Smart Molding International 2-2020

5 www.smart-molding.com contents 36 40 44 The new generation of collaborative lightweight robots from FANUC has arrived. After presenting the first prototypes of the CRX-10iA at IREX in Tokyo in December 2019, the company is now bringing the first production units to Europe. The key features of the CRX-10iA are its safety, ease of use and extremely high reliability. If it hits a hard object, the robot automatically backs away from it. Operators can also manually push three axes of the robot away. The smooth and elegant design also provides protection from pinching, making it an ideal partner for production workers. Thermoplastics with easy-flowing properties are usually somewhat more expensive than comparable standard materials; however, they offer advantages that ultimately pay off in terms of processing, production costs and freedom of design. This can be seen in the highly integrated bolster produced in plastic-metal composite technology (hybrid technology) for the Ford Kuga SUV. In addition to steel panels, the production of the highly loaded structural component includes polyamide 6, the easy-flowing, fiberglass-reinforced Durethan BKV30H2.0EF from LANXESS. Additive Manufacturing Technologies Ltd, leader in industrial automated post-processing solutions for additive manufacturing (AM), and Leering Hengelo, internationally recognized producer of blasting equipment for the metal and plastics processing industry, have partnered together to bring two new de-powdering systems called PostProDP and PostProDP Pro to the market. The PostProDP range has been specifically designed for the AM industry, and provides a standalone high throughput industrial de-powdering solution. Thermoplay unveils its new thermal hot-runner nozzle for direct side injection. This new open side-gate TFS hot runner nozzle is available in radial or linear layouts (TFS- Radial and TFS-Linear). The TFS nozzles are particularly suitable for injection molded parts requiring a cosmetic injection point as well as parts for which the optimal injection position is from the side – i.e., at a right angle to the direction that the mold opens. These applications include syringes, caps, tubes, medical sharps, as well as personal care, caps & closures, packaging products, electronic, and technical components. 34