The new generations of moulding machines create an impressive set of data – this is the information ageafter all. Howeverthe number of moulders taking advantage of this informationis anything but impressive.
It’s easy to argue that legacy machines are not able to be included in many data management tasks. Furthermorethe need to develop customised solutions to integrate these systems can make the implementation difficult and often impractical for smaller manufacturers.
Butfor those companies that are able to see past those hurdlesthe payoff for the investment in process monitoring is definitely there. Benefits include shorter set-up timegreater process stabilityreduced downtimehigher part qualityand more on-time delivery. As competition and higher raw materials prices put more time and cost pressure on manufacturersthe return on investment mounts fast.
Moldflow’s simulation technology stands out as one of a small group of innovations that has propelled injection molding to the forefront of consumer and industrial manufacturing today. Expanding into manufacturing control and process monitoring is a logical next step.
The company has spent considerable resources working in this area. Moldflow monitoring technology is now well establishedand the company has gained a strong foothold in North America and beyond. It has also recently made a large investment in manufacturingmarketing and sales outside of the Americas.
Shotscopeunder development for more than 10 yearsis a great product. The greatest benefit comes when you have many locationsor multiple shifts and operators.
Shotscope takes the signals off your injection molding machineand gives you a simple interface (runs on Microsoft Windows) that allows you to pinpoint where your sweet spot isso you can stay there.
With Shotscope you can:
- Eliminate trial-and-error setups by using reference profiles and established process limits using historical data.
- Define and track key process parameter for every shot on every machine in real-timeand store the data in a central database for easy accessmeeting most ISOQS and FDA requirements.
- Automatically identify and divert suspect partsand prevent process trouble spots by analysing scraprun and downtime by machineshift and joball in real time.
- Utilise a plant-wide configuration linked to your ERP system to optimally schedule runs.
David Kagan is with Moldflow CorporationSingapore. www.moldflow.com
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