Smart Molding International 2-2020

medical application 22 smart_molding international 2/2020 Arburg produces high-quality protective equipment In recent months, Arburg has very quickly initiated several specific proj - ects to contain the corona pandemic. Since spring, four injection moulding machines and turnkey systems have been producing high-quality safety goggles and multifunctional LSR masks at the Lossburg headquarters. The pro - tective clothing and equipment were distributed to employees as well as to nursing staff in charitable and medical facilities in the region. The two sophis - ticated applications also show how the original Arburg know-how in automa - tion and digitalisation can contribute to increasing production efficiency. Safety goggles “ready to wear” Arburg implemented the "safety goggles" project within a very short time together with the Swiss speciality chemicals group Ems-Chemie and the German protective and safety glasses manufacturer Uvex. Because it was possible to build on the experience of the K trade fair: Arburg had already pre - sented the fully automated production of sunglasses there as a trade fair dem - onstrator. Thanks to first-class and un - bureaucratic coordination between the parties involved, the sunglasses could also be used to produce safety goggles quickly, using the same tools and thus the same design. Ems agreed to the use of the tool and Uvex made the goggles usable for the new application with a quick certification. Since 16 April, safety goggles have been produced at Arburg in Lossburg and thus bottlenecks dur - ing the corona pandemic have been immediately eliminated. The goggles are produced in one piece on an elec - tric Allrounder 570 A with the Gestica control system in a cycle time of about 50 seconds. Handling and depositing are carried out with a six-axis robot. The packaging is done manually down - stream via a packaging station. In the comparable trade fair applica - tion, it was shown by way of example how processes can be visualised using the Arburg Turnkey Control Module (ATCM) and how all relevant process and quality data can be merged for specific parts. With the help of this Scada system for turnkey systems, in - dividual parts or installed assemblies can be 100 percent traceable. From the prototype to the certified high-tech mask On 11May, Arburg started production of LSR and PPmouth and nosemasks for everyday use. The project impressively shows how "time-to-market" can be ac - celerated in exceptional cases – namely when all partners pool their competen - cies, technologies and equipment. The companies involved in this project are Sigma Engineering (LSR component and mould simulation), Polar-Form, Foboha and Wilhelm Weber (mould), Ewikon (cold runner), Männer und Günter (hot Arburg has responded to the Corona crisis very early on with great prudence and excellent know-how. Thanks to that, the machine manufacturer based in Lossburg considers itself well-positioned for the future after the pandemic, in terms of technology, know-how and organisation: production continues to progress and the development of innovative solutions for injection moulding, industrial additive manufacturing and progress in digitalisation is being driven forward. In order to contain the pandemic, Arburg produced high-quality masks and safety goggles very quickly at its headquarters in Lossburg as proof of its technology. Arburg despite corona: “Wir sind da.”