He gave place to everyone involved in the creation of a product

Euromold 2001 confirmed that year after year will increasingly attract the attention of all the professionals involved at any stage from idea, to the final product. While a somewhat loose visitors day made a quiet fair, think as they passed the days workers were filling an exhibition space with more surface area than in previous editions.

Euromold , the fair has to mould name, but that is actually home to companies of all sectors involved in the creation of a product, hosted in this eighth edition 1,442 exhibitors. On a surface of 72,900 m2 divided their objectives to inform potential customers and, as not, to try to close some order or principle of agreement. Both number of exhibitors as surface remained in figures similar to the previous edition, a successfully valued by the organization data given international economic circumstances and still latent 'fear of flying' by some. Visitors came to the fair with more caution than on other occasions. This was at least the feeling, without data in hand, although many exhibitors, such was the case of Irumold, ensured to plastics universal that the quantity and quality of the visits was still very successful.

As for the exhibitors, 5.4 per cent of them came from Spain, with Italy as a country with the largest number of exhibiting companies (20.8%).

The stand of Spanish companies who shared some exhibitors were, in addition to several chambers of Commerce and the Federation FEAMM, BMG, buildings mechanics Solé, Molmasa, Utecsa and Vert enterprises. BMG develops pieces, manufactures prototypes and develops and produces molds, even reaching the production parts.

Buildings mechanics Solé, located in Mataró, makes molds prototype, production molds, mold testing and replacement of parts or figures. Working for different sectors, for items such as boxes of connections to automotive, electrical, electronics industry, cosmetics, tableware, spinning and pieces such as diffusers of packaging. It was not only prepared for the construction of high-precision molds but that it has the most modern equipment.

Utecsa, for its part, can makes casts up to 40 tonnes, and 90% of its production goes to the car industry, for parts such as bumpers and grilles and clients like Seat, Audi or VW.

But not all Spanish companies were at the common stand. Such was the case of the moldista Irumold, known for the accuracy of their molds, and Coproin, both 'experts' already in the presence at this fair.

As it is usual for a few years in this fair, noted for his innovations those that offer systems for the rapid production of prototypes and moulds, as well as the approach of all of them to rapid manufacturing, i.e. to obtain functional end pieces made using techniques offor example, sintering. But, at least from the point of view of the number of exhibitors, the role was for the industry of the mould and tool which accounted for 29.3 per cent of the exhibitors. In according to place companies of realization of prototypes and models were (11.4 &), followed closely by praise of rapid prototyping and rapid mould (10.5%)

As happened in the last edition, a fuel transfer of Engel producing pieces and demonstrating that the motto of the show, "from the idea to the final product" has a meaning in Euromoldcould even be seen. The truth is that the model of fair which includes everything from design, through the prototype to production in series is being a great success, largely because it doesn't have a similar fair in Europe which makes him the contest.

He drew attention to, for example, that in a year in which the EMO, the great international fair of machine tools, has been come to Euromold a large number of exhibitors from this group of companies. From the point of view of the exhibitors, it is the ideal show for designers product, mould manufacturer, the supplier of CAD/CAM, the teams to perform rapid prototypes and the final user.

The special exhibition on the laser in the construction of moulds was also interesting. Its best-known possibilities are welding and cutting, but also applies in hardening processes, alloys or coatings in order to reduce wear and tear on an mould or reduce the cost of the mold. In this special stand were companies such as Stiefelmayer, Baasel Lasertech and IPT Aachen.

Wolfgang Müller, General Director of Cimatron GmbH, ensured during the fair that "this fair always increases the subjects that tackle in the fair, covering no only the classical applications of moulds, but also the previous and back processes related". This company presented in the fair a new generation of software CAD/CAM, thought specifically for constructors of moulds. It includes vertical applications in some effective surroundings, allowing reductions in the mould, according to the company, of until 50%.

EOS also introduced interesting innovations. With the system EOSINT P 380, available from the first quarter of 2002, EOS presents the latest generation of the renowned EOSINT P 3 series of systems with a laser only. Its new features ensure an increase in productivity by more than 30 per cent at the same time to improve the quality of the parts. The integrated process of work (IPCM, by Integrated Process Chain Management), with automatic feeding of powder and a new station of recovery, provides a high degree of automation and ease of use. Both the system and peripherals are well prepared for integration into industrial, being particularly suitable for rapid manufacturing environments. The pioneers of the first systems can streamline their "old and good P" until the last State of the art.

Another novelty was the Eospace software for preparation of data. This software of "nested" auto based on surfaces, positions the pieces in the volume of construction fully automatically, optimizing the use of the volume unless the pieces touch or are linked and, therefore, reducing the height of the building to the minimum necessary for larger piece. This allows to save time and costs of process, and to avoid errors.

Also new was the presentation of a new metal dust which will be available very soon. The 20 DirectMetal reaches higher process speeds with the same precision and resolution of details. Therefore, it is an ideal complement to the 20 DirectSteel in applications that do not require a high mechanical resistance, such as the majority of projects of injection moulding.

PolyJet technology Objetcompany, represented in Spain by Protomold (Diego Ramón Larios) has resulted in models of high quality at an affordable price. It uses materials that do not require a subsequent curing and who need a little finishing work. It's a system that injects photopolymers to create accurate models and are not fragile. Layers of up to 20 microns of thickness can be made to achieve a smooth surface. It aims to do more than just a conceptual model.

4 D Concepts (www.4dconcpets.de) presented its new printer in three dimensions, model Z810, first seen in this fair. Its main feature is that, while with existing similar 3D printers might be possible models of sizes smaller and, with the new workspace is 600 x 500 x 400 mm (axis X)(, Y, Z) for the production of large prototypes.

abb I-R waterjet systems presented its concept of court cell waterjet Original IV for different sectors. It is a system that is delivered turnkey, for processing in three dimensions in production lines and can cut materials of up to three layers. Water jet incorporates an ABB robot who directs the Court where necessary, with soft materials such as plastics, foams, carpets, glass fibers and other composite materials.

baasel lasertech, of the Group Robin, introduced the StarWeld, the smaller version in the field of manual workstations, designed to repair and welding small moulds.

It can be loaded with pieces of up to 350 kg and provides an ergonomic working in any size and position of the piece. The new light allows the processing of complex geometric structures. In addition, includes a new mode in the software to match the frequency of the pulses with the speed of movement, even if the piece is by manually controlling.

Husky , as it is usual in this fair, came with their products for hot channels. We saw, for example, the 500 series of nozzles for injection, designed for production of 30 g/s and allowing a rapid change of color. Distances between forms of 25.4 mm allow use in injections of very small pieces and moulds with many cavities in a short space.

Stiefelmayer showed their products in the field of laser cutting, welding and hardening, stressing that it offers complete solutions in the field of the laser and tailored to their customers. Linear system of extreme speed and high precision cuts in two dimensions. It is a modular machine driven by linear motor which makes it fast and accurate. It is a response to the markets that require more flexibility in cutting systems laser. The system allows to upload and download simultaneously with the work.

SolidWorks exhibited its SolidWorks 2001 Plus, version 10 of its CAD software in 3D based on Windows. Incorporates more Independientes improvements. You can simulate almost real movements among the components of volumetric bodies. Movements and routes of large machines can also see before being put into operation. In addition, builders groups can be moved at a rate five times higher than the previous version. He also presented the program of drawing eDrawings 2.0.

DSM are (www.dsmsomos.com), represented in Spain by Protomold (Diego Ramón Larios), took the show to launch some of its products. He announced the launch of Somos Raven 7600, a new family of resin for Stereolithography with benefits ProtoFunctional. Fotopolímero Raven 7620, first material of the new range, is optimized for machines SL with solid state laser source; It is a semitransparent liquid amber, which changes colour during the process of polymerization in Stereolithography (SL), and lets you build dark pieces of high performance and excellent aesthetics. To see the prototype during the construction process is greatly appreciated by machines SL users, as well as the color and the benefits that are obtained by polymerization, always more required by the industry to the rigid components. It offers high resistance to moisture and a great robustness, without the normally associated with SL applications similar fragility, so lets create rigid prototypes. Its low viscosity contributes to the overall improvement of the process of construction, in addition to easy cleaning of the prototype.

Although it was not entirely new emphasized its technology for the realization of a prototype of a car dashboard in one piece and with properties similar to the using PP. resin epoxy Somos 9120, the Belgian company Materialise has managed to produce resistant and flexible large pieces. A real novelty in the fair was the material we are Raven 7620, a resin for Stereolithography that allows to create colored dark pieces. Retrieved black is one of the main demands of the automotive sector. It is a resin with high resistance to moisture and stiffness, which makes it possible to pieces without the usual weakness associated with the Stereolithography. Its low viscosity facilitates also the cleaning of the machine.

DSM Somos also announced we are marketing 10120 WaterClear: a new resin for Stereolithography provided for greater transparency, similar to that found in many polycarbonates. It has been designed for stereolithography machines that use solid state laser systems. It has been rigorously tested, during the phase of beta testing, on a wide range of machines such as the SLA - 7000 and the new Viper B4 System, both of 3D Systems.

The resin Are 10120 WaterClear is an innovative compound that provides many of the high provision required by the industrial design, like the resistance to the flexión and the module of rigidity flexional of the polycarbonate, the resistance to the impact Izod mellado of the Nylon 66 and the resistance to the traction of the ABS. Another more offered advantage by this material is the possibility to alter his transparent appearance with a secondary process to give colour. In addition to the characteristic of a transparency almost without colour, the prototypes in Are 10120 WaterClear™ guarantee exceptional dimensional stability, robustness and resistance to the impact.

Leica geosystems was promoted at the fair the measuring system in 3D through a camera V Stars, who are already using BMW in various production plants. The implementation of BMW of such systems is done in special tests in all the production of the body, as well as the construction of moulds and evidence of impacts.

Fraisa exhibited products that has been added to the range HX, a range of carbide tools for machining steel of various hardnesses rough. More specifically, has launched a new HM series of three lips as a universal tool for the machining of steel of medium hardness. It is characterized by its high efficiency in various applications. It has also added products to the Sphericut series, which offers the possibility to make cuts of drawings in sections of moulds with singing of many slope.

ESI, specialist in virtual prototyping and manufacturing solutions, introduced its first software of simulation for the moulding of liquid composite: LCMFLOT 2001 this software simulates the advanced manufacturing processes known as MCL, liquid composite molding, in which a dry preform is kept in a closed mold and is injected with a resin. This new product of ESI can simulate various types of LCM, as the RTM and RTM with vacuum. It's a software that can solve the problems of the aerospace, automotive industries and consumer goods in the design of light of composites parts. Possible applications range from parts of the wings, to the fuselage panels and rotors or composite floors.

Renishaw presented their new heads for MH20 and MH20i, installable probes directly in all modules of TP20 measurement transducers.

The key points in the stand of Carl zeiss Industrial metrology were quick and precise measurement of models, moulds and mould construction. The company showed the versatile possibilities provided by their machines in various applications. Three times a day he made live demonstrations of their teams. The first part of the show focused on the machine to measure horizontal arm Carmet Holos software and technique of RDS-CAA calibration for dynamic sensor revolving RDS. The second part of the show emphasized the virtues of the machine measure of arm horizontal SMM-D, used in the area of design, demonstrated how a change of model is made in the rear spoiler of a Porsche. In the third part of the show, the presenters focused on the realization of moulds and models. It showed machines measure ScanMax and Contura coordinate in an unusual combination.

Vischer & Bolli AG presented their new plates for tables, easy installation, no strength of distortion in the table. The size of available tables is 630 x 630, 1,700 x 1,400 mm to 1.00 x 800 mm.

Moldflow Continued the work of promotion of his new Moldflow plastics Insight. Moldflow plastics Insight Version 3.0 has been created like a family of products in which they integrate the most stood out characteristics of Moldflow plastics Insight 2.0 (MPI) and C-MOLD 2000. It offers a series of powerful and innovative functions that result of the synthesis of the technical knowledges of Moldflow and the experience of the engineers of product of C-MOLD. Between the most advanced functions include a new interface of user, a new design of the system of gestión of proofs, a database of materials expanded, interfaces CAD advanced, improvements in Fusion and the models 3D, interpretation of results and generation of reports.
 

73/Universal plastics January - February 2002