Bookmark 03-27-2014

Arburg Technology Days 2014

Some 6,900 customers from around the world attended the Arburg Technology Days 2014 (figure: Arburg)

Approximately 6,900 invited guests attended the Arburg Technology Days in Lossburg, Germany, from 19 to 22 March. With an emphasis on production efficiency at the Efficiency Arena, they witnessed how plastic products, from one-off parts through to mass produced items can be manufactured cost-effectively. Furthermore, with more than 40 Allrounder injection molding machines, Arburg presented innovations and a representative cross-section of its current product range covering a wide range of industries and applications. Further highlights included the Freeformer Technology Centre for additive manufacturing, expert presentations and the new Evolution exhibition featuring multimedia content on the history of Arburg.

Around 45 % of the visitors travelled from abroad. The largest groups of visitors came from Europe, primarily from France (265 participants), Switzerland (260) and Poland (180). Very large groups from overseas included the U.S. (260 guests) and China (185).

At the Efficiency Arena, both current and visionary technologies for the efficient production of plastic parts were on display. The spectrum ranged from the manufacture of one-off parts and small-volume batches, the interaction of human and machine, through to mass-produced items. Each of the five stations covered a different aspect of production efficiency based on a practical example, depending on the required unit volumes.

Freeformer Attracts Interest

Four Freeformers produced a variety of plastic parts without a mould. Thanks to the five-axis component carrier, a three-dimensional cross, for example, can be produced without the use of supporting structures (figure: Arburg)

The Freeformer, on which Arburg provided information in the form of an expert presentation as well as exhibits in the Efficiency Arena and the new Technology Centre, attracted a great deal of interest among the guests. The new system for the additive manufacturing of functional components made from standard granulates, which celebrated its global premiere at the K 2013 trade fair, could now be examined at first hand. One complete production step can be omitted in comparison with injection molding because there is no need to design and build an expensive mold. Moreover, product starts can be achieved in a very short space of time. Based on various product examples, Arburg demonstrated how the Freeformer fits into the product range and how it offers new opportunities for product design and for the efficient production of one-off parts and small-volume batches. One and two-component parts were manufactured on an additive basis, including an ABS connector housing as a spare part for an Allrounder injection molding machine and a housing for the main switch of the Freeformer itself.