Engel, the Austria-based manufacturer of injection moulding machines, is building one of its largest machines for a research centre studying the possibility of integrating composites into high volume automotive production. The machine is intended for the Open Hybrid LabFactory e.V. association in Wolfsburg at is being built at Engel’s large-scale machine plant in St. Valentin, Austria. The machine will support research into functionally integrated composite technologies. Engel is a founder member and sponsor of the research centre initiated by Volkswagen in 2012 and supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The factory will be operated by the association together with Braunschweig University of Technology.
"One important precondition for successful FRP projects is that the materials, design and production process mesh in the best possible way. This can only work if enterprises bundle their expertise along the value chain. Composite engineering needs 'composite' development", stresses Peter Egger, Director of Engel Centre for Lightweight Composite Technologies. “That belief underpins our commitment to the Open Hybrid LabFactory association.”
With clamping force of 3,600 tonnes, the v-duo 3600 is the largest machine in its series. One machine in the same clamping force class is installed at BMW’s Landshut factory, where large structural components of fibre-reinforced plastic composites are manufactured using the HP-RTM process.
To ensure the machine can be deployed with maximum flexibility for various research purposes, the v-duo 3600 for Wolfsburg will be fitted with two injection units. The Austrian machine maker has been adding this option to its injection moulding machines for many years; thereby facilitating multi-component processes, to give one example. In addition to this, lightweight construction solutions can be combined with further injection moulding technologies.
Engel has developed its v-duo series specifically for fibre-reinforced processing. In contrast to the presses conventionally used in such applications, the vertical machines have a relatively small footprint. The height and weight of the machines are much lower, which reduces the foundation building overhead. The clamping unit can be accessed from all four sides instead of just two; thanks to high rigidity and the parallelism of the mould mounting platens, it guarantees the precision casting of even fine structures.
Since the ENGEL v-duo operates without a hydraulic accumulator and instead works with the servohydraulic ecodrive as standard, the machine is also setting new standards of energy efficiency in the field of fibre-reinforced processing.
(IMA)
