Automation in practice – student project at Mälardalen University

Detail image from the animated visualization that shows how trapezoidal screws, claw couplings and slide rails interact in the automated clamping solution.

At MITC – Mälardalen Industrial Technology Center – an innovative development project in automation is currently underway. MITC is a collaborative initiative between industry, academia and the public sector, and serves as a meeting place where applied research and practical solutions are tested together with companies in the region.

At the center is a project work run by three students from Mälardalen University: Johan Åkerblom, Hampus Tenö and Ludwig Haglund. All three are studying advanced product development and have developed a solution to automate one of the more time-consuming steps in the injection molding process.

– We wanted to create a solution that both improves efficiency and increases flexibility. Having to screw each mold tool by hand is not optimal in a modern production environment, says Johan Åkerblom.

Click on the image to enlarge.

The goal of the project is to develop an autonomous clamping module that can work together with XPlanar – a floating transport system from Beckhoff that was recently installed at MITC. The system makes it possible to transport molds with high precision, and by combining this with an automated clamping solution, the team hopes to create a completely unmanned solution.

– With our solution, the machine itself should be able to receive a mold, clamp it, run the process and then release and change the mold – without any operator needing to intervene, explains Johan.

With our solution, the machine itself should be able to receive a mold, clamp it, run the process and then release and change the mold – without any operator needing to intervene

The technical solution is based on two synchronized clamping units, one on each side of the mold. Each unit consists of a motor that drives a trapezoidal screw via a jaw coupling. Pressure plates that are connected to trapezoidal nuts press the mold halves together with even and stable pressure. The vertical loads that arise are handled by slide rails and carriages that provide stability to the entire unit during the injection molding cycle.

Mekanex has contributed with both components and technical advice during the course of the project – including the selection of trapezoidal screws, couplings and control systems.

– The support from Mekanex has been crucial, especially when it comes to dimensioning and adapting the solution to the forces and tolerances required in reality, says Johan.

Going from idea to working prototype has been both challenging and educational for the entire group. The biggest technical challenge was to get all the components to work together precisely – while at the same time the solution should be compact enough to fit into the existing machine setup.

– It has been a fantastic way to put together all the knowledge from our education with practical engineering work. We have learned an incredible amount about both mechanics, automation and collaboration, says Johan.

The project has also given a taste for the future.

– I have become even more convinced that I want to work with automation and product development. There is something special about seeing a solution take shape in reality and actually work, he says.

For Mekanex, this is a clear example of how components such as trapezoidal screws, couplings and slide rails are used in clever machine solutions.

– To be able to support a student project with the potential to improve real industrial production, really makes the day-to-day work more meaningful, says Ismail Mahhou, who has been the group’s contact at Mekanex.