Page 75 - Plastics News August 2024
P. 75
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
AI enhanced in-mold monitoring improves part
quality for products with
A cess when using compounds with recycled con-
new industry consortium called Avidens
focuses on real-time detection of anom-
tent. The fluctuations in material quality appear
alies during the molding process, allow-
ing in-line adjustments. batch to batch, bag to bag, or sometimes cycle
to cycle.
Recent and upcoming European legislation and Recyclers and machine producers are already
directives as for WEEE and automotive compo- developing different processes to ensure the
nents are guiding the polymer industry towards material quality to the best degree and to adjust
circular economy and a higher degree of usage the machine parameters a good as possible to
of recycled polymers. the changing material sheets.
While recyclers are improving with technologies However, these technologies cannot see or in-
to separate plastic waste and to develop new terfere, once the material leaves the nozzle and
compounds out of PIR (post-industrial recycling) enters the mold. Current technologies like pres-
and PCR (post consumer recycling) materials, sure sensors cannot look through the material
the processing industry has different challenges. or the product and are handicapped to a certain
degree.
One of the key concerns today is maintaining
consistent part quality during the injection pro- Exactly this in-line detection of anomalies inside
August 2024 PLASTICS NEWS 77
