Arburg to present digital production tools at Fakuma 2026

At Fakuma 2026, Arburg will showcase its portfolio of digitalisation solutions across the complete value chain in the central exhibition area designated "Digital Services and Software" at Stand 3101 in Hall A3. The company will demonstrate how its products and services support the development of digitally connected plastics parts production, from injection moulding machines equipped with assistance and pilot functions to automated production cells. The exhibits will include the new Gestica lite control system, additional assistance functions, new features for the arburgXworld customer portal and Arburg's own manufacturing execution system, ALS. According to the company, digitalisation can improve efficiency, transparency and flexibility while reducing unit costs. Under its "Smartest Factory" focus, Arburg will address optimisation opportunities throughout development, production planning, set-up, serial production, maintenance, service and analysis. Experts will demonstrate the functions using simulators and exhibits and explain how the individual systems interact.

ALS marks 40 years with a new cloud option

Arburg's internally developed host computer system, ALS, will mark its 40th anniversary in 2026. From Fakuma onwards, the company plans to provide special offers for customers. One of the new features presented at the trade fair will be an MES cloud solution hosted by Arburg. The service will be billed monthly, allowing users to avoid a high one-off investment and the costs of maintaining their own MES infrastructure, including IT staff. Arburg also states that this model can enhance data security.

The modular MES visualises information relating to machines, employees, articles, statuses and priorities, and enables flexible order planning in real time. According to Arburg, the system increases Overall Equipment Efficiency, OEE, by an average of more than 26 per cent. Its new "MachineTerminal" home screen provides a mobile overview of all machines and their availability, with direct navigation to individual machines.

ALS also includes new functions based on artificial intelligence, including program analysis and management. An AI-supported function automatically analyses key indicators at the touch of a button and provides recommendations for improving OEE. Users can examine the analysis in greater detail by submitting questions through a chatbot.

Customer portal apps support production tasks

The arburgXworld customer portal currently has more than 22,000 users worldwide. It can be integrated with the MES or operated independently. Its apps cover injection moulding tasks ranging from machine selection and process optimisation on a personal computer to support during malfunctions.

The premium "Ask Arburg" app uses AI to answer specific questions about Arburg products and injection moulding processes and to analyse faults. It can access machine-specific documents and the material database from "MachineFinder", including processing recommendations for the selected material.

With the customer portal app "Virtual Control, the virtual twin of Gestica lite", a central expert working away from the machine can plan each set-up in advance. Programs can be optimised on a PC and operated in automatic cycle mode to improve process and cycle times and minimise unproductive periods. The Premium Connect app "MachineDashboard" now also includes the "aXw Control StabilityAssist" function.

Control functions monitor process stability

StabilityAssist continuously monitors key parameters and detects gradual deviations. The AI-based control assistant displays predictive parameter trends for machines integrated into the customer portal and sends push notifications before potential unscheduled downtime. When coupled with the Arburg MES, the function can also cover third-party machines. Arburg states that these assistance and pilot functions support process operation, predictive maintenance of moulds and machinery, part quality and process stability under changing conditions and with different materials.

All exhibits at Fakuma 2026 will be equipped with several assistance or pilot functions. On the electric Allrounder 1000 e Trend, these will include "aXw Control FirstShotAssist", "aXw Control DoEAssist" and "aXw Control MouldSafetyAssist".

• aXw Control FirstShotAssist supports the operator during production start-up. Component geometry data is read directly into the injection moulding machine. Together with existing material and machine data, this information is used to calculate recommendations for suitable initial sampling parameters. The function is intended to shorten the time needed to produce the first acceptable part without requiring specialist knowledge.
• aXw Control DoEAssist brings structured validation based on Design of Experiments, DoE, to the injection moulding machine. After the set-up engineer specifies the parameters to be tested, the control system generates a test plan that the machine executes in a structured sequence. The function supports trial planning, test execution, removal of test parts and documentation.
• aXw Control MouldSafetyAssist uses a reference curve to detect changes in the force curve. If necessary, it stops the closing movement to protect the mould from damage.

Connected medical production cell

The "NextGen Medical Solution" will demonstrate digital connectivity in a turnkey production cell built around an electric Allrounder 570 A. Arburg developed the system with specialist partners and a medical technology OEM. Using an injector pen as an example, the cell demonstrates the consolidation of production data in the Gestica control system and the use of its assistance and pilot functions.

The "aXw Control MoldlifeAssist" function uses integrated sensor technology to monitor the mould over its complete life cycle and help prevent unplanned downtime. Software from partner Plus 10 is fully integrated into the control system and uses AI to analyse machine and process data in real time. It automatically identifies deviations, learns correlations between process parameters and quality, and proposes potential improvements.

"Smart" communication between the machine and the injection mould is enabled by "aXw Control MoldlifeAssist", which is fully integrated into the Gestica control system

The medical technology system will also incorporate the following functions:

• aXw Control FillAssist, for simulating moulded-part filling behaviour directly in the machine controller;
• aXw Control DoEAssist, for determining the appropriate process window;
• EnergyAssist, for energy-efficient heating or switching the cylinder module to standby;
• Arburg FlowPilot, for regulated mould temperature control;
• aXw Control MeltAssist, for optimising use of the plasticising unit and material residence times;
• aXw Control CycleAssist, for eliminating unproductive periods in the cycle;
• aXw Control PressurePilot, with bionically optimised pressure control for consistent mould filling;
• aXw Control StabilityAssist, for increased process stability.

According to Arburg, the combined functions reduce scrap and improve part quality. They are also intended to lower energy requirements while maintaining production availability, productivity and quality.