Reduce waste in complex tooling applications

Increasing efficiency for original equipment manufacturers

We’re currently looking at how we can increase efficiency in applications that involve the process heating and cooling of plastics, moulding, plastics injection, aluminium casting and metal casting of all descriptions. We’re aiming to help customers with a more dynamic temperature control system, which would allow them to carry out more complex tooling and develop better quality finished products.

At the moment in tooling applications a lot of systems are manually controlled. Generally, there will be a lot of handwheel operated valves and sight gauges for gauging flow rates. What we’re looking to do is offer things like modulated control and proper flow meters with a digital output, so that machine tool manufacturers can change the rate of heating and cooling through a system.

There is also general spares and ongoing maintenance for the plastics industry to consider. A lot of these companies will be using our competitors’ flowmeters and valves but maybe they have had some problems in the past. This is where Bürkert can add value for the end user too, with our extensive range of extremely reliable and durable products.

Industrial automation components and systems from Bürkert

What we’re talking about here isn’t one particular product in our range, it’s a system that involves a combination of products. We are well-known for putting industrial automation systems and control panels together, and that’s what we’re focussing on as a general business. It’s the reliability factor of our industrial automation solutions that we particularly want to highlight to our customers.

Bürkert can provide a one-stop-shop. Whether it’s an individual component or a full-blown system, we’ve got tooling manufacturers covered. These systems might be a combination of things like modulated control valves, on-off valves, as well as INOX valves that make the installation smaller. We’re looking to work with end users with this one-stop-shop philosophy.

If a customer doesn’t have a pneumatic supply, then we can provide electromotive valves. That’s a unique selling point for us because there aren’t many electromotive valves on the market because they’re expensive. One thing that we pride ourselves on with our electromotive valves is speed. The vast majority are typically quite slow but our electromotive valves aren’t. In fact, I believe ours are pretty much the fastest on the market.

We can also supply the PLC. As such, we can enable OEM manufacturers to develop a more dynamically shaped finished product. You can supply all this equipment and increase your turnover by offering a bigger package. For end users, they’re constricted by their own equipment. If they want to do more complex finished products, then an issue for them is that they are restricted by their OEM machinery.

Industrial automation solutions that save time, waste, energy and cost

If you’ve got poor quality heating and cooling then there’s a good chance that the end product that you’re trying to manufacture won’t be consistent. So, you end up having to throw products away. It’s the reliability of our systems that can counteract this. For example, by making sure that valves are opening quickly and effectively, and that they are both reliable and robust. We also ensure that the sensors we will supply with our valves are also reliable, repeatable and sized properly.

If plastics manufacturers are manufacturing multiple components then the setup time for a manual system would be a lot longer when compared to an automated system. When they opt for automation, they can go into their PLC, choose component A, press a button and everything is set up accordingly. Whereas, if it’s a manual installation they have to go round and start trimming things off. Then setting that up and potentially finding that their products aren’t right. So, they’re rejecting products and wasting products, as well as wasting energy.

Bürkert systems can eradicate all of these issues. That means that, ultimately, we can save OEM tooling manufacturers a huge amount of time and expense in the long-run.

For more information about Bürkert industrial automation systems and components, or to discuss your application requirements in more detail, please contact our sales team today on +44 (0) 1285 648 720 or email sales.uk@burkert.com.