LaserControl at Playmobil.
As the business approaches its 40th anniversary, some 2.6 billion Playmobil figures presently inhabit the planet. Numerous brand-new figures are released annually, positioning high demands on the in-house mould store. To attain maximum effectiveness in unmanned, automated operation, Playmobil’s various machining centres have actually been using LaserControl determining systems of Blum-Novotest currently for 15 years.
” For Playmobil figures, hundredths of a millimetre count,” states Attila Britting, head of Playmobil’s internal mould store in Zirndorf near Nuremberg. “The aim in developing the injection moulds is to generate completed plastic things that call for basically no rework– which is essential because a day-to-day production of approximately 10 million specific components and over 100 million numbers a year. As a result, the mould splitting up should additionally be a high-precision procedure, to make sure that there are not any burrs on the specific parts or the finished figure.”
And not the very least, the moulds are defined for incredibly high quantities, production runs of 200,000 to 300,000 pieces from one mould are no rarity. The called for performance can just be attained by partially automated production alongside the normal two-shift procedure. So a variety of equipments functions overnight on prepared tasks. To perform these jobs, numerous of the machining centres are geared up with pallet changers and tool publications with the capacity to hold as numerous as 120 devices. The devices also maintain running unmanned over the weekend break. The Blum-Novotest systems are installed in the machining area of the automated DMG five-axis machining centres.
BLUM laser gauging system in the Playmobil mould-making store
BLUM laser gauging systems assist geobra Brandstätter to create injection-moulding tools efficiently as well as in top quality
After every tool modification, the laser instantly measures the size and also distance of the tool before machining, as well as after machining checks for damage and wear. Thus, our skilled workers no longer have to pre-set the device in the pre-setting tool. A new device is simply shrink-fitted into the holder and also gauged at machining rate after fitting. This makes certain that the device data in the device is right, numerical errors or information analysis blunders can no more take place. Further features consist of high-speed automated compensation for the thermal development of the whole maker as well as for pin variation. Wrong tool information can have pricey repercussions such as faulty tools, turns down, or device deduction. A pin damaged by a crash will certainly set you back a minimum of 18,000 Euros to change.
Without a tracking system to detect used or busted tools, automated production is hardly possible. The LaserControl system’s damage display makes sure that damaged device detection runs right away after every machining step. Depending on the programming, the machining centre can then either exchange the tool for a twin or inform the on-call solution staff, who can log in to the maker over the Internet as well as monitor the workshop via a cam. At Playmobil, as lots of as four of the key tools are kept in the device changer, which indicates that the automated overnight tasks run very accurately.
We mainly use steel with a high chromium content because it shows the least wear throughout the big quantity production large. It does create considerable tool wear during cutting, nevertheless. That is why it is really vital to watch on the running times of the specific devices. The BLUM laser measuring systems do this effectively.
Blum-Novotest makes it possible for the several injection mould to be generated in ultimate top quality.
In the manufacture of extremely complicated injection-moulded devices, hundredths of a millimetre count: All single parts are specifically matched to each various other.
High-precision measurement in an unclean environment poses a major difficulty, and also air conditioning is important to the production process. To shield the optical system from being soiled, the determining system is mechanically sealed off from the coolant by a pneumatically run shutter piston during machining. The rotating tool is likewise cleaned with pressed air before measuring in order to make certain that the dimension is not hindered by swarf, dust or cooling down lubricants. During measurement, a stream of obstacle air gives protection against soiling.
The LaserControl systems have genuinely been their money’s worth at Playmobil. The systems are virtually maintenance free; and also, after more than ten years in continuous procedure, the seals resemble brand-new. Most of all, however, the specialists have never been pulled down by the laser systems and also have experienced nothing but advantages in terms of service, too. “We have had only great experience with BLUM lasers– and also we conserve working time due to the fact that there is no demand for pre-setting”, Marco Mendl, group leader CAD/CAM/NC, sums up. “The precision of the LaserControl systems is astounding, also. Based on our experience, its repeatability is within less than 2 thousandths of a millimetre. And for us, one point is for sure: Without the BLUM laser systems, this level of automation would certainly not be possible.”
Based in Zirndorf near Nuremberg in the Franconia region of southerly Germany, geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG is the supplier of Playmobil, and also because of this Germany’s biggest toy supplier. The Brandstätter Team operates manufacturing centers in Germany, Malta, Spain and also the Czech Republic. It employs greater than 3,700 individuals worldwide, as well as in 2012 produced overall sales of 591 million Euro. At the heart of the multi-award-winning toy principle are the 7.5 centimetre high Playmobil figures, which are marketed in over 30 historic and also contemporary themed collection to greater than 80 countries all over the globe. Approaching their 40th wedding anniversary, there are presently some 2.6 billion Playmobil numbers occupying the planet. Together with costs plaything high quality ‘Made in Europe’, considering that the year 2000 the ingenious service has actually additionally been making LECHUZA state-of-the-art plastic planters.