Can the cleaning operation of Sumitomo injection molding machines, including peripheral auxiliary equipment cooperation, be "flattened and flattened" after production? The answer is yes!

Held at Sumitomo Injection Molding Machine Chiba Technology CenterPopularity Function DemonstrationIn the demonstration, we introduced various functions that can achieve energy saving, labor-saving, and labor-saving through actual equipment.

Among them, customers have shown considerable attention to the application cooperation between injection molding machines and peripheral auxiliary equipment. We believe that Chinese customers are no exception, so we will bring you a series of solutions for peripheral auxiliary equipment cooperation.

In the current context of manpower shortage and high raw material prices, how to balance cost structure optimization and reduce labor costs in production sites has become an important issue.

From the popular feature demonstrations at Chiba Technology Center, it can also be seen that everyone is highly concerned about these issues.

This article will introduce KAWATA Corporation's "Material Automatic Replacement Supply and Recycling System" and our company's "Production Completion Package Solution" based on the above demand background.

　　01

　　The highly anticipated 'cleaning operation' after production completion in the demonstration

Many customers who visited the demonstration were distressed: the cleaning work after completing the scheduled production is very time-consuming. Can we find ways to improve efficiency? Especially for production lines such as small parts or connectors that require frequent replacement of resin materials, frequent cleaning operations are necessary after production is completed.

Every time production is completed, walk to the front of the injection molding machine, stop automatic operation, and retract the injection device.

Discharge all residual resin from the hopper through cleaning, clean the hopper, and then fill it with new resin for the next production——

This series of tasks has been repeatedly carried out on the production line for many years and has always been regarded as' tasks that naturally need to be completed manually '.

However, in a site where a small number of people manage multiple injection molding machines, even if each task itself is not time-consuming, it can accumulate and form a significant burden. And there are also some hidden losses that are not easy to detect on site, such as the waste of residual resin in the hopper and the power consumption caused by excessive cleaning.

If these post production operations and resin recycling can be automated, it can not only reduce manual labor burden but also reduce resin waste, right?

One way to achieve this is through the cooperation between our company's "Production Completion Package Solution" and KAWATA Corporation's "Material Automatic Replacement Supply and Recycling System".

　　02

　　Production completion set | can be completed even without human supervision

The production completion set refers to the automatic execution of various tasks that were previously manually completed at the end of each production by the injection molding machine according to pre-set parameters. The injection molding machine can automatically complete operations such as shutdown, injection molding device retreat, and material cleaning, freeing the operator from these tasks. As a result, the operator can immediately shift to the next process or the operation and management of other injection molding machines, which helps to achieve labor savings and operational efficiency throughout the entire site.

In addition, by automatically stopping the resin supply to several molds before the end of production, the amount of resin remaining in the hopper can be reduced and unnecessary cleaning times can be reduced. This not only reduces the amount of resin waste, but also lowers the power consumption of heaters and motors.

　　03

　　Material automatic replacement supply and recycling system | No residue recycling, no waste generated

Although using production to complete the set can reduce the residual resin in the hopper, it is difficult to completely remove it, and unused resin will also remain in the supply path. In many production sites, this type of resin can only be completely discharged and discarded through cleaning operations.

KAWATA Corporation's material automatic replacement supply and recycling system not only processes the resin in the hopper, but also automatically recovers unused resin remaining in the supply path while cleaning the hopper. Due to the fact that the resin that needs to be cleaned is limited to the residual part inside the heating cylinder, the operation time can be shortened, and the cleaning operation is automatically completed by the system, which not only shortens the operation time but also reduces the burden on the operators. The recycled resin will be concentrated in dedicated tanks, and some of the resin can be reused to reduce waste.

In addition, when starting the next batch of production, as the supply source can be easily changed with just one operation on the screen, the preparation work before production will also be smoother.

　　The benefits of importing

In our company's trial calculations for the production site where resin replacement is frequent, it has been shown that by importing production completion kits and automatic material replacement supply and recycling systems, it is expected to significantly reduce the burden on operators and significantly decrease resin usage.

By automating the cleaning and washing operations previously carried out by operators, it is expected that the time occupied by personnel in cleaning operations after production can be reduced by about 6.3 hours per day. If converted into cost, with an hourly wage of 3000 yen and 200 days of work per year as conditions, it is equivalent to a reduction of approximately 3.8 million yen in labor costs per year.

In addition, by automatically recycling the residual resin in the hopper and feeding path, only cleaning the resin in the heating drum, and reusing the resin, it is expected to reduce the daily resin consumption by about 50kg.

Based on an average unit price of 250 yen/kg for general resin, the annual reduction in resin costs is approximately 2.5 million yen.

By combining these effects, it is expected to achieve a cost reduction of approximately 6.3 million yen per year.

By automating the production process in this way, it is possible to simultaneously achieve previously unnoticed waste reduction and personnel streamlining.