The part finder celebrates its premiere at Fakuma 2023. With the smart application for spare parts identification, Engel will be demonstrating at the trade fair how effective support for plastics processors works in day-to-day operations: a time-saving solution to improve machine availability and increase production efficiency.
For efficient production with high machine availability, the right spare part must be available quickly when needed. Due to of the many components of an injection moulding machine or production cell, spare parts procurement is often more complex than it might appear at first glance. For one thing, injection moulding machines are often in operation for many years or decades. Expert knowledge of the structural details of the system is then lost when long-serving machine operators retire. Secondly, wear and tear and soiling of the components in day-to-day production make identification more difficult. In addition to compensate for the shortage of skilled labour in the best possible way using digital tools.
The solution is called Engel part finder - an application that makes it possible, to easily identify and order almost all components of an Engel injection moulding machine. The development of this digital everyday aid was driven by valuable input from test customers. This practical approach makes the part finder intuitive and easy to use.
As a free component of the Engel customer portal e-connect, the part finder is always at hand: All you need is a mobile device with online access or a computer with an internet connection. The web application can be launched from the customer portal for registered users.
The tool provides various options for part identification, including Convenient spare parts search by imageThe relevant part can be photographed with the mobile phone or tablet camera and the correct image section can be defined for the search. Alternatively, the image can be sent to the purchasing department by e-mail. The person responsible for purchasing can use the image file in the part finder to identify the part. In addition to this visual search, the intelligent software supports the user with various other options, such as a semantic text and synonym search as well as the smart parts list search.
A major advantage of the part finder is that not only new parts of current machines, but can also identify dirty, worn or defective components of older machines - from the cable to the pump. The part finder's parts database includes injection moulding machines and other systems that are up to 20 years old. If the component you are looking for is still not found, Engel customer service experts are on hand to assist the user.
The ordering function is a great help in day-to-day operations. The identified components can be ordered from the Engel part finder with a single click - The shopping basket function proves to be particularly helpful for multiple parts. When the order process is triggered by a click, the application generates an e-mail that can either be sent directly to Engel as an order or internally for approval. This makes a significant contribution, Reduce incorrect orders and increase the efficiency of spare parts procurement.
„Even injection moulding machines that have been in service for a long time return to production much more quickly after a shutdown with the help of the part finder. In times of scarce human resources, this is an important support for efficient injection moulding production.“
Mateusz Rychlik, Product Manager Digital Solutions
Source: Engel
Engel at the Fakuma 2023: Hall A5, Stand 5204
