A Wittmann cell at Fakuma 2026 will show off both the company’s commitment to the circular economy and its ability to create complete, integrated systems.

At the show, which will run Oct. 12-16 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, the cell will produce the EcoFritz clamp, a device to attach media lines and cables to corrugated hoses. It serves as a replacement for cable ties, which are usually discarded after a single use. The EcoFritz clamps can be removed and repositioned as often as needed. They are available in three sizes, either in conjunction with auxiliary equipment or separately.

Wittmann makes the clamps on weekends at its Nuremberg facility, with up to 100 percent recycled content gathered from injection molding tests and samples. Production at the technical center runs autonomously, and when solar power is available it consumes exclusively energy from the company's photovoltaic system.

At Fakuma, the clamps will be made in an Ingrinder work cell that integrates a servo-hydraulic SmartPower 60 injection molding machine (IMM), a WX90 servo parts removal robot, a conveyor belt and an S-Max granulator. The Ingrinder cell is designed for in-line recycling of sprues and scrap, and comes from the factory already integrated with protective housing for a compact footprint.

The clamps will be made from glass-fiber-reinforced polyamide in a two-cavity mold by Röttger, using the Airmould gas-injection molding technology. Airmould injects nitrogen into the mold cavity, using the gas to displace material, resulting in lightweighting and a reduction in the amount of material that’s required.

It also ensures good surface quality by preventing sink marks, since the pressure counteracts the shrinkage on the outside. Typical fields of application are automobile components such as handles, gardening equipment and technical components with bulges.

The nitrogen gas for the process will be extracted from ambient air using Wittmann's N₂easy generator.

Sprues and internal material displaced by the Airmould process will be reground within the cell and mixed into the raw material in a closed-loop cycle.

A Feedmax Clean vacuum loader will transport the material. Its deduster can achieve separation rates of up to 80 percent for particles smaller than 1000 microns, removing dust and other pollutants from the recycled material to improve the homogeneity of the melt.

Wittmann’s digital assistance system, HiQ Flow, continuously analyzes the viscosity of the melt during the injection phase and can immediately adjust the changeover point and the holding pressure if anomalies are detected.

Also at Fakuma, the company will debut the upgraded color control display for the Drymax basic 120 dryer. The intuitive menu navigation, with all setting options depicted by symbols, simplifies establishment of drying parameters and reduces risk of errors.

Contact:

Wittmann USA Inc., Torrington, Conn., 860-496-9603, www.wittmann-group.com/en/usa