Polypipe Building Services is leveraging the additional benefits offered by Stäubli’s QMC122 range of magnetic platens to further improve productivity levels in the manufacture of the company’s injection moulded plastic waste fittings.

Within the plastics injection moulding sector, a key element in attaining target productivity levels is reducing the time required to change mould tools. The traditional method requires multiple bolts to be undone and clamps removed to release the mould tool from the platens. Users then have to replace these bolts and clamps and correctly re-tighten them to secure the new tool in place.

Magnetic platens offer a quicker and simpler solution to mould tool changes and the Polypipe Building Services site in Aylesford, Kent has experience of using this technology, as Steve Tulett, Polypipe’s manufacturing innovation manager, explains: “We adopted magnetic platen technology some time ago and quickly realised the benefits in terms of simpler and faster tool changes, saving on average around 30 minutes each time. However, we continually review the technologies available to ensure that we can take advantage of any new developments. We identified Stäubli’s QMC122 range of magnetic platens as a solution that provides a number of additional benefits, such as greater levels of feedback from the interface, which allows us to obtain an exact measurement of the clamping force when we install the new tools.”

Stäubli’s QMC solution integrates an interactive control panel which enables the validation of the safety points during mould changing operations. Also, the system accurately controls clamping force in real time.

The QMC 122 range is currently in use on a 150T Demag Ergotech Machine and a new Haitian 160T machine.

For further information
www.staubli.com