Page 52 - Plastics News - April 2026
P. 52
FEATURE NEWS
DIGITALIZATION TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
throughput, energy consumption, and machine
status are readily available for correlation.
Through NEXT, the company aims to reach the
full potential of production data with the data
tool. Because extrusion processes generate
large volumes of raw data, this approach uses
real-time analytics to drive productivity. Further-
more, the tool includes automated OEE analysis
that provides information on availability, perfor-
mance, and quality.
lastic manufacturing data analytics shifts A similar approach exists for injection molding.
quality control upstream. Real-time moni- For instance, Sumitomo Demag and Arburg
Ptoring and AI improve OEE and identify demonstrated monitoring tools at the last K
root causes before defects occur. Show that track production plans directly on the
machine. In this way, operators can view the pro-
This second installment of a three-part series gress of a production order, identify defective
explores how digitalization and data analysis im- parts, and monitor essential KPIs like energy ef-
pact quality control and productivity monitoring. ficiency in kWh/kg.
While data has been available in machinery for
years, the true breakthrough occurs when pro- Data for Upstream Quality Control
cessors use this information to support decision- As a pioneer in digitalization, ENGEL has offered
making.
4.0 solutions like adjustable clamping force and
Specifically, modern control systems now trans- automatic flow regulation for years. Now, the
form raw data into intelligence to solve prob- company integrates software that tracks data to
lems before they occur or warn operators about monitor machinery conditions transversally. No-
impending defects. tably, their “Inject AI” umbrella covers technolo-
gies that use data to improve production quality
Tracking OEE and Machine Status and troubleshoot systems.
Reifenhäuser, a German manufacturer of extru- Data usage starts during the sampling of injec-
sion lines, has developed the NEXT platform to tion molds to establish the best possible pro-
integrate industrial AI and real-time data moni- cess. Additionally, this data communicates with
toring. Consequently, the company can now part design software to assess injection profiles
track production variables and display them in virtually. To further improve productivity, the iQ
a centralized dashboard. Data points such as process observer gathers over 1,000 param-
54 PLASTICS NEWS April 2026
