Technological watch

At K 2019, ENGEL is exhibiting its iQ weight control intelligent assistance system for injection molding processes with a recycled material application, making the great potential inject 4.0 offers contributing to circular economy.
iQ weight control individually adjusts the quality-related process parameters for each shot during injection to suit the prevailing conditions. Using different recycling technologies, heavily soiled geotextiles made of polypropylene were salvaged, pelletized and put through an injection molding process while using iQ weight control.
“The tests confirmed that iQ weight control maintains a constant melt volume throughout the production process, even when processing recycled material,” Paul Kapeller, product manager for digital solutions at ENGEL AUSTRIA, says. “By offering this solution, we’re opening the door to a significantly wider range of applications for recycled material, making an important contribution to the circular economy.”
Demonstrating iQ Weight Control’s Potentiality
At K, ENGEL will be clearly demonstrating iQ weight control’s great potential to close the loop for recyclables by processing fully recycled ABS on an ENGEL victory 120 injection molding machine. To simulate realistic conditions, it will use recycled material from two different companies, MGG Polymers and Bage-Plastics. “iQ weight control steps in at the first shot, adapting the parameters to the new circumstances so that good parts are consistently produced regardless of the recycled material supplier,” Kapeller explains.
The State-of-the art in Smart Production
The victory 120 injection molding machine represents the state of the art in smart production. Alongside iQ weight control, all other iQ products from ENGEL’s inject 4.0 program are installed. Permanent adaptation of quality-relevant process parameters based on real-time data is an essential feature of the smart factory.
ENGEL will be present at K 2019 in Hall 15, stand C58 in Düsseldorf, Germany between October 16th and 23rd.