Quality, productivity and energy savings

 Automation and control systems are so ubiquitous in industrial settings that there is a tendency to overlook and take them for granted. Many of these PC-based control technologies that seem to be mainstream today – the lightbus, Bus Terminals and TwinCAT automation software, for instance – were all conceptualised, developed and marketed by Beckhoff in the 1980s. Just as forward-looking today, the automation technology specialist continues to develop and enhance control technologies that are more than ever, in this age of tight margins, are essential to quality enhancement and improved productivity.

Thomas Kosthorst, head of Market Management, Plastic Processing Machines for Beckhoff Automation GmbH, who has been in the control engineering field for over two decades, said the company’s solutions are in line with the pace of technology in computing. speaking with International Plastic News for Asia (IRNA), Mr. Kosthorst said these solutions are helping the plastics industry in China become more productive and profitable, while raising process standards in order to meet international specifications.

IRNA: What new product did you exhibit at Chinaplas 2013, and how can the plastics industry benefit from these automation and control solutions?

Mr. Kosthorst: Our presence at Chinaplas was meant to show our contribution to try to make injection moulding machines better. Our latest system, which we called ‘eMold’, is a cost effective injection moulding control system. As you know, the injection moulding industry is the most important plastic sector in the China plastic industry, and with the eMold controller, you are able to cost-effective control with really high technology from Germany with all the motion control and everything that makes the machines operate better.

In the past, Beckhoff delivered more expensive systems for special niche applications, like electrical machines or fast cycling machines, and now with the eMold we are developing our systems to be cost-effective for wider market applications, specifically machines made in China.

IRNA: Could you tell us more about eMold and it benefits for the industry, especially injection moulders?

Mr. Kosthorst: Our cost effective controller, eMold is European designed with all the functions you need for injection moulding machine. It has a good display size, but not too big. It has integrated quality control because for Chinese machines, it is more and more important to assure quality, productivity and energy savings. eMold provides all those benefits.

Productivity means a fast controller. Quality means you have to have good software to assure the machine is really running well and the results are reproducible. Energy savings is achieved because Beckhoff can also provide a servo pump drive to make energy saving hydraulics. So this solution supports energy saving hydraulics as well as a fast controlling system for the machine. This brand new system was introduced specifically for Chinese market at Chinaplas, but we will extend this system at the K show.

IRNA: You mentioned that the eMold controller has been specifically designed to serve the plastic converting industry in China and launched last May at Chinaplas. Is it now being used in China?

Mr. Kosthorst: This system is already running at a very big Chinese injection moulding company. It doesn’t look like anything that was shown in Chinaplas, because itPuma Rihanna