The ENGEL victory 160 with digital set-up assistant

At Fakuma 2024, ENGEL will showcase its digital set-up assistant within a compact production cell featuring the tie-bar-less victory 160, optimised for efficient fitting production. This machine excels with high performance, as part manipulation occurs entirely outside the mould while the next cycle is already running. Despite its power, the machine also stands out for its compact design, providing high performance with minimal space requirements.

The tie-bar-less design of the victory 160 offers an exceptionally large mould area, allowing for fast and easy mould changes, minimising downtime, and maximising productivity. One major advantage is the digital set-up assistant, part of ENGEL’s digital solutions. It goes beyond traditional support, analysing the set-up process in real time, autonomously executing many tasks, and providing operators with detailed visual step-by-step instructions for mould changes, thereby avoiding potential errors. These predictive functions help further reduce downtime and significantly improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Given the current labour shortages, this is a key advantage, as it reduces reliance on highly skilled workers while simultaneously increasing productivity.

Another key feature of the tie-bar-less victory 160 is the wide platen design. This becomes particularly advantageous when working with tools that have large core pulls, as there is no need to invest in a larger machine tonnage than required. The two-cavity fitting mould from ifw (Micheldorf, Austria) is equipped with four core pulls, which are mechanically operated via sliders. This ensures maximum repeatability and allows complex parts to be demoulded in just one step.

The sprue is separated directly within the mould and, together with the fittings, drops onto an angled conveyor belt that transports the parts into the automation cell. Here, a camera system detects the orientation of the parts, and an ENGEL easix six-axis robot picks the fittings for further processing. This method, known as belt-picking, significantly reduces cycle times since part handling takes place outside the mould.

At Fakuma 2024, ENGEL will demonstrate the efficiency of this integrated system with live presentations. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe the real-time production of fittings, experience the live mould change process, and see for themselves the machine's performance. These demonstrations will showcase the technological superiority of the tie-bar-less victory 160 combined with the digital set-up assistant and demonstrate ENGEL's commitment to tackling the challenges of the plastics industry with innovative solutions.

Hall A5 / Stand 5203