The flying injection molding machine

The flying injection molding
machine – how REHAU is developing with startups

Reading time: 8 Minutes

It's fair to say that a visit to a trade fair is a bit like social media. You look and look. Check things off. You're briefly enthusiastic – but still only briefly. And then there are those moments when you know right away: It's a match.

That's how Stephan Sell felt in 2019 at the K trade fair in Düsseldorf. It was there that the REHAU chemist discovered a particular technology by a start-up from Dresden. And he knew that this technology was perfect for REHAU.

Stephan Sell (center) and his team like to tinker, and do so successfully. What new technologies are driving REHAU forward? ANYBRID is the brainchild of four engineers whose roots lie at the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at the Technical University Dresden: Michael Krahl, Jan Luft, Michael Stegelmann and Tony Weber. What the four of them have developed is tantamount to a minor revolution: They have succeeded in transforming the otherwise fixed location injection molding machine into a mobile machine that can move around freely. This allows functional components such as seals, metallic inserts, connecting elements or ribbing to be added to existing molded parts, profiles, semi-finished products and composites at a later stage for greater stability. This combines the advantages of polymer processing with the flexibility of robotics.

Numerous options

There are numerous applications at REHAU where this flexible technology can be an advantage. Three are currently being developed with the Industrial Solutions and Window Solutions divisions. It was clear to Stephan's team that ANYBRID offered potential for REHAU after just the first in-person meeting. Clever minds have now come together at REHAU to further develop the technology: The composite development team working with Ahmad Al-Sheyyab, Nils Gerber and Stephan Sell, the team from the REHAU Technical Center headed by Michael Ott and Detlef Thiede, and the experts from New Business Development headed by Santiago Pardos. They all have a keen instinct for innovation in their work – the composite development team, for example, is part of the RIT - Research, Innovation and Technologies department. Part of the job description is therefore to recognize innovative technologies and be able to transfer their benefits to REHAU. "With our in-house expertise, we can turn ideas into reality quickly. Obviously, we always work in an interdisciplinary way. There are no departmental boundaries for us," says Stephan.

Successful trials

Having a good idea is one thing, but it's not enough. Ultimately, a plan has to work in reality. That's why, in March 2021, the development team with Stephan and his team launched – and have since completed – an extensive study with ANYBRID on extrusion profiles, composite profiles and composite moldings. They've scored their first success. At the REHAU Technical Center, where new processes and techniques for the plant are tested, the researchers have integrated the technology directly into a production plant for the first time. That is, technical profiles were applied directly inline. ANYBRID's flexible machine moves toward the component, docks and moves along in the direction of the extrusion while injecting the additional element. To achieve this, the ANYBRID development teams worked closely with the experienced REHAU employees in the Technical Center. Putting this all into practice poses challenges. The parameters from the extrusion have to be brought together with those from injection molding. It is important to match the speed of the production line with that of the part to be injected. This is not easy, as the cooling time of the overmolded element has to be included, for example.

Huge potential

The effort, however, is worth it, because the technology offers several advantages at once. It enables so-called mono material systems, i.e., products that consist of one and the same polymer, for example. Steps such as gluing are no longer necessary. This makes the products faster to produce and easier to recycle. The joints produced by Robin – the name of the ANYBRID injection molding robot – proved stable in the trials, not just in mono-material systems, but also in various combinations with metallic inserts or seals, for example. But the advantages go even further: Robin reduces costs. The use of the small injection molding robot, which weighs only 140 kilograms, makes it possible to dispense with large, expensive tools. The logistical workload is also reduced, as profiles no longer have to be moved to injection molding machines. "We have shown that costs can be reduced, productivity increased and flexibility enhanced on our extrusion lines," Stephan says, referring to the results of the team's work. So it's crystal clear: REHAU and ANYBRID will be expanding their collaboration in the coming months. "We want to find other areas of application, even beyond extrusion," says Stephan. ANYBRID benefits from having a strong partner REHAU at its side. "We are proud of the results of the extensive trials at the REHAU Technical Center. The results make us want to do more," says Michael Stegelmann from ANYBRID. The wide range of products that REHAU manufactures opens up huge potential. Use with other materials could be possible – wood, metal, composites. Furniture, building products, industrial semi-finished products – the engineers at REHAU have no shortage of ideas to develop ANYBRID technology even further. "Adhesion remains our biggest challenge in all applications, to create good form fit," says Stephan.

Let's go!

So they continue to tinker. And keep their eyes open. The RIT team hopes to be able to go to some trade fairs in person again this year. Maybe they'll return with the next minor revolution, about which they know: It's a Match!

You want to learn more about innovations at REHAU?

You'll find insights into new technologies, further development of know-how and interviews with employees worldwide here.

You want to learn more about innovations at REHAU?

You'll find insights into new technologies, further development of know-how and interviews with employees worldwide here.