WITTMANN automated injection molding cell that saves considerable time, labor and waste in producing a decorative, head to shaft transition component on Ping’s irons.
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Automation is a key competitive advantage for the sporting goods manufacture |
Ping’s new automated molding cell at its Phoenix, Arizona, facility incorporates a servohydraulic SmartPower injection molding machine, with linear three axis robot W808, a Tempro plus D temperature control unit and a S-Max granulator. The operation also progressed from a four-cavity mold to an eight-cavity mold. With this combination, Ping has doubled output with virtually lights-out production and even eliminated a second work shift, explains Steve Jeffries, senior molding engineer at Ping. Now, one operator can run two machines at a time. Previously, more operators were required to trim parts by hand; it would take two to three operators to keep up with the press’s output. “Prior to adding this work cell, the parts were hand trimmed and the runner was scrapped, not reground,” Jeffries says. “The shot-to-shot repeatability is valuable in reducing defective parts. We utilize 40 per cent regrind and still get good shot-to-shot accuracy.”
The cell’s user-friendly B8 controller has been easy for Ping’s operators to learn, given that Ping has used WITTMANN equipment dating back to 1994. “The screen layout, individual input description and help menu all offer advantages.” Meanwhile, the “accuracy and repeatability of the robot is critical for our product. It has performed very well for trimming the gates from the runner,” says Jeffries.
Solving Challenges Together
Ping, founded in 1959, has a relationship with WITTMANN that goes back at least three decades. Ping relies on WITTMANN to help automate higher volume jobs, when possible. “We have a lot of short run operations, which can make automation challenging,” Jeffries explains. “This also presents challenges with utilizing regrind and purchasing raw materials in economically priced quantities.”
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Designed for a wide range of materials: the integrated, automated production cells built around a servo-hydraulic SmartPower injection molding machine |
For this new cell, Ping provided the WITTMANN USA team with all the project specifications, including shot volume, part measurements and mold size, and the WITTMANN experts created the solution. “WITTMANN’s sales representative assisted us in specifying that machine, along with our other equipment. After conducting a detailed analysis of our product mix, I identified the optimal press sizes for our operations. At the time, our presses were oversized, with shot sizes and tonnage exceeding our requirements”, says Jeffries.
WITTMANN not only optimized the injection molding machine and work cell parameters but also provided a training expert who dedicated nearly a week to working with Ping’s operators. “We really wanted a training expert here because we have early career maintenance technicians, and it’s hard to find technicians who know this type of equipment. Even the maintenance is different, because now our service group has the ability to log into our computer and diagnose the equipment remotely, then have a technician perform the repair. This reduces the need for extensive diagnostics expertise; you simply require someone capable of replacing parts or checking voltages and similar tasks,” Jeffries points out. WITTMANN also made recommendations for spare parts that Ping should keep on hand.
Ping’s automated production line “is a clear example of finding exactly the right fit for an automated molding cell — a situation in which a number of efficiencies can be realized the minute the switch is flipped,“ says Edgar Sanchez, WITTMANN’s Western regional sales director for injection molding machines and automation.
Inline recycling is a model of success
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| The granulator for inline recycling was integrated directly into the production cell |
Ping processes a diverse range of materials, including polypropylene, ABS and polyamide. “Our weighted parts require custom blends. We run a lot of heavily filled materials, and this requires equipment with excellent wear properties”, says Jeffries, while use of regrind depends on the part and the material. “Some are more forgiving than others, like polypropylene. You can virtually process 100 per cent regrind. But with the TPUs, you have to keep it at a lower percent blend to prevent degradation. I’ve implemented this new program to address the significant amount of scrap we were generating,” Jeffries emphasizes. “We’re probably saving about 75 per cent of what previously went straight to the landfill.”
At its Phoenix facility, seven of Ping’s nine injection molding machines — ranging from 22 to 300 tons — are WITTMANN’s. Ultimately, Jeffries says, WITTMANN “has been an exceptional business partner for Ping for many years and continues to offer superior technology, service and solutions to help Ping remain cutting edge in injection molding operations.”
Article by Crystal Brocious
All pictures: WITTMANN
