At K 2016, Maplan will present its new machine design to a broad public for the first time. In addition to a more modern look, it promises increased ease of maintenance and improved detection of the machine status thanks to Maplan's innovative "Smart light". The team from Kottingbrunn is lining up at K 2016 with three highlights in machine design at the same time.
Maplan GmbH has been owned by the Soulier family since 2012 and had a turnover of € 40 million in 2015. This was the most successful year in the company's history so far. The number of employees increased from 140 to 220 between 2010 and 2015. In August, Maplan moved from Ternitz and into a new factory in Kottingbrunn. At K 2016, there will be a new machine design, the rollout of the new C6000.web / C600.web controller generation and some interesting eye-catchers regarding current machine developments for elastomer injection moulding.
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Wolfgang Meyer, Managing Director of Maplan. |
Wolfgang Meyer, Managing Director of Maplan stated: "The new machine design is a visible indication that quite a bit has happened during the last K cycle. In our new factory in Kottingbrunn, we have introduced cycle production in order to put our continuous growth on a healthy footing. With the extensions to our product range, we want to present the market at K 2016 new and interesting ways to improve added value."
At K 2016, Maplan will present its new, completely revised machine design. All exhibits at K 2016 will present the visitors with the high-quality look and the new C6000.web and C600.web controllers. The Maplan light grey that has been typical for several years has become darker (RAL 7037) and, together with the cladding adjustments that have been made, upgrades the appearance significantly. The significantly lower susceptibility to dirt is a practical side-effect. The cladding and the frame have been redesigned without affecting the well-known compactness. The horizontal machines have a larger glass door area, with optional sliding doors. All vital cladding elements have quick opening devices so that they can be removed easily for maintenance and prevention purposes and are more accessible than ever before. This also reduces inspection times.
The "Smart light" on the Maplan tie-bar machines is a visual delicacy and a première. These are multi-coloured indicator lights with alarm sounds that can be activated or deactivated. They provide information on the current operating status, as well as readiness to start the cycle, or whether it is safe to reach in to the area on the moving mould half or on the injection side. The visual countdown that indicates the remaining vulcanisation time on the Maplan machine via a vertical colour gradient is particularly practical. The standard is three indicator segments but five segments are available as an option. The point of this can be seen by looking into the production halls of today's elastomer processing companies: The user must often operate and monitor multiple machines during a single shift. The new smart light provides clear visual signals even from a distance, which enables an overview to be retained.
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New MTF 1500/250 vertical machine from Maplan with a new clamping unit concept, ergonomic operating height and improved plate parallelism. |
A fully-hydraulic Maplan MTF 1500/250 from the new MTF-range will be presented. As a vertical beam injection moulding machine, it brings the topics of user-friendliness and ergonomics to the forefront. The machine stands for optimised ergonomics and has a reduced operating height of just 935 mm. It therefore provides significantly better accessibility to the tool. The clever "one-piece design" enables the machine to be transported without removing the hydraulics or the injection unit. Only the switch cabinet is removed and this is done with just a few movements. This reduces commissioning time at the customer's site significantly. Relocating the machine within the customer production site is therefore an easy task. The machine has a new concept for the clamping unit, which has been optimised by FEM analyses. It ensures that the clamping system is significantly more rigid with minimal plate bending and high plate parallelism. Enlarged, double-acting fast stroke cylinders can move even massive tools better and above all quieter. The generous distance between the tie-bars of 680 mm ensures that there is more scope for automation solutions. The switch cabinet is equipped with an integrated cooling device to ensure that the control components are reliable and have a long service life even if there is extensive equipment. The 250 machine supplements the existing 3,200kN version thanks to its injection volume of 1,500 to 2,500 cm³.
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The new 3,000kN MHF 700D/300 horizontal machine is ideal for economical production of seals and O-rings. |
The second exhibit is an optimised 3,000kN MHF 700D/300 horizontal machine which is ideal for economical production of seals and O-rings for example. Thanks to its extreme opening width with extended tie-bars, hydraulic nozzle lifting (Maplan Duale) with variable nozzle immersion depths and an extremely short nozzle, the machine provides extremely high flexibility and compatibility when using very different tool concepts, regardless of whether the tools are thick, flat, large or small. This makes it a universal machine with the maximum degree of freedom.
For demanding applications such as cold runner engineering, the new MHF 700D/300 provides space for up to six tempering devices to be integrated into the machine frame. The exhibit is equipped with a cold runner mould supplied by Maplan´s tooling partner OR.P. Stampi S.r.l. (Viadanica, Italy). A little highlight here are the individually addressable needle shut-off nozzles witch are necessary for managing cavities with different volumes in one tool. The configuration and control of the nozzles is fully integrated into the new control system. The shown tool has 8 cavities of drip mats in two different volume sizes arranged in a 4+4 concept. The smaller ones contain around 12 ccm whereas the bigger drip mats consist of approx. 17 ccm of platinum curing HTV silicone. Standardised interfaces facilitate automation via handling and interlinking equipment. The time-proven FIFO units score points whenever perfect item quality and fast material or colour changes are required. A newly-designed strip inlet ensures that the material is fed reliably, even for delicate rubber mixtures. The switch cabinet is mounted to absorb vibrations and has an integrated cooling device to protect all control components reliably. The show-stopper here: The cabinet can be pivoted to improve access to the main hydraulics. The frame concept can be extended by one or several additional hydraulic systems. As normal with Maplan, the servo-hydraulic drives that are used (Maplan CoolDrive II) are a guarantee of benefits when it comes to energy efficiency.
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New MTTF-C 30, the C-frame generation that clamps from above is now also available as a TPE version. |
Maplan will present a vertical MTTF-C 30 as the third exhibit. A 300kN version is added to the 200kN machine that was presented at DKT 2015. A further extension with 400kN and 500kN clamping force is coming soon. The machine uses the "one-piece design" and, as with all types in the C-frame range, is particularly compact and space-saving, and therefore has an attractive footprint. Its low, ergonomically-designed operating height of 937 mm significantly improves access to the tool space from all three sides and therefore aids loading and demoulding without the platforms that are normally common in manufacturing.
Wolfgang Meyer' said: "The real show-stopper is the combination of a value-analytical, well-thought-out design that is ergonomic. In this context, ergonomic means the user-friendly approach to the concept. The fully-hydraulic clamping unit that closes from above makes it easier to insert and remove corner moulded profiles for example. This effectively avoids "sliding" profiles out of the tool, which is reflected in the higher quality level of the finished parts that are produced. Value-analytical and well-thought-out means: A lot of technology at a fair price. The FEM rigidity-optimised C-frame therefore guarantees only minimum bending with high plate parallelism. Both effects are evident due to the reduced tool wear when alternating between opening and closing, and lower maintenance costs for the tools, as well as the best possible item quality."
Ideal application areas for the top-top range include corner moulding, sealing elements and manufacturing small moulded parts and/or small batches. The hydraulic system was subjected to a flow optimisation: The reduced flow losses that result from this ensure a higher output potential and reduced energy requirements. Maplan will present a TPE version for the first time at K 2016, which is a particular highlight for this range. A practical detail is the TPE injection unit that can be pivoted to the side. This enables the screw on the MTTF-C 30 that is exhibited to be replaced easily, which allows a fast material or colour change without lifting gear.
Maplan focusses on energy efficiency even in the basic design thanks to an energy-saving hydraulic pump with proportional pressure-quantity regulation. Energy efficiency can be further increased using the optional CoolDrive II drives. These servo-controlled hydraulic units provide performance benefits for fast dry cycle times with an even lower energy input. This protects the environment and lowers production and part costs.
"CoolDrive is a success story for our customers: CoolDrive reduces the drive's energy consumption by up to 50 per cent, while reducing the dry cycle time at the same time. The drive concept does not require an oil cooler and therefore also does not require cooling water that would otherwise be necessary. Furthermore, noise emissions are also reduced by half. The sum of these potentials is very attractive for the head of production," Wolfgang Meyer explained.
