Wittmann: Group celebrates its 40th anniversary - Record sales in 2015 - Presented many new products

New UNILOG B8 control system

EcoPower 110/350 in medical technology design

MacroPower E Hybrid

In 1976, the development and production of the Wittmann flow controller marked the beginning of today's Wittmann Group. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Wittmann invited its customers and business partners to a birthday party in Vienna on June 8 and 9. An impressive 1,650 visitors accepted the invitation.

The history of the Wittmann Group has been characterized by steady growth, both in terms of the company's product range and its geographic presence. In 1976, Dr. Werner Wittmann founded the current Wittmann Kunststoffgeräte GmbH based in Vienna to produce the flow controller developed by Werner Wittmann. Three years later, the product range was expanded to include Wittmann temperature control units. In 1983, robot production was added, followed by the manufacture of dryers, material handling systems, mills, and dosing units. A milestone in the history of the Wittmann Group was the acquisition of Battenfeld Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH in Kottingbrunn, Lower Austria, in 2008. With this step, the company's existing product program, consisting of robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics industry, was expanded to include injection molding machines.

For the anniversary, the Wittmann Group announced a turnover of nearly 360 million euros for 2015, representing an increase of 19.5% compared to the previous year. The target for 2017 is reportedly to reach the 400 million euro mark.

At the 40-year celebration, the Wittmann Group presented its products to guests after a keynote speech by Dr. Rüdiger Baunemann, Managing Director of PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V., on the topic "Key Driver for Sustainability," and a show act at the Messe Wien on June 8 and 9, including some new products.

New Control Generation Unilog B8

A highlight was the introduction of the new control generation for Wittmann Battenfeld injection molding machines. The new Unilog B8 differs from the previous generation not only in its new design, 21.5" screen, but especially in its simplified, intuitive operation via multi-touch screen. In addition to the soft-touch function, Wittmann Battenfeld has retained hardware buttons on its control to enable easy access to frequently used functions. The new control was used on a machine from the fully electric EcoPower series, an EcoPower 110/350, on which a tank cap made of PA was produced with a double-cavity tool from Reutter, Austria. The parts were removed and deposited using a Wittmann robot W818. Additionally, two other exhibits, a SmartPower 120/350 Medical and a MacroPower 1100/8800, which were demonstrated during the factory visit in Kottingbrunn, were equipped with the new B8 control.

EcoPower for Medical Technology Applications and Multi-Component Technology

With another EcoPower 110/350, Wittmann Battenfeld demonstrated its expertise in the field of medical technology. On this complete production cell in cleanroom design, equipped with a laminar flow box from Max Petek, Germany, the central pump part of the Respimat inhaler from Boehringer Ingelheim microParts GmbH, Germany, was produced from PEEK. The parts and the sub-assemblies of the hot channel were extracted from the 8-cavity tool with a handling system also designed for cleanroom use, using a Wittmann W837 side-entry robot. The assemblies were ejected, and the parts were separated and deposited after cavities.

The third EcoPower presented at the Messehalle Wien was an EcoPower in multi-component design with an insider cell. On an EcoPower 180/350H/350V, a flange made of HDPE and PA was produced on a 1+1 cavity tool from Polar-Form Werkzeugbau GmbH, Germany. The insider cell integrated the Wittmann robot W821 for part removal and placement, as well as Wittmann temperature control and conveyor belt into the machine.

MicroPower Now Also in Multi-Component Design

Another highlight of the event was the MicroPower 15/10H/10H, the first machine from Wittmann Battenfeld's MicroPower series designed for the injection molding of small and micro parts, now available in multi-component configuration. Equipped with two parallel injection units and a rotary table, the machine produced a two-component micro part from POM using a single-cavity tool from Ortofon, Denmark. The machine was also fitted with an integrated camera system and a Wittmann W8VS4 SCARA robot for fully automatic part removal.

The second MicroPower shown at the event also featured a new development. This machine, a MicroPower 15/10, produced an electronic connector from PBT with an eight-cavity tool from Küng, Switzerland, and was equipped with the first hot runner realized in a MicroPower.

MacroPower E Hybrid with IML Application

Additionally, a hybrid machine, a MacroPower E 500/2100, was displayed in the Vienna exhibition hall. The MacroPower E Hybrid consists of a modern servo-hydraulic two-plate clamping unit combined with a fully electric high-performance injection unit. Using this machine, the IML process was demonstrated by manufacturing a 10-liter PP bucket with a single-cavity tool. A high-performance IML system with a top-entry robot W842 pro from Wittmann was used for inserting and removing labels and stacking the buckets.

SmartPower for the First Time with "Cellmould" Technology

With a machine from its new servo-hydraulic SmartPower series, a SmartPower 240/1330, Wittmann Battenfeld continued showcasing its product innovations at the 40th anniversary of the Wittmann Group. For the first time, a SmartPower machine demonstrated the application of the "Cellmould" structural foam process and the "BFMOLD" tool technology by producing a high-gloss automotive cover. The parts were removed by a Wittmann robot from the new pro series, a W833 pro, and deposited on a conveyor belt.

Wittmann 4.0 – Demonstrated on a SmartPower 25

At all exhibits shown during the 40th anniversary of the Wittmann Group, the networking of machine and peripherals was also implemented. A complete installation was carried out on a SmartPower 25/130, the smallest machine in the servo-hydraulic series. This machine also integrated the new Wittmann flow controller Flowcon plus. Using a four-cavity tool from Zimmermann-Technik (HK) Ltd., Hong Kong, with production in Shenzhen, China, a PA filter ball was produced. The Flowcon enables both closed-loop regulation of flow and temperature of the tool heating, contributing significantly to quality improvement and production stability.

Other Interesting Applications

In addition to the smallest machine in the SmartPower series, the largest machine of this series was also operational during the 40th anniversary. On a SmartPower 350/2250, a "Organoblech" component was produced using a single-cavity tool from Georg Kaufmann, CH. The tool featured a hot runner with needle valve, a core puller for forming the organ sheet in the mold, and a stamping punch for punching a through-hole in the organ sheet. The automation system, implemented by Wittmann Robot Systeme in Nuremberg, was specifically tailored to the application and included a station for preparing the cut organ sheets, a heating station with heating elements from Krelus, CH, a multi-function gripper with needle gripper for handling the heated organ sheet, and a vacuum gripper for removing the finished parts.

And last but not least, the Combimould process was demonstrated by manufacturing a drinking cap from thermoplastic and silicone using an 8-cavity tool from ACH Werkzeugbau with a hydraulic HM 240/350H/350L, employing transfer technology. The parts were removed and deposited by a Wittmann robot W832 pro.

The factory tour offered in Kottingbrunn will showcase additional interesting machines and applications to the participants. Visitors in Vienna also had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the machines and processes through a series of technical lectures.