Injection Process Monitoring & Control Adds Multi-Component Molding, Part-Quality Prediction
Kistler’s ComoNeo 2.1.0 monitors up to four components and adds quality prediction.
Online quality prediction in the new version of ComoNeo directly predicts the component characteristics and evaluates quality on the basis of measured process values.
ComoDataCenter can manage and analyze data for injection molding processes and allows networking of all ComoNeo and CoMo Injection systems.
Thanks to process monitoring with sensor technology specially designed for the RTM process, users can identify defects during production so as to avoid further processing of faulty parts.
The Kistler Group is demonstrating a wide range of modular functionalities for the newest version (2.1.0) of ComoNeo, its process-monitoring and control system for injection molding that now includes integrated part-quality prediction.
Since its initial launch three years ago, the ComoNeo system has continued to evolve. Based on measurement of cavity pressure, it controls the switchover point from speed to pressure control in mold filling within each cycle, analyzing the difference between current and reference pressure curves. The switchover point can be set manually or determined automatically by the system through analyzing a sequence of five test cycles.
More and more, injection molders are confronted with new, complex tasks, such as multi-component systems with complex process technology, for example, in lightweight composites for the automotive and aerospace industries. To support such applications, ComoNeo can also control multi-component and RTM processes as of version 2.1.0. Two or more processes, depending on the component, would previously have to be recorded and evaluated separately. With ComoNeo 2.1.0 it is possible to monitor up to four components in various tool technologies.
ComoNeo now also offers a model-based prediction of part quality based on specified tolerance limits. The integrated software calculates the optimal process parameters to ensure higher quality, especially in demanding applications.
In addition to predicting production quality, all collected data can be stored in the central ComoDataCenter database for further analysis. ComoNeo also controls the transfer of proven tool configurations to other machines, as well as balancing the hot runner in multi-cavity molds. To accomplish the latter, ComoNeo now incorporates the OPC-UA interface that is becoming the standard for Industry 4.0 machine-to-machine data connectivity.
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