Adaptation to stricter global painting regulations Large-scale plastic part finishing in the injection molding tool

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KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH

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Environmental regulations for painting plants are tightening globally, not just in Europe but also in countries like China, according to Krauss-Maffei. However, these challenges can be effectively addressed ...

In terms of painting, increasingly strict environmental regulations have to be observed almost worldwide. Subsequent processes also consume more and more resources for logistics and further handling. However, with the Colorform process from Krauss-Maffei, the color is applied directly in the injection molding tool, as the Bavarians emphasize. This works by coating components made of thermoplastic material with a polyurethane or polyurea layer (PUR/PUA), as it is further explained. For this, the new, as it is emphasized, industry's largest laboratory facility is now available at the Krauss-Maffei site in Parsdorf. It can be used, for example, for the production of outer skin components for vehicles.

Everything from injection molding to surface treatment is included

But simply making the machine bigger is not that easy when it comes to complex technical processes. This also required careful planning for the new Colorform laboratory facility. It should depict the entire production process for users ("all in one")—injection molding, PUR flooding, parts handling, post-processing, and surface treatment. It should also be flexibly applicable for medium and (very) large components, as Krauss-Maffei notes. The possible production of sample plates was also taken into account. The result is the MXW 4500 with a turntable and widened clamping plates—plus several so-called wet parts that provide the polyurethane. A dose system Rimstar Flex 8/8 with the mixing heads MK5/MK8 takes over flow rates up to 50 or 250 grams per second. The also available Rimstar Compact 16/29 with the newly developed mixing head MK10-3K achieves output quantities up to 500 grams per second, as Krauss-Maffei says. Depending on the component weight, the color is dosed via a modular color building block (with the 2K mixing heads) or added directly, as for example with the mixing head MK10-3K. This enables the complex media guidance in the new overall system.

The automation was also designed to be practical, as some thermoplastic materials (such as PP, PA, PE) must first be surface-activated in order to achieve good adhesion between the polymer and PUR. For this purpose, a flaming station is integrated into the laboratory system. The system will be supplemented by a trimming cell, which can be used to remove the sprues from the components, as it is further explained. This technology also comes from Krauss-Maffei. And two unique products on the market from the digital portfolio round off the overall offer, as is emphasized. On the one hand, the machine function "APCplus" on the MXW 4500, which serves as an autopilot for the injection molding process and ensures extremely weight-consistent components by adapting the switch point and after pressure from shot to shot to the melt viscosity, as Krauss-Maffei explains. On the other hand, the Dataxplorer monitors the entire plastic processing process and records over 1,000 machine signals at a resolution of up to 200 Hertz in curve form. In this way, the user gets a microscopically detailed view of all the processes in the Colorform process and enjoys full traceability of the events. By the way, Krauss-Maffei develops and manufactures all the components required for the Colorform process described here. Therefore, interface and function problems are not to be expected.