Abstract
Motion control capabilities within rotational moulding machines have remained relatively unchanged for the past 60 years. However, driven by Industry 4.0, this is showing signs of change and the potential of rotational moulding machines which can provide more agile movements and rotations is beginning to be realized.
This paper therefore proposes a novel desktop sized rotational moulding machine that can provide the user with more flexibility and control over mould rotation by incorporating a smart control system. This lifts the current restriction with conventional machines were the rotational speeds of the two motors remain constant throughout a cycle. The benefit of having improved control over the mould rotation is that recent research has shown that by varying the rotational speeds throughout the cycle can improve product quality and process efficiency.
This paper therefore proposes a novel desktop sized rotational moulding machine that can provide the user with more flexibility and control over mould rotation by incorporating a smart control system. This lifts the current restriction with conventional machines were the rotational speeds of the two motors remain constant throughout a cycle. The benefit of having improved control over the mould rotation is that recent research has shown that by varying the rotational speeds throughout the cycle can improve product quality and process efficiency.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Advances in Manufacturing Technology XXXIII |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Manufacturing Research, incorportating the 34th National Conference on Manufacturing Research, 10 - 12 September 2019, Queen's University Belfast UK |
| Editors | Yan Jin, Mark Price |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
| Publisher | IOS Press |
| Pages | 28-33 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Volume | 9 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | ISSN 2352-7528 |
| ISBN (Print) | ISSN 2352-751X |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Sep 2019 |
Keywords
- Rotational Moulding
- Motion Control
- Smart machine