Arlington Thermal Management (UK division), part of the Arlington Automotive group, is a Tier 1 strategic supplier to major automotive OEMs including Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Daimler and Renault Nissan.

Whether it’s for automotive or non-automotive applications, the company offers a full system service for cooling flow controls and powertrain thermo-management.

The Negri Bossi team were tasked to work with the Arlington team to create two identical machine and robot cells to manage the continual output from a new suite of extremely complex multi-cavity moulds.  The tools would be producing high glass content, nylon thermostat bodies and covers, some body moulds requiring there to be eight independent hydraulic core pull circuits on each of the two 500 tonne machines.

All the moulds in the suite had to be interchangeable between the two cells, quick-change robot heads with binary-coded gripper connections were specified to prevent any error in gripper selection.

Automatically ensuring only good parts reached the post moulding assembly shop was a fundamental requirement for the company, as this would eliminate wasted resources further down the production line.  Communication between the IMM and the automation system was therefore key, allowing each cell to fully utilise the sophisticated standard quality monitoring system within the latest CANBIO ST machine’s Tactus control.

 Operations Manager, Paul Adams commented:

“Our history with Negri Bossi machines had proven to us we could rely on very precise shot to shot repeatability in the long term. We have machines dating back to 1995 that still surpass our demands for an accurate and stable moulding process. It was imperative that the new lines had this inherent repeatability, but could also warn us of any undesirable trends in the process, for example, material and mould heating/cooling instability.”

“We wanted to continue to work with a company that could supply a complete solution from their own product range, rather than having to piece together a system that wasn’t designed to work in harmony.  As Negri Bossi have their own specialised automation company, namely Sytrama, as well as a UK based project manager, they are well suited to this task.”

Improved labour utilisation was another joint target. Operator intervention to the cells for parts distribution to the assembly lines were to be no more frequent than once every 2 hours. This was achieved with a custom-built conveyor system designed to accommodate the company standard, in house parts containers. Active box position monitoring and operator attraction by audible and visual indicators were incorporated in the line.

To allow quality control patrol inspectors to take samples from the enclosed system, quality staff can simply press a request button, and the robot will divert components to a quality station. These components are then excluded from the sample count within the normal production control.  The same applies to any parts produced outside the CANBIO’s quality monitoring system, the robot depositing ‘suspect’ components on a quarantine table.

The system is also programmed to automatically quarantine a selectable number of cycles at start-up and after any system interruption.  This allows process stability to be achieved before components enter the system.  As before, the correct box counts are still maintained.

Paul Adams commented:

“The two production cells are now fully operational and have achieved the stringent targets set during our initial consultations with Negri Bossi.  The net result is a much higher level of production autonomy, with a significant reduction of non-conforming product entering our ‘downstream’ manufacturing systems.

Specialising in custom, multiple-use plastic injection mouldings and rapid tooling for the automotive, healthcare and FMCG industries, Omega Plastics Group has always enjoyed continued growth since its acquisition in 2005 by Chris Thompson and Dave Crone. The purchase in 2015 of high volume, plastic injection moulding specialist, Signal Plastics, further contributed to the growth of the group.

In December 2016, the Group relocated Signal Plastics to a larger 42,700 sq ft factory unit in Bentall Business Park, Washington and invested over £1 million in new injection moulding equipment.

Additional contracts with new and existing customers, including a recent £3 million contract with an OEM specialising in domestic and commercial heating, has led the company to make a strategic decision to merge its two Omega Plastics sites in Blyth and Hartlepool into one, significantly larger 45,000 sq ft facility.

Omega has always invested in the best equipment available for a particular application, whether CNC milling or injection moulding.  We asked the company Chairman, Dave Crone, why this is the case?

“We are of course, fully aware that there is a myriad of equipment suppliers to choose from, especially now that import tariffs imposed in the States have shifted the focus of Chinese manufacturers to Europe.  Our expansion has required significant expenditure on new toolmaking, injection moulding and ancillary equipment, so we could have easily justified a move to cheaper OEM’s.”

“In some cases, we have had comments from staff members about a particular job being simple to run, so not needing all the ‘bells and whistles’.  They do, of course, have a point, but in my experience, the more costly brands are often less expensive in the long run.  Even when the time comes to replace the equipment, residual values are many times higher, making a significant contribution to our deposit.”

“Despite having the extra space at our new Team Valley site, we need to make sure we get the most out of every square foot of our production facility.  In the case of our mould shop, manufacturers such as Negri Bossi offer superior tie bar spacings and mould height when compared to ‘cost-driven’ machines of similar tonnage.  You would often need to buy a ‘size up’ in order to get a similar specification, increasing the machine’s footprint, as well as narrowing the price differential”

“We also see that a continual R&D programme is a priority with European and Japanese brands, as they need to keep a ‘step ahead’ of less expensive competitors.  In my experience their equipment has superior levels of control and accuracy, and generally, produce more product for less energy”.

“Continuity of supply is a major concern for our customers, so it follows that our equipment must have minimal downtime.  Even the most expensive and well-engineered equipment can suffer a breakdown, so knowing that we are dealing with a genuine UK based subsidiary, rather than an agency is essential.  We also know that all spare components for all machine models can’t practically or economically be held in the UK, so a rapid transit time from the OEM’s primary site is also a factor we consider”

“Finally, we have to think about how we present ourselves to our current and potential customers.  We openly claim that Omega Plastics Group is one of the countries most advanced and technically competent toolmakers and plastic injection moulding companies.  When a customer visits either of our sites, they can see that we have both the people and infrastructure to back this up.”

Originally named Plated Plastic Developments, Birmingham based Quality Plated Plastics, was founded in 1965. Following the installation of a state-of-the-art specialist plastic plating plant in 2008, the company rapidly expanded, allowing it to penetrate the automotive market. Further plant upgrades in 2012 enabled the company to treble the output of satin finishes, meeting the growing demand of major automotive OEM’s.

At the end of 2014, a new ‘mould for plating’ facility was created, allowing some key premium brand automotive companies to shorten their supply chain.  Several Negri Bossi injection moulding machines were installed, all customised for the production of PC/ABS. The specification included polymer specific plasticising screw profiles and smaller than typical shot weights when compared to ‘trade moulding’ machines. This provided:

• Superior polymer processing and product finish
• Minimal chance of contamination
• Reduced residence time
• Greater shot-to-shot repeatability

The mould shop quickly grew, by mid-2018 having five machines from 55T to 500T locking force.  Sytrama robotic cells were also installed, allowing the company to minimise the handling of components.

The investment included laboratory facilities for the testing of plating chemicals, applied plating thicknesses and thermal cycling and humidity testing to PV1200. The net result was the creation of class-leading product quality.

In January of this year, an additional 130T Negri Bossi CANBIO machine and 500T MULTIMAT machine were delivered.  This followed the construction of a new 14,000 square foot warehouse that subsequently allowed the mould shop to be expanded into a newly vacated area.  A new chilled water system and a dedicated in-house tool maintenance department was implemented in the major upgrade.

The new MULTIMAT machine, as well as adding additional large tonnage capacity, is specified to handle a variety of future twin-shot projects.  The machine has an additional vertical injection unit that will allow the production of components with two distinct material types, removing the need for assembly. By combining plating grade ABS with non-plating polymers such as nylon and TPE, part finished components can be produced without the need for product masking.

The machine has an integrated servo-powered rotary table with multiple water circuits. It is also specified with oil circuits for core pulling functions and part ejection.  In addition, a frame-mounted Sytrama robot can service ‘tool transfer’ type moulding and de-mould finished components.

When asked about the recent mould shop expansion, QPP Managing Director John Timmins commented,

“As around seventy percent of our ‘Mould for Plating’ work is automotive, we need to cater for the steadily increasing trim specification of premium brand models. As well as offering faultless gloss and satin chrome finishes, we have now prepared for an increased demand for partly finished dual material components.  OEM recycling targets mean that these components are best manufactured within a single moulding operation and plating process, i.e. without the need for an assembly stage”