FANUC ROBOSHOT Machines Keep Things Simple for SIMON
High-volume plastics parts; thin walls; zero defects; short automotive lead times; demanding energy efficiency requirements. A growing number of manufacturers are combatting these common challenges by investing in ROBOSHOT high-performance, all-electric injection moulding machines from FANUC. Among their number is SIMON Plastics.
SIMON, a Hungary-based supplier of high-volume plastics parts, mostly for the automotive industry, aims to produce its components efficiently, sustainably, on-time and with zero defects. The company knew it could only achieve these demanding objectives by partnering with a leading supplier of injection moulding machines.
Solution
Able to deliver the company’s first ROBOSHOT injection moulding machine in just two weeks, FANUC gained a key advantage over competitor vendors. Today, SIMON Plastics has 11 ROBOSHOT models on site spanning 𝛼-S100𝑖A and 𝛼-S150𝑖A models.
Result
SIMON uses its all-electric ROBOSHOT injection moulding machines to manufacture a wide range of plastic parts, often featuring thin walls. Fast production arrives courtesy of FANUC servo motors that reach the ideal injection moulding speed very quickly.
Company
Simon
Formed in 1985 as a single-person private enterprise, SIMON Plastics has evolved into a 400-employee business operating from three manufacturing sites in Hungary. The company manufactures a broad range of plastic components for the automotive industry, with the average car worldwide typically containing three or four of its parts. The family-owned company is committed to producing components efficiently, sustainably, on-time and free of defects. Also serving the medical industry, the company produces over 20 million mid- and high-volume parts a month.
Market-Leading Energy Efficiency Prompts ROBOSHOT Choice
Meeting the requirements of the automotive and medical industries demands extraordinary skill and continuous development. Connectors with up to 100 pins and 0.4 mm wall thickness require state-of-the-art machines, devices, instruments and technologies. For this reason, SIMON Plastics chooses to invest in FANUC ROBOSHOT all-electric injection moulding machines.
“We’ve been working with FANUC for some time,” says Péter Simon, the company’s second-generation Managing Director.
With their all-electric axes, ROBOSHOT injection moulding machines use 10-15% less energy than comparable electric machines and up to 70% less than comparable hydraulic machines, thanks largely to intelligent energy recovery and superior FANUC servo technology. Furthermore, ROBOSHOT machines combine the latest CNC technology with high rigidity, making them ideal for the high-precision moulding of parts like connectors.
Péter Simon
Managing Director
Such was the success of the first FANUC ROBOSHOT injection moulding machine at SIMON Plastics that the company now has 11, a selection of 𝛼-S100𝑖A and 𝛼-S150𝑖A models with 18-32 mm screw diameters.
Technology Manager Erik Galaczi says: “We often use our FANUC machines to produce thin-walled products, for which the electric drives of ROBOSHOT have a distinct advantage. Another main characteristic of all-electric machines is that the servo motors can start at their maximum torque and reach the ideal injection moulding speed very quickly.”
The company currently uses third-party three-axis linear robots (with a single pneumatic rotary axis) to serve its ROBOSHOT machines. However, such is the flexibility and compatibility of ROBOSHOT technology that SIMON Plastics describes the machine-robot communication as “remarkably good”.
The last word goes to Péter Simon: “We’ll keep counting on FANUC’s flexible attitude in the future and I’m confident we’ll continue working together on new projects in the long term.”
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Injection moulding is a highly efficient manufacturing process that enables the production of complex, high-quality plastic components with precision and consistency. Utilising advanced automation and robotics, this technology is essential for industries requiring large-scale production, ensuring cost-effective solutions without compromising on the integrity or performance of the final product.