1. Production Workshop
The layout of the production workshop should focus on two aspects: optimizing the layout based on the production flow to meet production demands, and ensuring flexibility in energy usage under specific production conditions.
- Power Supply: Ensure adequate power supply with a reasonable margin. Avoid excessive power reserve, which could lead to unnecessary energy waste.
- Efficient Cooling Systems: Build an efficient cooling water circulation system and equip it with proper insulation to reduce energy losses.
- Optimize Workshop Layout: In many production processes, certain procedures must follow a specific order. A reasonable layout can minimize turnover time and energy consumption, improving production efficiency.
- Lighting Control: Consider controlling lighting and other factory equipment in smaller units to minimize energy waste.
- Regular Equipment Maintenance: Regular maintenance ensures that public facilities are working properly and do not affect production, which can reduce energy consumption.
2. Injection Molding Machines
Injection molding machines are significant energy consumers, with energy usage mainly coming from the motor and heating processes.
- Choose the Right Injection Molding Machine: Avoid using machines that are too large for the product, which could lead to significant energy waste.
- Use Electric or Hybrid Injection Molding Machines: These machines offer excellent energy-saving performance and can save between 20%-80% of energy.
- Adopt New Heating Technologies: Use electromagnetic induction heating or infrared heating to save 20%-70% of heating energy.
- Effective Insulation for Heating and Cooling Systems: Proper insulation reduces heat and cold loss, making the system more energy-efficient.
- Lubricate Equipment: Ensure that moving parts are well-lubricated to reduce friction and avoid energy losses caused by unstable machine operation.
- Use Low-Pressure Hydraulic Oil: Reducing hydraulic oil viscosity helps lower energy waste in the hydraulic system.
- Use Multi-Cavity and Multi-Component Injection Technologies: These techniques significantly reduce energy consumption.
- Energy-Saving Drive Systems: Many traditional hydraulic injection molding machines now use energy-efficient drive systems, replacing the conventional fixed-volume pumps with variable ones for significant savings.
- Regular Maintenance of Heating and Cooling Pipelines: Ensuring the pipes are free from blockages, such as debris or scale, optimizes the system’s heating and cooling efficiency.
- Maintain Optimal Machine Condition: Keep the machine in good working order to avoid product defects and increased energy consumption.
- Ensure Equipment Compatibility: For materials like PVC, specialized screw designs are necessary for optimal performance.
3. Injection Molds
The design and condition of the mold significantly impact the molding cycle time and energy consumption.
- Optimize Mold Design: Good mold design, including the flow path, gate type, number of cavities, and cooling channels, helps reduce energy consumption.
- Use Hot Runner Molds: Hot runner molds reduce material waste and provide significant energy savings during the molding process.
- Use Quick Cooling and Heating Molds: These molds help conserve energy and improve surface quality.
- Ensure Balanced Cavity Filling: This shortens the molding cycle and improves product quality, leading to better energy efficiency.
- Use CAE Simulation: CAE software helps optimize mold design, flow analysis, and simulations, reducing energy waste during mold adjustments and reworking.
- Lower Locking Force: Using lower locking force for molding, while maintaining product quality, helps extend mold life and contributes to energy savings.
- Regular Mold Maintenance: Ensure efficient heating and cooling channels are maintained for optimal performance.
4. Auxiliary Equipment
- Choose Appropriately Sized Auxiliary Equipment: Select auxiliary equipment that meets the necessary requirements without excessive capacity, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption.
- Regular Equipment Maintenance: Ensure that auxiliary equipment is functioning well. Malfunctioning equipment can cause production instability and increase energy usage.
- Optimize Coordination Between Main Equipment and Auxiliary Equipment: Ensure the sequence of operations between main machines and auxiliary equipment is well-coordinated.
- Positioning of Auxiliary Equipment: Place auxiliary equipment near the main machine to reduce energy losses and improve efficiency, without affecting operational conditions.
- On-Demand Energy Supply: Some auxiliary equipment manufacturers offer energy-efficient, on-demand power supply systems to help save energy.
- Quick Mold Change Equipment: Using quick mold change systems reduces downtime and improves overall productivity, leading to energy savings.
5. Materials
Different materials require varying amounts of energy for processing, and poor material management or improper recycling can lead to increased energy consumption.
- Choose Energy-Efficient Materials: Select materials that require less energy to process while still meeting performance requirements.
- Choose High-Flow Materials: Opt for high-flow materials when possible, as they help reduce energy consumption during molding.
- Consider Supplier-Specific Conditions: Be aware that different suppliers’ materials may require different processing conditions.
- Material Drying: Dry materials immediately before use to avoid wasting energy when re-drying materials that have absorbed moisture.
- Proper Material Storage: Store materials properly to prevent contamination or deterioration that could affect product quality and increase energy use.
- Recycled Materials: Use recycled materials carefully, ensuring they are clean and well-preserved to prevent defects and additional energy consumption.
6. Processing Technology
- Optimize Molding Cycles: Use the shortest molding cycle that still meets product quality requirements to reduce energy consumption.
- Follow Recommended Processing Techniques: Unless there are special considerations, follow the supplier’s recommended processing techniques for energy efficiency.
- Save Equipment and Process Parameters: Save stable equipment settings and process parameters to minimize setup time for future production runs.
- Optimize Processing Parameters: Use lower locking forces, shorter cooling times, and optimized pressure-holding times to save energy.
7. New Technologies
- Auxiliary Molding Techniques: Use gas-assisted, liquid-assisted, steam-assisted, or microfoaming injection technologies to save energy during production.
- Modular Molding: Use modular molding setups to reduce intermediate steps and improve process efficiency.
- In-Mold Welding and Assembly: Utilize in-mold welding, spraying, assembly, or decorating technologies to eliminate additional steps and save energy.
- Low-Pressure Molding: Use low-pressure molding technologies to shorten cycle times and lower melt temperature.
- Energy Regeneration Systems: Use energy recovery systems to capture and reuse energy, improving overall efficiency.
8. Production Management
- Produce High-Quality Products: Aiming for high-quality products from the start helps reduce the defect rate, saving both material and energy costs.
- Systematic Equipment Maintenance: Proper maintenance of all equipment, including peripheral devices and systems, is essential for energy management. For example, faulty mold-change cranes could increase machine idle time, raising energy consumption.
- Energy Monitoring System: Implement an energy consumption monitoring system in the workshop to track and analyze energy usage for targeted improvements.
- Comprehensive Equipment Inspection: During maintenance, check the condition of equipment and its connections to ensure optimal energy performance.
- Benchmarking Against Industry Standards: Regularly compare performance against industry benchmarks to identify areas for improvement.
- Reliable Supplier Relationships: Establish strong, reliable contracts and partnerships with suppliers to ensure that energy-efficient products and services are continuously provided.