Plastic Projects
Our Project team has acquired a vast amount of experience working with multiple machines in the plastic industry.
Extrusion molding
PET(Recycled) Extrusion Upgrade
Automation Republic offers many upgrade options to bring an old machine back to life and improve performance.
To the right is an example of an Extruder Control System Upgrade on an old outdated machine. Automationn Republic refurbished the panel and completely redid the wiring as well as adding a new PLC system and fresh new software to make the old machine run like new. The project involved taking just about everything and putting in a completely new PLC system and redid the wiring.
Blow molding
Blow molding machine upgrade
Using B&R Seamless Integration of complex extras
Automation Republic executed an extensive upgrade on a blow moulding machine. The project involved seamlessly integrating takeout robots, in-mould labelling robots, hydraulic scrap remover and needle blow onto the B&R blow moulding control platform which is now running on a Power Panel 400 embedded HMI/PLC with X20 IO.
An 8-layer parallel control sequence allows for adjustable movement ensuring that the machine can handle even the most complex of tasks. Each movement in the process chain has a delayed adjustable with a resolution of 10ms. The hydraulic mould movements on the machine involve proportional control of flow valves based on analog feedback from position transducers. The hydraulic blowpin movements, however, are simple proxy to proxy movements with directional hydraulic valves and robot movements that are all pneumatically controlled.
Dual Carriage Extrusion Blow Moulder Upgrade
Fastest possible turnaround with B&R control system
Automation Republic recently completed a control system upgrade on an old dual carriage extrusion blow molding machine. The upgrade took only 5 days from arrival on site to full production! This super-fast turn around time was made possible by the pre-written B&R blow moulding software
It is commonplace in many factories to find machines that have been shelved due to ageing control systems. In many cases, these machines are mechanically still in near perfect condition and they end up being put aside only because of the cost of replacing failing electronic control components that are becoming obsolete. Automation Republic provides an opportunity to breathe new life into these machines.
A perfect solution in the case of extrusion blow moulding machines is the B&R blow moulding upgrade solution. A fully developed touch screen HMI with process animation provides an intuitive operator interface. Software from B&R which is already 80% complete means a less ‘buggy’ experience than many other upgrade solutions on the market which often require software to be written from scratch. The turnaround time for the installation is also unusually fast among the competitors in this segment.
Injection moulding
Injection Moulding Machine Upgrades
B&R SmartMould
Complicated electrical control systems, although ruggedized to varying extents, are usually based on similar technology to PC’s and expecting them to perform day after day in the often harsh production environment for years on end is of course, unrealistic.
It is normal for the downtime on machines with electronic control systems to increase exponentially as a function of time due to the decreasing availability of components, greater difficulty in troubleshooting as problems become more stochastic, complex and interlinked and the increased chance of failure of these components due to years of daily wear and tear. These challenges are compounded by the fact that older components generally become more expensive as the volumes of their global use decrease. Constantly repairing these systems is akin to trying to repair a 10 year old computer at an ever increasing price with ever worse reliability and functionality as the end result. As with the computer it makes much more sense to simply replace the control system with a new one.
Succesful local installations include machines for AstraPak, Venture and Boxmore.
Upgrading a machine’s control system comes with its very own set of problems however. Many factories have had a failed upgrade attempt or two which has probably led to the machine being scrapped or cannibalised for spare parts or often having ‘buggy’, niche software leaving the machine owner forever tied to the company or person that did the upgrade for support. This kind of solution also can leave machines with decreased functionality and worse production quality than the original.
The solution is simple, upgrade using a system which is in serial production with thousands of successful implementations world wide. A system which is supported by one of the top automation companies in Europe. A system which guarantees availability of spares and support for 10 years and have it installed by a company with a track record of success with installation of the system in your market.
Injection Moulder Machine Control System Upgrade
This project included a control system upgrade which was executed by removing the existing CPU and replacing it with the B&R smart mould. Existing hardware that was not obsolete was repurposed within the upgrading process. The machine was reprogrammed and commissioned on site. Installation of new hardware was conducted by the Automation Republic team.
Procedure:
1. Commence with programming at the Automation Republic office
2. Removal of existing, obsolete, hardware
3. Installation of new smart mould and control hardware
4. Program fine-tuning and testing
5. Commissioning
6. Handover
Smart Mould Upgrade for custom injection moulding machine.
