A newbie’s guide to Interplas
Danny Ball, junior editorial content producer for Interplas Insights and BP&R, shares his top ten features to look out for ahead of his first ever show. With some of the most prominent speakers and exhibitors in the industry set to appear at the event, I’ve been spoilt for choice when getting this list together. With topics such as sustainability and diversity being featured prominently, it’s clear that the industry has a keen eye trained on the future.
Dr Robin Kent
Net zero is becoming a dominant topic for society and is already driving fundamental changes to our lifestyles. Plastics processing is an enabling industry and will not only supply the products to achieve this transformation but the industry will also need to take action to reduce emissions. This presentation takes processors through the essentials of net zero from the country level to the processor level and gives an overview of what net zero means in practice for our industry. The seminar covers the essential actions needed to start the process of decarbonisation and getting to net zero.
Visitors will learn:
1. Why net zero is important to the plastics industry.
2. What the transformation is going to mean for plastics processing (and why the plastics industry is an
essential partner in achieving net zero).
3. What actions the plastics processing industry has to take to achieve net zero.
Wittmann
Wittmann will demonstrate its expertise in the areas of LSR processing, and in processing alternative, bio-based materials. A major focus of the machine presentation lies on the processing of special materials. The SMARTlens, will be manufactured with a single-cavity mould supplied by the Austrian company Elmet, made of Dow Corning MS-5002, an injectable two-component silicone, for an adaptive driving beam. In the second application, the company will display a bio building block made of Fasal, manufactured on anEcoPower 110/350 with the new B8X control system, using an eight-cavity mould supplied by Bioblo, Austria. This raw material is a compound made by Fasal Wood GmbH, Austria, from wood flour and post- industrial polypropylene supplied by Borealis, Austria.
Sumitomo Demag
The IntElect 75 on display has been proven to lower energy consumption for mass-moulders by up to 75%. Additionally, the IntElect series now reportedly accounts for approximately 75% of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag‘s global order intake. For productivity and energy efficiency, the company claims that the IntElect 75 ticks all the boxes. Customers that have switched from a 100 ton hydraulic machine to the IntElect 75 regularly see their energy consumption fall, according Sumitomo (SHI) Demag managing director Dave Raine.
Arburg
The centrepiece is a two-component Allrounder More 1600 injection moulding machine, handled by a Yaskawa six-axis robot. Closures are capped and threads unscrewed directly in the mould. The high-end solution aims to eliminate the need for a second mould and additional assembly line. This significantly reduces the manufacturing costs. "We provide our plastics processing customers with efficient technologies to ensure their competitiveness. Especially during these more challenging economic times, not least due to increased energy costs, they can totally rely on us," said Colin Tirel, managing director, Arburg. "We are
seeing a growing interest among our customers in process capability, energy efficiency and digitalisation. Interplas is an excellent platform for showcasing these key topics and our new technology developments."
Diversity in Plastics
Diversity in Plastics will also feature prominently at this year’s Interplas, with a conference stream on Thursday 28 September. The ambition for the meeting – which is open to all visitors and exhibitors at Interplas – is to announce the findings of the UK’s first survey into the state of diversity in the domestic plastics sector and identify the key priority areas for recruitment and inclusive action. Diversity in Plastics is the natural evolution of the previous Women in Plastics initiative which was profiled at previous editions of Interplas.
FANUC’s Roboshot
FANUC UK will feature a live on-stand automated manufacturing cell at Interplas 2023 (stand D60, 26-28 September 2023, NEC, Birmingham). Comprising a FANUC all-electric ROBOSHOT injection moulding machine, a FANUC LR-10iA 6-axis robot arm and ancillary equipment provided by FANUC’s on-stand partner Hi-Tech Automation, the fully automated system will also display live data showing the amount of energy being used, as well as the cost to run the cell, to highlight the efficiency gains offered by the ROBOSHOT.
“As the FANUC ROBOSHOT is all electric, it uses 50-70% less energy than hydraulic machines, and 10-15% less energy than other all-electric machines,” says Martin Grimshaw, ROBOSHOT Sales Manager for FANUC UK. “In fact, it has been proven to be one of the lowest energy consumptions worldwide and one of the lowest total costs of ownership on the market.”
TM Robotics launches Shibaura into UK market
TM Robotics has long been a prominent distributor in industrial robotics and automation and has been supplying Shibaura Machine robots to the market for over two decades. At Interplas 2023, TM Robotics will launch its new product offering from the Japanese manufacturer — the full all-electric injection moulding machine range, plus service and maintenance.
TM Robotics says Interplas presents an excellent opportunity to introduce this offering to the market and meet with potential customers in the plastic parts manufacturing sector. From stand H41, the TM Robotics team will be available to discuss the full range of technologies from Shibaura Machine, including injection moulding machines, industrial robots and integrated solutions that use both technologies.
“The new offering includes the all-electric SXIII injection moulding machine series from Shibaura Machine,” explained Nigel Smith, managing director of TM Robotics. “The range of machines feature enhanced versatility and performance and streamlined design, providing significantly faster injection speeds than traditional moulding equipment. The series is available in 17 different injection capacities and dimensions and can be used for virtually any moulding application.”
Speakers: What to expect
With over 40 sessions and 70+ speakers scheduled to present, the conference promises to deliver a captivating line up of sessions that will empower visitors with the latest insights through thought provoking presentations and dynamic panels. The conference sessions will be dived into different themes including ‘Designing in Plastics: Materials of the Future’, ‘The Future of UK Plastics’, ‘A Road to Net Zero and A Circular Economy’, ‘Digitalisation for Sustainable Manufacturing’, ‘Diversity in Plastics’ and ‘Research and Development in Plastics’.
Highlights from this year’s agenda include:
Digitalisation for Sustainable Manufacturing:
· The Importance of Industry 4.0 in the UK Plastics Industry to Jaguar Land Rover
· Achieving Sustainable Plastic Products with Data-Driven All-Electric Injection Moulding – Bloom in
Box
The Road to Net Zero & A Circular Economy:
· What the Industry is Doing to Tackle Plastic Pollution – Plastic Bank
· Top Tips for Plastics Processors to Achieve Net Zero –Tangram Technology
The Future of UK Plastics:
· The Big Debate: Reshoring and Contract Manufacturing – Panel in association with British Plastics &
Rubber Magazine
· Innovations Changing the Polymer Sector – Panel in association with UK Circular Plastics Network &
Innovate UK KTN
The Introducing Stage will complement the Interplas Insights Conference, providing further specialist insights into the future of plastics technology as well as technical know-how. There will be a wide variety of subjects covered from moulding and forming, materials, automation, software, testing, inspection, and more.