Comprehensive technological support is our new specialty, or how Dopak effectively solves technological problems related to the injection process, opening up new opportunities and perspectives for our business partners.

It’s been a year since the Dopak Research and Development Center was launched, what successes can you boast of?

Our Research and Development Center is becoming more and more recognizable. During this time, we have been working very hard on the development of our training offer. Today, customers increasingly perceive us as a provider of high-quality educational services, where the acquisition of practical skills plays a key role. Currently, in addition to the licensed technological course ” Driving license for an injection molding machine “, we offer over 20 training topics that concern the operation of machines and robots, injection process technology, elimination of molding defects, operation of injection molds or methods of testing plastics. We are very happy that the trainings we run are very popular and are highly rated by participants. Our courses are used by leading companies in the industry and global manufacturing brands that no longer have to send their employees abroad to gain advanced knowledge. Of course, training is not everything. On a daily basis, we also help our clients solve their technological problems, using the center’s equipment, our experience and knowledge.

 

Let’s stop for a moment on the subject of technological support and research activities. What problems do companies from the plastics processing industry most often come to you with?

Customers ask us for support in many areas. They are mainly interested in issues related to the possibility of optimizing the cycle time. They are also increasingly looking for ways to reduce consumption
electricity of machines and devices. By far, most inquiries concern the issue of improving the quality of the finished product, both in terms of visual appearance and the need to improve strength parameters. Our tasks very often concern technological problems related to molding defects. For example, quite recently a client who makes details with an internal thread came to us. During their fastening, some elements cracked in certain places and at the assumed safe tightening torque. Our task was to find out what caused it.

 

So what services can your client count on?

Please provide examples of implementation. Many customers are aware of the impact of the raw materials they use, which is why we more and more often conduct quality tests of products, MFI measurements, material analysis in the direction of its identification. We make universal fittings for testing from thermoplastics in accordance with the standards, we check their mechanical strength. We also make prototypes from 3D models to assess the quality of the detail before starting serial production. We carry out test and pilot productions for clients, we validate molds, helping to select the best process parameters. We also help clients, for example, in eliminating lines
joining details with complex geometry without interfering with the form. We analyze the causes of product defects. Examples can be multiplied. However, the most important thing is that because we employ a multidisciplinary team of specialists, we are able to look at a given problem from a broader perspective and propose an appropriate solution.

Is there still room on the market for research and development activities for plastics processing companies?
There are more and more scientific and research institutions and material laboratories on the Polish market that provide support to plastics processors. Often, however, such places lack industrial hardware facilities to solve a given problem in production conditions. Companies in the PTS industry often expect, in addition to the measurement result from a given study and its interpretation, that possible solutions will be translated into the production environment. Our specialists, in addition to knowledge of research methods, know the injection molding process very well, and thus are able to look at the problem much more broadly.
All this is hidden under the concept of comprehensive technological support, which is implemented by Dopak. It is a response to the current market needs and problems faced by manufacturers of plastic products.

 

What technological facilities does Dopak currently have?
Our Research and Development Center is equipped with technologically advanced equipment. We have 7 automatic production lines in the machine park, with a clamping force range of 500 to 5500 kN, prepared to work with such high-tech technologies, such as MuCell or PEEK and PEAK molding. All plasticizing systems are reinforced, so we can process WPC plastics or plastics with the addition of hard fillers with an erosive effect. We have modern scientific and research equipment in the laboratory for testing the physicochemical properties of polymers and final products. We have an industrial scanner and 3D printers, thanks to which we can support our clients in the process of designing and improving their products, enabling quick testing and introducing corrections at an early stage. We have analyzers of power network parameters, with the help of which we measure electricity consumption also at customers’ premises. We are ready to meet the various requirements of our business partners and help them achieve success in their industry.

What is Dopak’s advantage over other entities of this type?
We have the knowledge and experience, because we have been dealing with the injection molding process for nearly three decades. We have a machine park and a training and conference complex, i.e. a functional place for conducting practical training. We teach there the operation of the injection molding machine and the methodology of setting the injection process, all under the supervision of a qualified engineer. There are few places in Poland where you can actively acquire vocational training. We approach each task individually, trying to help our clients as quickly as possible.

We cooperate with many technical universities in Poland and German universities – TU Chemnitz, TU in Dresden and Fraunhofer IOW. However, our greatest value is competent employees. It is thanks to their knowledge, skills and commitment that we support clients in achieving their goals. Our experts are ready to cooperate and advise on product development, optimization of production processes and other technical issues. I am proud of our team and I believe that it is people who create the greatest value of our company.

Thank you very much for the interview. We wish Dopak many successes.

Interviewer: Jacek Leszczyński

The interview was published in the Plast Echo magazine (July-August 2023 issue)