Array Plastics is a service company capable of meeting all the needs of the most demanding customers.
Development (R+D+i)
The Array Plastics development service is not simply confined to product design, but covers project start-up, manufacturing process engineering, development of the mould, quality control, packaging and transportation. A project structure based on automotive APQP guarantees comprehensive oversight of the project at all times.
Quality assurance
The quality goal of “0 defects” can only be addressed by means of verification. Array Plastics uses all working tools required at every stage of the process. From the committed and comprehensive use of product and process FMEA, complete PPAP at the approval phase, up to organisational and quality assurance in production focused on LEAN production, and comprehensive quality incident analysis using 8Ds, Ishikawa, etc.
We use the full range of technology for quality assurance:
- More than 20 vision control cameras
- Three-dimensional measurement machine
- Profile projector
- Ulbricht integrating sphere
- Photometric tunnel
- Colour meter
- Brightness meter
- Burst test
- Climate chambers
- ….
Handling of raw materials
Given our lengthy experience and broad spectrum of customers, we work with a great many different materials. From polypropylene to PC-HT, the handling of raw materials is a vital factor to produce quality parts.
To ensure the quality of the material to be injected we use:
- centralised dehumidification station (for the pellets and for the masterbatch)
- shopfloor hygrometer to measure the humidity of the pellets
- MFI: machine to measure the stability of the plastic material.
- Gravimetric dosing units
Machinery
The key characteristics of our production capacity are:
- Range of 29 injection-moulding machines from 50 t to 660 t, from the leading manufacturers and constantly replaced.
- Vertical injection for overmoulding of metal inserts.
- All our injection machines are equipped with SEPRO robots and ABB anthropomorphic robots.
Production engineering
The Production Engineering department is of vital importance at a company like Array Plastics.
From the project phase onwards, the Production Engineering team is involved both in the mould concept and the production process, designing and managing all the resources needed to guarantee production.
Know-how and lifelong training in technologies and processes at a department focused on LEAN production are vital when working with advanced technology:
- SEPRO linear robots
- ABB anthropomorphic robots
- Internal manufacturing of complex robot hands, integrating functions to pick up parts, cut castings, insert components in the mould, perform vision control and external verification
- Programming of vision cameras
- Construction of verification and control tools
- Construction of highly complex production assembly tools
- Development of tools for vibration and ultrasonic welding
….
Comprehensive mould service
The moulds department is much more than the “moulds workshop” of the past. All the mould production know-how built up over the years is deployed to create new moulds from the project phase onwards. The moulds department is involved from the product FMEA phase up to definition and execution of the preventive maintenance plan for each mould.
The department is equipped with the machinery required for mould maintenance: from erosion, lathing and milling to ultrasonic baths.
Production 4.0
The future of production lies in the application of techniques now known as “production 4.0”. Array Plastics aims to be a pioneering company in this approach.
For us, the first step lay in the interconnection of all our machines to the central ERP system in real time. A PC connected to each machine not only provides information on machine status and production control, but also helps to improve quality, documentation, traceability, etc.