K-NEWS 2020 EN
The customer magazine by Kautex Maschinenbau
The customer magazine by Kautex Maschinenbau
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ISSUE | 14<br />
The customer magazine by Kautex Maschinenbau<br />
Expertise – Communication – Innovation<br />
Three pillars for a successful<br />
customer relationship<br />
Sustainability as guiding principle<br />
Energy efficiency and modern processing<br />
techniques for post consumer regrinds<br />
Reorganization<br />
Optimized processes to generate<br />
added value<br />
www.kautex-group.com
2<br />
04 | Customer Experience<br />
Our guiding principle<br />
06 | Undergoing change<br />
An interview with Andreas Lichtenauer<br />
and Thomas Hartkämper<br />
08 | New heads in the management team<br />
10 | Our commitment to<br />
sustainability From sustainably<br />
grown raw materials to processing<br />
post-consumer regrinds<br />
12 | Our customers and us<br />
2 success stories<br />
16 | WT extrusion heads and<br />
RapidXchange<br />
New technologies for higher production<br />
efficiency<br />
18 | Pre-acceptance runs by video livestream<br />
Satisfied customers and cost savings<br />
Newsflash<br />
19 K-Foam<br />
20 Flash-Event<br />
20 DataCap<br />
21 Modernization instead of replacement<br />
22 | Composite Liner XXL<br />
First blow molded hydrogen liner<br />
made from polyamide<br />
24 | A year of anniversaries<br />
85 – 60 – 25<br />
Three reasons to be proud
ISSUE | 14<br />
EDITORIAL 3<br />
Dear business partners<br />
and friends<br />
Publisher<br />
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH<br />
Kautexstraße 54<br />
53229 Bonn · Germany<br />
T +49 228 489-0<br />
F +49 228 489-414<br />
info@kautex-group.com<br />
www.kautex-group.com<br />
Responsible<br />
Communication and Marketing<br />
Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH<br />
Date of publication<br />
June <strong>2020</strong><br />
The coronavirus pandemic<br />
is keeping many of us in<br />
suspense. Here at Kautex,<br />
we fortunately reacted early<br />
and introduced comprehensive<br />
safety measures so that we<br />
were able to maintain our<br />
machine production and<br />
continued to deliver without<br />
any restrictions. But these times<br />
also provide opportunities to<br />
try something new. Recently,<br />
we started presenting our latest<br />
technology virtually. The first<br />
virtual Flash Event in April<br />
enabled 130 customers from<br />
across the globe to get to know<br />
our new Kautex KSB10 machine<br />
in continuous test mode and, at<br />
the same time, communicate<br />
directly with our experts.<br />
Independently of the current events, we are continuing to drive<br />
forward the transformation process started in 2019 as well as our<br />
product offensive in the areas of packaging and specialties. In<br />
addition, we have brought further experts on board (see pages<br />
8 – 9). They will provide support for us to realize our ambitious<br />
targets. The fact is, we are an innovation-driven company in blow<br />
molding technology that continues to lead the way as shown by<br />
our recent success in the production of hydrogen liners made of<br />
polyamide plus our K-Foam and RapidXchange technologies.<br />
I hope you enjoy a thought-provoking read and I look forward<br />
to your feedback.<br />
Yours<br />
Andreas Lichtenauer<br />
CSO Kautex Maschinenbau
4
ISSUE | 14<br />
5<br />
Three pillars of successful<br />
customer relations:<br />
Expertise – communication<br />
– innovation<br />
Customer service: Put structures to<br />
the test and form cross-functional<br />
teams to fulfill customer requirements<br />
faster and better.<br />
Markets change. Most companies face worldwide<br />
competition due to globalization. With increasing<br />
speed, we have to react to change to give our own<br />
company an advantage over the competition and secure<br />
our own market position. This requires strong partners who<br />
are in a position to put ideas into practice quickly and flexibly<br />
and to bring them to market. Partners with special know-how<br />
and with appropriate structures. We have been among<br />
the leading experts worldwide in the sector of extrusion blow<br />
molding technology for decades.<br />
However, expertise is not enough on its own. Process<br />
operations and communication must be designed to provide<br />
customers with optimum support and positive experiences.<br />
From a customer perspective, better accessibility, quick reaction<br />
times and expert support come first. The widespread pillar<br />
structure, with each section more or less working for<br />
themselves, no longer fits the bill. Instead, we utilize crossfunctional<br />
teams, which coordinate and control customer<br />
projects across all sections from provision of the offer up to<br />
the installation of the finished machine. This avoids<br />
breakdowns in communication and process handling. That puts<br />
you in a better position to receive products from us quickly,<br />
that best meet your requirements.<br />
olegdudko/123rf.com<br />
Put us to the test. We invite you to take on the competition in<br />
blow molding technology together with us. Let us know what is<br />
on your mind and let us seek innovative solutions together. You<br />
can reach us any time via our hotline – 24/7. Brochures and data<br />
sheets on our machines and service products are available to<br />
download. You can visit our YouTube channel to look at a wide<br />
range of machine applications. And please send us your feedback<br />
– as that is part and parcel of successful customer relations.
6<br />
Change at Kautex<br />
Interview with Andreas Lichtenauer<br />
and Thomas Hartkämper<br />
Our society is changing. CO 2<br />
reduction,<br />
sustainability and the maintenance of our<br />
natural resources are issues that motivate<br />
people worldwide. One sector particularly<br />
affected by that is the plastics industry.<br />
Kautex is part of that. As a machine-building<br />
company, how do you respond to the changed<br />
framework and needs of your customers?<br />
Thomas Hartkämper<br />
As one of the leading manufacturers of<br />
extrusion blow molding machines, here at<br />
Kautex Maschinenbau, we set a new course for<br />
change early on. That particularly includes our<br />
commitment to sustainability. We want to be<br />
pioneers in this area. Today, our systems and<br />
technology are already trend-setting in terms of<br />
efficiency, energy and resource consumption and<br />
our system solutions are already optimized for<br />
the processing of recyclates. For a long time,<br />
we have tested different products and set up a<br />
PCR database that contains all processing<br />
parameters for the blow molding process. In<br />
addition, we are making a massive investment<br />
in understanding article design and functionality<br />
of our customers and products. Through radical<br />
weight reduction, we create verifiable added<br />
value. That has been completely underestimated<br />
up to now by the public, but plastic and<br />
Kautex are making a massive contribution to<br />
saving our planet and resources. Our global<br />
Kautex team will press ahead with even greater<br />
determination in the future.<br />
It‘s not only market conditions that are<br />
changing. Kautex is also currently in a process<br />
of transformation. What are the company‘s<br />
targets with the restructuring?<br />
Andreas Lichtenauer<br />
In the past few months, we have initiated<br />
numerous processes that will contribute to<br />
securing and extending our outstanding position<br />
in the worldwide plastics machine market<br />
over the long term. We are shaping this<br />
transformation process together with our<br />
customers and partners to generate added value.<br />
To do that, we have strengthened our team over<br />
recent months with the addition of more experts<br />
who will drive this process forward, together<br />
with us. With our system solutions, technology<br />
and services, we want to offer our customers the<br />
best possible support and give them decisive<br />
competitive advantages. Here we are not<br />
limiting ourselves to our extrusion blow molding<br />
machines and extrusion heads, but we are also<br />
offering system solutions that cover the whole<br />
production chain. We want to reduce waiting<br />
times and, as a partner for our customers,<br />
offer solutions that are ideally customized to<br />
the requirements of their appropriate target<br />
markets. That begins with the processing of<br />
offers through our newly formed ‘Center of<br />
Competence‘. Here, our customers will receive at<br />
an early stage, a tailored and well designed<br />
offer. For the automotive and packaging areas,<br />
we also have set up a central product application<br />
management (PAM) system that develops<br />
customer-oriented solutions.
ISSUE | 14<br />
7<br />
You have created a new section, ‘Operations‘.<br />
What is the background?<br />
Thomas Hartkämper<br />
The basic idea of our changes go under the<br />
headline ‘Lean‘. In German-speaking countries<br />
lean is unfortunately a negative concept which<br />
is why we have reduced it in our global<br />
communication, vision and mission to the two<br />
core elements of process and leadership<br />
excellence. In recent months, we have carried<br />
out cross-process value stream mapping at the<br />
main production sites in Bonn and Shunde, with<br />
the aim of eliminating all types of waste across<br />
departments and processes. We want to<br />
introduce more fluency to production and<br />
develop from a specialist machine manufacturer,<br />
to a small-series machine manufacturer. That<br />
has led to new and optimized processes and –<br />
derived from that – new forms of organization.<br />
In future, hierarchies will play a secondary role.<br />
Under the Operations section, we bring together<br />
order management, production planning and<br />
control, pre- and final assembly as well as system<br />
start-up. The team have done a fantastic job in<br />
recent months and we have been able to achieve<br />
massive reductions in delivery time for all<br />
products based on the optimized processes.<br />
What impact do the changes have on the<br />
company and how have you been able to deal<br />
with the coronavirus pandemic in the middle<br />
of this process?<br />
Andreas Lichtenauer<br />
The initiated changes are already having a<br />
positive effect on the whole company structure.<br />
We are now in the position to react much<br />
quicker and respond to individual customer<br />
requirements. Fortunately!<br />
That proved to be successful at the start of<br />
the coronavirus pandemic when we effectively<br />
implemented the widest range of measures<br />
with the aim of ”remaining 100% productive“<br />
to remain operational during this time and<br />
be there for our customers.<br />
But that‘s just the start of a far-reaching product<br />
offensive, in the areas of packaging and<br />
specialties, we are undertaking in the next<br />
months and years. The first results are, for<br />
example, our new WT extrusion heads. They<br />
have been developed for packaging applications<br />
and, in combination with our RapidXchange<br />
technology, enable significantly faster color<br />
and material changes as well as considerably<br />
improved melt qualities and material<br />
throughput.<br />
Thank you very much for this interview.<br />
Andreas Lichtenauer and<br />
Thomas Hartkämper from<br />
the management team
8<br />
New heads<br />
in the management team<br />
We have brought further support on<br />
board to strengthen central regions<br />
and business areas<br />
Jorge Cuevas Martín – Global<br />
Service Manager<br />
A new member of the team since May <strong>2020</strong> is Jorge<br />
Cuevas Martín (51). As Global Service Manager, he<br />
coordinates our service provision with our regional teams<br />
and decentralized parts distribution centers and he will<br />
expand these with a customer-oriented focus.<br />
»We want to offer our customers<br />
the best possible support for<br />
adapting their production to the<br />
current market conditions. Customer<br />
service is our big plus.<br />
Admir Dobraca – CEO North<br />
America<br />
»<br />
The Kautex Group is experiencing<br />
a great development. I‘m glad I<br />
will have the opportunity to<br />
make a personal contribution to the<br />
Admir Dobraca (41) took over as CEO at Kautex<br />
success of this innovative company.<br />
Machines Inc. in the USA in February <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
He succeeds Bill Farrant and will strengthen and<br />
extend our presence in the North American market.<br />
Julia Keller – Chief Financial<br />
Officer<br />
Julia Keller (42) took charge of commercial<br />
management in April <strong>2020</strong> in addition to<br />
her role in Human Resources. The business<br />
studies graduate, specialized in finance<br />
and human resources, succeeds Frank Röhrlein,<br />
who has now retired.<br />
»For me, open communication, listening,<br />
inspiring, supporting and challenging are<br />
core factors for successfully implementing<br />
change in the company.
ISSUE | 14<br />
9<br />
Michael Müller – Global Sales<br />
Director Packaging<br />
Mechanical engineer Michael Müller (49)<br />
took over as Global Sales Director Packaging<br />
at the end of April. Müller is a packaging<br />
specialist and knows the international<br />
market inside out. He will make a significant<br />
contribution to guiding and promoting our<br />
packaging sales branch.<br />
»As a system provider, Kautex<br />
has the opportunity to be<br />
a key partner in the customer‘s<br />
value chain from granules to<br />
the finished product.<br />
Dhanny Mulyanto – Head of<br />
Global Supply Chain Management<br />
»Kautex is changing and moving<br />
forward, and is a pioneer in many<br />
areas. I find the opportunity<br />
to work in this kind of environment<br />
extremely exciting and inspiring.<br />
From March 1, <strong>2020</strong>, Danny Mulyanto (38) has<br />
strengthened our Change team as the new Head of<br />
Global Supply Chain Management. He will optimize<br />
our supply chain in terms of customer orientation and<br />
ensure the availability and quality of our products.<br />
Follow us on social media<br />
– and stay up to date
Foamed PCR in middle layer<br />
10<br />
Sustainability –<br />
Exemplary processing of<br />
recycling materials<br />
Circular Economy: On the development<br />
for the optimized processing of recyclates<br />
(PCR), measures for cost optimization and<br />
improvement of the carbon footprint.<br />
The use of recyclates is a crucial factor on the way to<br />
a closed-loop economy in the plastics industry. The PCR<br />
materials currently available and used by customers<br />
have highly variable quality and characteristics. In<br />
particular, budget commodity quality can lead to<br />
process fluctuations and loss of quality due to impurities<br />
in the blow molding processes. With premium quality,<br />
which is prepared more intensively, challenges, such as<br />
hose length fluctuations or formation of holes due to<br />
impurities in the material, appear considerably less<br />
often. In addition, plastic processors have a very variable<br />
level of experience in processing these materials. These<br />
findings come from our customer survey on the use<br />
of recycled plastics at the K-Messe 2019 trade fair.<br />
This feedback coincides with our own experiences. As<br />
part of our Replax project (recycling of plastics by<br />
Kautex) for the investigation of new possibilities, we<br />
tested the material characteristics of PCR plastics (Post<br />
Consumer Regrind) before customers go into series<br />
production with it. Visitors to our exhibition at the<br />
Technikum in Bonn can examine examples of the tested<br />
materials from different manufacturers.<br />
dennis.dube@kautex-group.com<br />
SUSTAINABLE<br />
material<br />
FOSSIL<br />
material
ISSUE | 14<br />
11<br />
Fossil raw material<br />
Sustainable raw material<br />
Machine<br />
Process<br />
Cycle time<br />
Top load<br />
Material<br />
Recycable<br />
Weight<br />
KBB60D<br />
ReCo3<br />
13 seconds<br />
220N<br />
HDPE<br />
Yes<br />
48g<br />
Machine<br />
Process<br />
Cycle time<br />
Top load<br />
Material<br />
Recycable<br />
Weight<br />
KBB60D<br />
ReCo3, foamed middle layer<br />
13 seconds<br />
230N<br />
I‘m green TM polyethylene and PCR (Braskem)<br />
Yes<br />
39g<br />
Ahead of K-show 2019, we also carried<br />
out tests with our partner Braskem within<br />
the scope of these trials. The aim was to<br />
produce a plastic bottle as sustainable as<br />
possible. The result is a triple-layered bottle<br />
that uses a renewable raw material in<br />
the external and internal layers, with the<br />
middle layer made of a premium recycling<br />
material. In order to reduce the<br />
consumption of materials and to lower the<br />
costs of the expensive recycling material,<br />
the middle layer was foamed using our<br />
K-Foam process. By maintaining the cycle<br />
time and all mechanical characteristics, it<br />
was possible to reduce the amount of<br />
material in the bottle by 18%.<br />
This example shows that it is possible<br />
now to achieve a financially interesting<br />
use of PCR materials using Kautex<br />
technology. From a technical point of<br />
view, all Kautex blow molding machines<br />
are capable of processing such materials.<br />
We will be happy to advise interested<br />
customers.
12<br />
KBB machines meet stringent<br />
requirements of the pharmaceutical<br />
industry<br />
Röchling Medical, a division in the<br />
Röchling Group, is installing two new<br />
KBB machines at its site in Neuhaus<br />
am Rennweg, Germany. The allelectric<br />
blow molding machines meet<br />
the exacting GMP C class clean room<br />
requirements and ensure the complete<br />
transfer of operating data from<br />
production. The new high-performance<br />
machines will make an important<br />
contribution to increasing the revenues<br />
generated by the Medical division<br />
in the group as a whole.<br />
We selected the Kautex<br />
machines because they<br />
provide us with the highest standards<br />
and required production reliability at<br />
all times. Kautex has unparalleled<br />
technical expertise that encompasses<br />
the entire extrusion process and has<br />
actively supported us effectively also<br />
at short notice. The new machines are<br />
not just helping us achieve our<br />
commercial targets. They are also<br />
supporting our sustainability aims.<br />
Alexander Stauch,<br />
Managing Director BU<br />
Medical Europe
ISSUE | 14<br />
13<br />
The Röchling Group, headquartered<br />
in Mannheim, Germany, is one<br />
of the world‘s leading plastics<br />
processing companies. The<br />
Röchling Medical division offers<br />
its customers a wide range of<br />
high quality components and<br />
assemblies through to complete<br />
OEM products. Röchling Medical<br />
has a global workforce of around<br />
1,200 employees at six locations.<br />
Its product portfolio also includes<br />
standard plastic products with<br />
special expertise in the areas of<br />
diagnostics, fluid management,<br />
pharmaceuticals and surgery<br />
& interventional. These skills are<br />
complemented by extended<br />
services for Development and<br />
Regulatory Affairs through<br />
to the approval of a complete<br />
medical product.<br />
At the Neuhaus site, hollow plastic<br />
bodies of all sizes, consisting of<br />
up to 6 layers, are manufactured,<br />
using standard manufacturing<br />
Pharmaceutical<br />
packaging from<br />
Röchling Medical<br />
processes, combinations of<br />
different plastics and multi-layer<br />
processes. Everything, from<br />
development to series production,<br />
takes place there.<br />
Safe, reliable production processes<br />
are especially important for<br />
pharmaceutical products. Errors<br />
in the production process,<br />
variations in product quality and<br />
microbial contamination can have<br />
direct consequences for the<br />
health of people and animals.<br />
For this reason, Röchling Medical<br />
manufactures, processes and<br />
packs all its products under<br />
controlled clean room conditions.<br />
As part of the modernization<br />
and expansion strategy at the<br />
Neuhaus site, the company has<br />
now brought two KBB extrusion<br />
blow molding machines into<br />
operation. These are the latest<br />
generation of the all-electric high<br />
performance machines. They<br />
operate at high speeds, with<br />
outstanding precision, and are<br />
highly energy-efficient. These<br />
machines supplied to Röchling<br />
Medical have been fitted with<br />
digital industrial features,<br />
including sensors for transferring<br />
vital operating data.<br />
Protecting the environment and<br />
improving living and environmental<br />
conditions are at the heart of<br />
Röchling‘s company goals. When<br />
planning production processes, the<br />
issues how plastic waste can be<br />
reduced and its reuse be increased is<br />
always considered . It‘s therefore<br />
hardly surprising that KBB machine<br />
operators at Röchling are being<br />
trained on the digital twins of the<br />
KBB series: the virtual machines.<br />
Kautex developed these simulators<br />
so that customers can be trained<br />
without using materials or energy<br />
unnecessarily. One of Kautex‘s goals<br />
is to reduce granulate loss in its<br />
actual processes to zero percent.<br />
The machines are already designed<br />
for low-waste production. Despite,<br />
the company is striving to further<br />
reduce the amount of flashing<br />
generated in the production<br />
process. Producers such as Röchling<br />
Medical are currently unable<br />
to process recycled material.<br />
At present, the recycled materials<br />
recuperated from mechanical<br />
recycling processes are not pure<br />
enough to be used for pharmaceutical<br />
products. However, research into<br />
chemical recycling processes which<br />
would make this possible is currently<br />
being conducted world-wide.
14<br />
Dynapack Asia – Production<br />
quality and sustainability<br />
as key factors for customer<br />
decision-making<br />
Dynapack Asia is one of the major players in the packaging<br />
market in South-East Asia. The company operates 35<br />
production sites in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,<br />
Thailand and Vietnam. The majority of its customers are<br />
large multinational brand owners such as Beiersdorf, Coca<br />
Cola, Exxon Mobil, Procter & Gamble, Shell and Unilever.<br />
Some of its relationships with these businesses extend back<br />
more than 30 years. The company is currently experiencing<br />
extremely dynamic growth. In 2022, it wants to break<br />
through the billion dollar sales barrier.<br />
Dynapack Asia produces high<br />
quality plastic products for<br />
packaging items as diverse as<br />
foodstuffs, drinks, cosmetics,<br />
pharmaceuticals, chemicals and<br />
lubricants. The company also<br />
produces precision injection<br />
molded products for use in the<br />
automotive industry, electrical<br />
appliances, consumer goods and<br />
the electronics industry. The<br />
company uses the very latest<br />
production standards and<br />
processes and is continually<br />
developing them, with the focus<br />
on innovation, operating<br />
excellence, product quality and<br />
sustainability. Being close to its<br />
multinational customers, thanks to<br />
the company‘s presence in six<br />
countries in Asia, is also a key<br />
factor for Dynapack Asia.<br />
The company has successfully<br />
worked together with Kautex<br />
Maschinenbau for many years.<br />
After a pilot project with a<br />
KBB60D machine, which Kautex<br />
built on the basis of a standard<br />
specification, the two companies<br />
have already developed numerous<br />
extrusion blow molders specially<br />
tailored to the specific production<br />
conditions of Dynapack Asia.<br />
At present, Dynapack operates 24<br />
Kautex machines of different sizes,<br />
21 KBB and 3 KCC machines.<br />
The fully electric KBB blow molders<br />
are not only very economical in<br />
their use of power and resources,<br />
but also have big data-capability.<br />
By adding intelligent downstream<br />
modules, they can also easily<br />
be extended to create an entire<br />
production system. Their<br />
renowned quick change systems<br />
means customers can make<br />
significant product cost savings<br />
in the long term.<br />
Packaging from<br />
Dynapack Asia‘s<br />
portfolio
ISSUE | 14<br />
15<br />
Kautex Maschinenbau is an<br />
important partner for us. Working<br />
together, we can reliably achieve our<br />
customers‘ stringent and growing demands<br />
for quality, accuracy, reliability of supply and<br />
cost-effectiveness. Our customers think the<br />
same as we dvo: they view our decision to<br />
work together with Kautex as an indicator of<br />
production quality and reliability.<br />
As a company that focuses on sustainability,<br />
we work hard to reduce the amount of<br />
material and energy we use, and our<br />
C0 2<br />
emissions. Kautex machines are ideally<br />
suited to this. These machines are already<br />
able to process recycled plastics reliably and<br />
effectively, and this is something we will be<br />
more intensively involved with in future.<br />
<br />
<br />
Tony Hambali, CEO<br />
of Dynapack Asia
16<br />
New WT heads reduce color changeover<br />
times by up to 75%<br />
New Kautex extrusion heads in the WT series<br />
enable a complete color changeover – mainly<br />
in 30 to 60 minutes.<br />
Short changeover times – the high productivity. The new WT extrusion<br />
heads from Kautex Maschinenbau reduce the change over time in<br />
comparison to a traditional extrusion head by up to 75%. Combined with<br />
RapidXchange technology, you can significantly reduce the downtime of<br />
your machines for changes of color and material. That not only increases<br />
productivity but also reduces energy and raw material consumption.<br />
The extrusion heads in the WT series have been developed for packaging<br />
applications. Modular construction enables subsequent retrofitting on<br />
view stripes, thus making it easier to plan investment. Heads are available<br />
both for mono, two-layer DeCo as well as for three-layer ReCo applications<br />
with variable die diameters between 25 and 600mm. Further applications<br />
on request.<br />
leon.walinski@kautex-group.com<br />
Spiral mandrel<br />
for optimized<br />
melt flow
ISSUE | 14<br />
17<br />
Higher production efficiency<br />
with RapidXchange<br />
RapidXchange technology saves significant<br />
time with color and material changeovers<br />
with extrusion blow molding machines.<br />
That reduces manufacturing costs, ensures<br />
the quality of the products and makes<br />
production processes considerably more<br />
sustainable.<br />
RapidXchange is<br />
available for<br />
Kautex extrusion<br />
heads<br />
In production processes with blow molding machines, the color<br />
and material changeovers on extrusion heads primarily take up<br />
a lot of time. That is caused by the time-consuming purging of<br />
color and material deposits that are formed in the extrusion<br />
head flow channels during extrusion.<br />
We have developed a solution for this problem with our<br />
RapidXchange technology. RapidXchange drastically reduces<br />
the time required for color changeovers. To that end, the<br />
technology optimizes flow characteristics of the flow channels.<br />
Those zones of the flow channels, where low flow speeds<br />
occur with classic distribution systems during the purging<br />
process, can be eliminated using RapidXchange. This prevents<br />
deposits and smaller deposit build-ups are completely purged<br />
out of the system immediately.<br />
RapidXchange is currently available for<br />
extrusion heads in the WT series<br />
specifically for packaging applications.<br />
Thanks to the accelerated color change<br />
over, you can achieve significantly lower<br />
material consumption through the<br />
shorter changeover times. At the same<br />
time, RapidXchange produces a uniform<br />
all-round distribution that enables you to<br />
achieve an even better quality of<br />
production. Non-productive times are<br />
thereby significantly reduced, which<br />
makes your production use significantly<br />
less resources and thereby become more<br />
sustainable.<br />
Comparison of a mono layer application<br />
90 min | Conventional head<br />
40 min | Conventional head with coating<br />
75% SAVINGS<br />
20 min | Head with RapidXchange
18<br />
Kautex introduces virtual<br />
acceptance procedures<br />
New opportunities for digital<br />
customer service with virtual<br />
pre-acceptance tests via video<br />
live stream.<br />
Customers can associate acceptance processes with long<br />
travel times and high travel costs. Kautex Maschinenbau<br />
have recently introduced the possibility of completing<br />
acceptance processes via the Internet. For a first virtual<br />
pre-acceptance check with our customer Logoplaste, five<br />
web cams were installed on a all-electric KBB60D blow<br />
Despite the difficulties that<br />
COVID-19 brought in terms of<br />
movement of people to support trials,<br />
homologations and Equipment<br />
Acceptance, we were able to maintain all<br />
activities that were planned and follow<br />
them Remotely. The high Level of<br />
connectivity has enabled us to keep<br />
activities, perform tasks and achieve all<br />
our activities with success.<br />
molding machine. The cameras, positioned on five<br />
important points of the production process, transmitted<br />
video in real-time to Logoplaste. The customer has the<br />
opportunity to review and assess all stages of production<br />
without being on-site.<br />
With these modern acceptance processes, we are able to<br />
achieve significant savings in time and cost while also<br />
remaining as close to our customers as possible at every<br />
point, even in these times of contact bans and travel<br />
restrictions.<br />
Paulo Correia,<br />
R&D Director<br />
Logoplaste<br />
Innovation Lab
ISSUE | 14<br />
19<br />
Up to 20% less material used<br />
thanks to K-Foam<br />
Sustainable: The use of K-Foam not<br />
only saves material. The foam structure<br />
improves rigidity and insulation in<br />
products.<br />
Webcams transmit<br />
each production<br />
step directly to the<br />
customer<br />
It sounds easy and can actually be incorporated into all<br />
extrusion blow molding machines: the new Kautex foam<br />
technology K-Foam. Behind the name there is a unique<br />
technology that offers crucial advantages in the production<br />
of blow molded products. It was primarily developed to<br />
reduce consumption of materials.<br />
At the same time, during the plastification process, gas – in<br />
high-precision amounts – is injected into the polymer melt of<br />
the extruder. The fine-celled foam structures, that are<br />
produced, lead to an increased volume of the melt and thus<br />
significantly reduce the amount of plastic required. The<br />
foamed-up material also has outstanding product rigidity and<br />
a significantly higher insulation effect.<br />
As a customer, you benefit in a number of ways. The innovative<br />
manufacturing process cannot only reduce your plastic<br />
requirement by up to 20%, which in turn cuts the unit cost.<br />
The innovative process also reliably reduces production-related<br />
emissions by up to 20%. Therefore, the integration of foam<br />
technology brings both economic and significant environmental<br />
benefits.<br />
K-Foam is ideally suited to Kautex machines and incorporated<br />
into the Kautex–HMI. Operation and process management is<br />
controlled via the central operating unit on the machine. New<br />
blow molding machines can immediately be fitted with K-Foam.<br />
You can also upgrade your old machines.<br />
K-Foam<br />
operating panel<br />
Schematic view of inserting<br />
the gas during the<br />
plastification process
20<br />
Innovations and machines live<br />
in operation<br />
Flash events mark the start of a new and virtual customer<br />
information format. Even in difficult times, this brings<br />
customer service closer, as selected customer groups can<br />
be invited to exclusive presentations and demonstrations<br />
whenever particular technology solutions can be<br />
demonstrated live.<br />
This provides the opportunity to experience machine<br />
solutions live, via the Internet. Every virtual visitor has<br />
the opportunity to ask individual questions to their host<br />
during the demonstration.<br />
The first virtual events on the machine series KSB and KSH<br />
have already been held with great success.<br />
Customer relations in spite of distance:<br />
Virtual flash events offer immediate<br />
opportunities to experience technology<br />
live in operation.<br />
DataCap<br />
With DataCap, Kautex Maschinenbau offers data acquisition packages that<br />
you can use to set up a central data acquisition system for your Kautex<br />
machines. Not only does this make your production processes more transparent,<br />
it also increases the efficiency and quality of your output.<br />
Central data acquisition system for all Kautex machines<br />
DataCap uses a standardized data acquisition system that allows you to analyze<br />
your Kautex machines easily and from one central location. For example, smart<br />
monitoring lets you keep a constant eye on your production and make your<br />
manufacturing processes more efficient. All new Kautex machines are already<br />
compatible with DataCap, while old systems can be retrofitted on request. The<br />
data acquisition system can be installed in shortest time and with minimum outlay.<br />
Thanks to the international communications standard OPC-UA, the packages on<br />
offer are easy to integrate into existing production systems.<br />
Available packages<br />
packages<br />
All packages on offer are built around the basic DataCap package.<br />
Package 1 /<br />
Basic<br />
Purpose of the package:<br />
to provide an overview of the<br />
machine’s status and ongoing<br />
production<br />
Contents of the package:<br />
piece counter, cycle time, extruder<br />
status, temperatures<br />
Package 4 /<br />
Process monitoring<br />
Purpose of the package:<br />
to monitor all data relevant to the<br />
process or item (quality assurance)<br />
Contents of the package:<br />
process times, motion profiles, blowing<br />
air control, mold cooling water<br />
www.kautex-group.com<br />
Package 2 /<br />
WDS profile<br />
Purpose of the package:<br />
to monitor the quality of the<br />
wall thickness distribution in the<br />
preform<br />
Contents of the package:<br />
target and actual value curve, maximum<br />
deviation, quality indicator<br />
Package 5 /<br />
Machine monitoring<br />
Purpose of the package:<br />
to monitor the machine<br />
Contents of the package:<br />
motor torques and temperatures,<br />
motion energy and times; closing<br />
force<br />
felix.bittner@kautex-group.com<br />
More transparency for<br />
Centralized<br />
your Central production<br />
monitoring and<br />
Package 3 /<br />
Energy<br />
analysis of production<br />
processes<br />
Transparent<br />
Clear increase in efficiency<br />
and quality<br />
Compatible<br />
Simple integration across<br />
the entire line thanks to<br />
the OPC UA standard<br />
Easy installation<br />
New Kautex machines<br />
are readily compatible,<br />
while old models can be<br />
retrofitted<br />
Standardized<br />
Identical design for all<br />
Kautex machines<br />
Purpose of the package:<br />
to monitor the fed-in energy (electrical,<br />
cooling water, air)<br />
Contents of the package:<br />
electrical energy consumption,<br />
cooling water consumption including<br />
pressure and temperature;<br />
air consumption and pressure<br />
Package 6 /<br />
Condition monitoring<br />
Purpose of the package:<br />
to promptly detect and prevent<br />
system failures<br />
Contents of the package:<br />
vibration analysis of extruder motor<br />
and gearbox<br />
Product Info<br />
2019-072<br />
DataCap enables central<br />
data collection for all Kautex<br />
machines.<br />
In times of digitalization, intelligent monitoring creates new<br />
opportunities to reliably oversee and target development of<br />
manufacturing processes. Thanks to standardized data<br />
collection with DataCap, customers can monitor and analyze all<br />
machine and production processes at any time via a central<br />
unit. New Kautex machines are immediately compatible with<br />
the standardized system and older units can be upgraded at<br />
reasonable cost.<br />
We offer a total of six different packages under DataCap. As<br />
required, customers have a flexible choice of which sections of<br />
their production are to be digitally recorded and monitored.<br />
For effective quality assurance, process data, machine details or<br />
energy flows can be clearly presented. This enables production<br />
processes to be optimized and potential outages identified and<br />
avoided. Kautex Maschinenbau guarantee integration of<br />
DataCap into existing production systems via the international<br />
communication standard OPCUA.
ISSUE | 14<br />
21<br />
Modernization instead of replacement.<br />
There‘s life left in your machines.<br />
With modern controls<br />
and new components,<br />
older blow molding<br />
equipment can be<br />
brought up to current<br />
production standards.<br />
Kautex machines are designed to be<br />
durable and can be adapted to current<br />
requirements relating to productivity,<br />
energy efficiency and operating<br />
comfort at any time. Outdated<br />
components such as controls, extrusion<br />
heads, extruders and closing devices<br />
are replaced as required by modern<br />
modules. In this way, older machines<br />
can be incorporated in the modern<br />
service tools such as Kautex Remote<br />
Service, which enables fast remote<br />
diagnostics when necessary.<br />
In addition, production lines can be retrospectively automated and<br />
expanded via our modernization program. Completely new procedures<br />
can also incorporated in production. We also offer individual<br />
modernization and upgrading solutions for machines from SIG-<br />
Blowtec, Voith Fischer, Battenfeld Fischer and Fischer W. Müller as well<br />
as products from other blow molding machine manufacturers<br />
Blow Command Eco – Virtual set-up saves<br />
time and costs<br />
We now offer a virtual setup of our new control tool<br />
Blow Command Eco (BC Eco) for our KEB machine<br />
series. As with our virtual training sessions, the initial setup does not<br />
happen on site, but instead virtually in-house with us. This enables a<br />
significant reduction in the time used for onsite setup. For you that<br />
means quicker setup, shorter downtimes and significantly lower costs.
22<br />
The work we are doing here is truly<br />
pioneering. The liner size we have now<br />
achieved is just the start. We are confident that,<br />
in future, we will also be able to use this method<br />
to produce considerably larger liners for<br />
hydrogen pressure vessels.<br />
Abdellah El Bouchfrati,<br />
Head of Composite<br />
Business Development at<br />
Kautex, sees great<br />
potential for the new<br />
technology
ISSUE | 14<br />
23<br />
320-liter hydrogen liner made<br />
of polyamide<br />
Innovative procedure opens up<br />
new possibilities for hydrogen<br />
technology for the production<br />
of thermoplastic composite<br />
pressure vessels (CPVs)<br />
Kautex Maschinenbau blow molding experts have successfully<br />
produced a large-volume polyamide liner for hydrogen pressure<br />
vessels, using extrusion blow molding technology. The liner is over<br />
2 meters long, with a diameter of approximately 500 mm and a<br />
volume of 320 L. This is the first time a liner for a hydrogen<br />
container has been produced in this size using blow molding<br />
technology.<br />
Hydrogen presents particularly significant challenges in relation<br />
to the line and materials permeability. As the smallest molecule in<br />
the periodic table, the gas can defuse through nearly all plastic<br />
materials. Special polyamides (PAs) have the best barrier properties.<br />
However, due to their low melt rigidity and complexity, they have<br />
previously been difficult to process on this scale by blow molding<br />
The process developed by Kautex in partnership with a plastics<br />
manufacturer has made it possible for the first time, to produce<br />
a hydrogen liner through a blow molding process on a scale<br />
interesting to the industry.<br />
This opens up new possibilities for hydrogen technology to be used<br />
to produce thermoplastic composite pressure vessels (CPVs) used<br />
for example, in fuel tanks for commercial vehicles, buses, trains and<br />
ships as well as for the transportation and storage of hydrogen.<br />
Plastic pressure vessels are not only significantly lighter than steel<br />
tanks but also completely resistant to corrosion.<br />
The Kautex offer covers the development and production of<br />
prototypes and low-volume production through to the construction<br />
of complete production facilities for the manufacture of composite<br />
pressure vessels.<br />
Abdellah.El-bouchfrati@kautex-group.com
24<br />
Three anniversaries<br />
in a year<br />
<strong>2020</strong> marked a special year in<br />
the company history of Kautex<br />
Maschinenbau. In addition to<br />
the 85th anniversary of the foundation<br />
of the company, this year also<br />
marks the 60th birthday of our<br />
subsidiary in the USA and 25 years of<br />
machine manufacturing in China.<br />
Advertising for<br />
innovative plastic<br />
bottles<br />
Our foundation goes back to the year 1935 and the plastics<br />
pioneer Reinhold Hagen. His passion for experimenting<br />
and entrepreneurial skill, saw him succeed in developing<br />
the world‘s first standard production plant for<br />
manufacturing plastic containers, as early as 1949. Thanks<br />
to huge success, Kautex was able to expand beyond<br />
Germany for the first time in 1960 with the establishment<br />
of the first international subsidiary in New Jersey, USA.<br />
The foundation of the first German Chinese joint venture<br />
in Shunde in southern China followed in 1995 and the<br />
Chinese KCC series is now in its third generation.<br />
Today we count as one of the leading manufacturers worldwide of hightechnology<br />
extrusion blow molders and shape the plastics sector with efficient and<br />
sustainable solutions. Issues like recycling and efficiency stimulate our research and<br />
development work as does the introduction of new technologies and services in<br />
the age of digitalization. That includes technology to continue to improve the<br />
carbon footprint in the production of hollow parts. We are convinced of one thing:<br />
If we continue to actively contribute to associate the positive characteristics of<br />
these products with worldwide functioning recycling loops, then that will be a<br />
significant step for everybody towards a sustainable future.<br />
First Kautex extrusion blow<br />
molding machine, 1956<br />
Branch office in Linden,<br />
New Jersey, USA, 1960<br />
Production site in<br />
Shunde, China, <strong>2020</strong>