Baumüller Group at PLAST Milan 2026

For manufacturers and engineers seeking to optimize injection molding and recycling machinery, the primary challenge lies in balancing extreme precision with energy efficiency. While many drive providers rely on external controllers and sensors that introduce latency, the Baumüller Group distinguishes itself through "Drive Intelligence." By migrating critical machine functions directly into the servo drive, Baumüller eliminates the communication delays typical of standard fieldbus systems, offering a level of responsiveness and hardware reduction that sets a new benchmark for the industry at PLAST 2026 in Milan.

Real-Time Performance Through Drive-Integrated Functions
The core differentiator of the Baumüller system is its ability to execute complex processes within the drive itself rather than relying on a central PLC. At the heart of this technology is an injection control system integrated directly into the servo drive with a cycle time of just 125 µs. This architecture eliminates fieldbus dead times, providing superior process repeatability and reduced material waste compared to traditional setups. Furthermore, the patented "actual pressure estimator" utilizes a real-time servo-hydraulic model to calculate system pressure based on current and speed. This ensures that even if a physical sensor fails, the machine can complete its cycle and move to a safe position, significantly increasing uptime over competitors who lack such fail-safe modeling.

Enhanced Machine Protection and Energy Transparency
In the demanding environment of recycling, mechanical blockages and overloads can lead to costly downtime. Baumüller addresses this with its Shock Detection feature. Because this function runs internally within the servo drive, it bypasses fieldbus delays to detect foreign objects or material inconsistencies instantly. This proactive protection preserves plasticizing units and shredding shafts more effectively than software-only solutions. Complementing this protection is the Smart Energy Monitoring feature. By analyzing consumption directly within the drive system, Baumüller provides high-transparency energy data without the need for expensive external power meters, simplifying the machine’s electrical footprint while identifying optimization potential.

Scaling Efficiency with High-Density Motor Technology
Beyond intelligent software, the physical hardware of the Baumüller ecosystem focuses on maximizing output within a smaller footprint. The b maXX 6500 family of standalone units offers high power density and flexible scalability, allowing manufacturers to reduce the size or number of control cabinets required. This is paired with the DS4 motor series, which achieves over 95 percent efficiency to reduce the overall machine footprint. For high-torque applications such as clamping units, the new DST3 generation of torque motors provides the necessary dynamics for faster, more precise closing motions. By combining optimized power density with smooth operation, these components enable machine builders to develop hybrid and fully electric systems that are more resource-efficient and productive than those utilizing standard drive topologies.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

www.baumueller.com