arburgXvision Part Two: "Producing Plastic Parts – (Almost) Without Limits!"

Die Arburg-Experten Werner Faulhaber (l.) und Oliver Giesen (Mitte) beleuchteten am 25. Februar 2021 mit Moderator Guido Marschall (Plas.TV) die produktionseffiziente Maschinennutzung. (Fotos: ARBURG) / Arburg experts Werner Faulhaber (left) and Oliver Giesen (middle) discussing the efficient use of production machines with host Guido Marschall, Plas.TV, on 25 February 2021. (Photos: ARBURG)

- Internet TV: Arburg experts live for efficient machine utilisation
- Practical application: valuable tips directly from the Training Center in Lossburg
- To be continued: next programme covering additive manufacturing will air on 25 March 2021

Things are really taking off: after a successful premiere in January, once again about 1,000 people watched the second broadcast of arburgXvision on 25 February 2021. The subject of the live, two-hour, interactive Internet TV event was "Producing plastic parts – (almost) without limits!". High-calibre experts were on site in the Arburg TV studio: Oliver Giesen, Director Sales Germany, and Werner Faulhaber, Director Research & Development, highlighted all aspects of the central topic of machine availability. Uwe Klumpp, Head of Product Training, offered practical tips during two interesting live streams from the Lossburg Training Center.

The main focus of the second digital theme day was on how to make efficient use of production machines and how to increase machine availability.

Right to the point

Proof that the 'arburgXvision' format with its practical focus fully captured the interest of its 1,000 participants was delivered not only by feedback on the Chat forum but also by the interactive surveys disseminated among the injection moulding community, an important group of opinion formers. At the end of the broadcast, responses were received from 58 percent of the German and 75 percent of the international viewers indicating that the subject of “utilisation rate” as a sustainable issue had gained in importance for them.

Using production machines efficiently

"Machine availability is manifestly a management responsibility," emphasised Oliver Giesen, who discussed this wide-ranging topic from a sales perspective: "Success means fully harnessing potential and investing in the right place." He explained how a machine’s utilisation rate has a direct influence on the company’s yield and highlighted this point by comparing it to the industriousness of a squirrel – where every single nut it collects counts towards its survival. "Leave no stone unturned and no screw unscrewed," encouraged Oliver Giesen, "as that is how you will discover the weaknesses and potential within your operation." He revealed ways of optimising cycle times and reducing reject rates, and explained the benefits of assistance packages, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and various customer portal apps.

"Cheap is never an option for Arburg. We opt for high-quality technology – without compromise," stated Werner Faulhaber during his short presentation. The Research & Development Director detailed what high-quality technology and digitalisation bring to the table in terms of planning security and explained how investing in the future enables reliability, availability and production efficiency to be increased over the long term. For example, with a very practical focus indeed, he presented the benefits of the planetary roller thread drive and the liquid-cooled servo motors, unique competitive advantages. Exciting: he also highlighted why Arburg subjects its newly developed machines and control system hardware to extensive thermal stress and endurance load tests, what advantages liquid-cooled servo motors offer and why a performance-dependent lubrication quickly pays dividends.

Live streams, interactive questions and summary

During a live stream to Lossburg, Uwe Klumpp provided some hands-on tips and tricks in an entertaining and lively manner for drawing out the full potential from Allrounders in all their different aspects without the need for further investment. During the closing discussion with host Guido Marschall, Oliver Giesen gave the following summary: "Our customers are already able to implement many of the features using their Allrounders and others can easily be retrofitted. What’s more, accessing the free arburgXworld customer portal and looking into the digital products Arburg offers is certainly a worthwhile activity." Technical specialist Werner Faulhaber then explained that injection moulding is becoming ever more complex and also more “digital”. The artistry lies in developing controllers in such a way that they can tackle anything and everything while still remaining simple enough to operate effectively, and by providing the operator with active support. The experts agreed that, through a string of simple measures, utilisation levels can easily enough be boosted by at least four percent by most plastics processing businesses. The survey also confirmed this estimate: in point of fact, 46 percent of German and 25 percent of the international participants considered that the potential for optimisation was greater than four percent. A really exciting figure and one that should guide the strategic direction of many businesses going into the future.

The next arburgXvision programme on 25 March 2021

The next programme in the Arburg TV series will once again be broadcast on the last Thursday of the month, i.e. on 25 March 2021. The third show is set to cover additive manufacturing. Lukas Pawelczyk, Head of Freeformer Sales, and Martin Neff, Head of Plastic Freeforming, will be the experts leading the discussion. To book your place and stay up to date, visit the www.arburgXvision.com website to complete the quick and simple one-time registration process. Registration includes access to all events as well as to the Media Center where the broadcasts will be available to watch on demand shortly after the event has finished. And best of all, once registered, you can enjoy and rewatch all the content – including past episodes – at your leisure in the Media Center!