ENGEL has announced at K 2019 it is breaking new ground in the further digitalisation of the injection moulding process in collaboration with Autodesk.
At the K trade fair both companies are exhibiting a first product, ENGEL sim link, that will be available to ENGEL and Autodesk customers next year.
With ENGEL sim link, the parameters optimised through simulation can be converted into a setting data record and used directly in the injection moulding machine.
The parameters taken from the simulation are adapted to the injection moulding machine intended for the production process, ensuring complete data consistency and dispenses with the time-consuming and error-prone manual input of data into the machine.
Another new feature is that process parameters and measurement results can conversely be imported from the injection moulding machine back into Moldflow. This function allows a new approach to the analysis and optimisation of the ongoing production process using simulations.
With the help of sim link, the optimised process data can then be imported to the CC300 machine control unit.
"Together with Autodesk we are closing the gap between the digital twin of the actual tool and the real injection moulding process,” said Dr. Johannes Kilian, Head of Simulation and Control Engineering at the Product Development Department of ENGEL AUSTRIA.
"By creating easily usable connections between the digital and the real world we are facilitating the consistent and mutual utilisation of simulation and machine data throughout the complete product life cycle."
"By linking the simulation with the real production process, injection moulding simulations will in future play a central role throughout the entire product life cycle,” explained Kilian.
"Simulations accelerate the machine setting, set-up processes and process optimisation, thereby significantly boosting productivity. It is therefore becoming an increasingly affordable competitive advantage for smaller injection moulding companies too."