Interview with Bernd Tröger, Head of Marketing at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. The company is part of the Plastics Machinery Division of the Japanese Sumitomo Heavy Industries group. Sumitomo (SHI) Demag makes injection moulding machines in Germany.
What are the implications of the trend towards functional integration for Sumitomo (SHI) Demag?
Bernd Tröger: This is a subject of interest for many development processes. With the exception of multi-component technology, an injection moulding machine alone cannot make any functionally integrated components. It involves rather a combination of injection moulding machine, the mould, the peripherals and the control system. You need all of that to make a functionally integrated component in a single step. For us, functional integration is becoming increasingly important for surface decoration in particular. The in-mould labelling process (IML for short) is an example. It is used for packagings in particular. Labels are inserted into the mould. When the packaging of a yoghurt cup, say, is injection-moulded, the temperature of the plastic melt causes them to bond directly with the cup. Barrier coatings that extend the shelf-life of products can be applied to packagings in the same way.
Apart from IML, the IMD process is also very important for us. IMD stands for in-mould decoration and means that electrically functional or decorative film can be applied to components. The motor industry is a major user here.
What advantages do these processes bring?
Tröger: For the producers who are our customers, production costs are the biggest factor. If you can produce something in one go, that is normally cheaper than when parts have to undergo further treatment manually or be fed into semi-automated processes downstream. Improved quality is another important argument. Functionally integrated processes create a higher level because there are no intermediate stations and no manual intervention is required. A lot of surfaces are highly sensitive. A good example of this is the piano black decorative film, a piano black lacquer finish that is applied to parts in car interiors. We want the customer to get a perfectly functionally integrated component from the production cell.
Does functional integration also have a sustainability aspect?
Tröger: That is often the case. The IML process has no need for adhesive, for example, or for the additional labelling machine that is often needed to fix labels on to packaging. The IMD process also saves resources. The machine has a film feeder that inserts the film directly into the mould for rear injection. The decorated component is then automatically removed, brushed and, as a rule, UV hardened while still in the machine. Only then does it emerge from the machine. Treating components in this way normally saves the entire lacquering process as well as the inserts, thus saving both energy and materials.
Another example of a sustainable effect of functional integration is what are known as touch foils, which are found on many smart phones. At present, multi-touch foils are normally applied to the component either manually or semi-automatically in an elaborate lamination process. We have had a new idea here which we have put into practice with our system partner KURZ. We now insert a multi-touch foil directly into the mould for rear injection. What comes out of the machine is a multi-touch-capable display. This process saves resources because KURZ has made the foil with printed electronics and what is more without using rare earths.
Are you also showing functional integration at Fakuma?
Tröger: At Fakuma we will be using the subject of inserts to illustrate functional integration. Specifically, the rear injection of metal inserts that are able to withstand greater pressures than the base material. A component's rigidity is also significantly increased by inserting and rear injecting organic sheets. Organic sheets are glass fibre-reinforced mats like those used in aircraft building. The sheets are warmed, then inserted into the mould; the two halves of the mould are closed to give it the desired shape and finally it is rear injected. The organic sheets are therefore processed directly on the machine.
Where are organic sheets used today?
Tröger: As yet there are not many applications. We are looking at a lot of non-visible parts in cars with a view to saving weight. Unlike pure plastic material, organic sheets are very stiff and can therefore reduce the amount of material used. Injection moulding is also a very good way of integrating additional fixing elements directly into the component so that other units can be attached. There is a very clear trend here.
What are the risks of functional integration?
Tröger: If a production cell is out of action for technical reasons and is unable to produce anything, you have total outage. The risk is higher. You need greater know-how to operate a functionally integrated machine. You have to tailor the complexity of the production cells to the conditions of the manufacturing process. If we supply installations like that to German car manufacturers, they already have the skills to operate and service them. If we are selling to developing countries or emerging economies, it is more difficult. Then we have to break it all down again, separating the different processes.
How does it look in China?
Tröger: The level of automation is increasing dramatically, because labour costs are not as low there as they used to be and energy costs are rising too. That is making firms more willing to invest in modern technologies. It is a tremendous opportunity for us. Although the market there is not expanding, it is shifting from simple machines to a level very much like that in Europe. So there are growing opportunities to sell high-end machinery there.
Are there no concerns about competitiveness in Germany?
Tröger: No, not really. We can see that from our sales figures. We are benefiting greatly from the demand for high technology on this market. And we also have another advantage as a German company. We have the ability to join together with partners to supply a complex production cell ready for use. Our Asian competitors are definitely not able to do that.
Will the complexity of manufacturing processes continue to increase?
Tröger: You only have to look at some of the megatrends of our time to see that there is no avoiding further functional integration. Take the megatrend of mobility: the more mobile we become, the smaller everything we take with us has to be. Such miniaturisation will be impossible without functional integration. Or take urbanisation, another megatrend: packaging units are getting smaller and smaller because families are getting smaller. That is shifting the focus to lightweight plastic packagings that at the same time guarantee the shelf-life of the goods. We have to conserve resources because resources are getting scarce, while the world population is steadily growing. Functional integration and lightweight construction are therefore a must in future.
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