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Kistler breaks new ground with custom monitoring system for injection molding
To ensure optimal product quality and cost efficiency for their injection molding processes, users can custom tailor ComoNeo to perform several functions. ComoNeo is Industry 4.0 put into practice, according to Kistler (Winterthur, Switzerland).
Clare Goldsberry
July 5, 2018
2 Min Read
The Kistler Group (Winterthur, Switzerland) has developed a custom monitoring package for ComoNeo, its injection molding process monitoring system designed to deliver efficiency and transparency. System users can now assemble their own package from a vast range of available functions.
ComoNeo is designed to help plastics processing companies boost product quality and cost efficiency by optimizing their injection molding processes. Based on the measurement of cavity pressure via sensors from Kistler, users are provided with modular functions to support predictive control of the injection molding process. Kistler has integrated a practical prediction tool into ComoNeo, Stasa QC software, which uses measured values and statistical analyses to calculate the quality of the manufactured components in advance and to assess them within the tolerance bands. This type of process monitoring is particularly useful for manufacturers of parts for medical devices and other sectors where safety is critical.
To ensure optimal product quality and cost efficiency for their injection molding processes, customers can tailor ComoNeo with these functions:
ComoNeoPredict allows model-based prediction of specified part quality based on the cavity pressure and temperature profiles;
ComoNeoMerge offers processers a way to accommodate the challenges of multiple materials when process technology becomes more complex —up to four components with different mold technologies can be monitored and evaluated;
ComoNeoMultiflow is for molds with multiple cavities, allowing hot-runner balancing through individual adjustment of the nozzle temperature to ensure identical injection conditions in all cavities and automatic correction of deviations;
ComoNeoSwitch ensures automated switchover from the injection to holding phase at the ideal time for balanced injection behavior and optimal mold protection;
ComoNeoComposite optimizes injection molding with the resin transfer molding (RTM) process by using RTM sensors from Kistler to enable controlled high-quality machining of long-fiber composites;
ComoNeoGuard helps users to define monitoring windows that enable accurate separation of good and bad parts on a step-by-step basis; and
ComoNeoRecover makes it possible to reproduce a proven injection molding process on a different machine—the user is guided through the adaptation step by step, deviations are identified and the assistant suggests corrective actions.
When ComoNeo has been specifically tailored to an individual application, everything quite literally comes together in the ComoDataCenter, a database that stores all the process data and establishes seamless communication with overarching systems. Users benefit from a comprehensive overview of their entire injection molding production, which ultimately provides for a sound basis for ongoing analysis and optimization.
"We're offering companies a complete modular and multifunctional package that fulfils all the requirements for intelligent and efficient injection molding. ComoNeo is Industry 4.0 put into practice,” said Dr. Robert Vaculik, Head of Kistler's Strategic Business Field, Plastics. “Mastery of new processes and greater levels of complexity show the full extent of what injection molding can achieve in terms of quality. The potential of process-integrated quality monitoring is far from exhausted. Development is certainly set to continue," added Vaculik.
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