Page 61 - Plastics News May 2026
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS
That alone helped control unnecessary energy With Real-time process optimization, AI systems
usage. adjust parameters on the go. Not drastically, but
just enough to stay efficient.
But automation works on predefined logic. It
doesn’t question whether the logic is still valid. And that’s usually enough.
So if a process is slightly inefficient, automation Instead of running slightly above required en-
will just repeat that inefficiency very efficiently. ergy levels all day, systems operate closer to
what’s actually needed.
AI Changes the Nature of Control
Injection Molding Is a Good Example
This is where things start to shift.
If there’s one area where this becomes very vis-
With Machine learning in manufacturing, systems ible, it’s injection molding.
don’t just follow instructions—they start learning
from outcomes. It’s energy-intensive, no surprise there. But it’s
also highly adjustable.
For example, an AI system might notice that a
particular mold doesn’t actually need as much That’s why many manufacturers are focusing on
cooling time as originally set. Or that energy reducing energy usage in injection molding us-
consumption spikes during specific production ing AI.
runs.
AI systems can evaluate:
These aren’t always obvious patterns. In many
cases, they’re too subtle to catch manually. ♦ How long cooling actually takes (not as-
sumed time)
That’s essentially what Industrial Energy Opti- ♦ Whether heating levels are slightly higher
mization with AI looks like in practice—not a big than necessary
overhaul, but continuous fine-tuning.
♦ If cycle times can be tightened without af-
Real-Time Adjustments Make a Bigger Differ- fecting quality
ence Than Expected
The savings in others are due to the shaving off
One thing that often gets overlooked is how of only a few seconds in each cycle.
static most manufacturing settings are.
However, in thousands of cycles that accumu-
Once parameters are fixed, they tend to stay lates.
that way unless there’s a problem.
Maintenance is More Important Than You Think
But real conditions keep changing—material
batches vary, ambient temperatures shift, ma- Not all energy waste comes from process set-
chines age. tings. Sometimes, it’s the machines themselves.
May 2026 PLASTICS NEWS 63
