ENGEL presents an integrated production cell for automotive connectors and debuts the viper 6 at Fakuma 2026

High-volume production, reimagined: With the electric WINTEC e-win 1800 and the new viper 6, ENGEL demonstrates how standard components such as automotive connectors can be manufactured cost-effectively and reliably at scale. At the heart of the presentation is a fully integrated production cell, from injection moulding through to automation. The WINTEC range has already proved itself in the field: hundreds of machines are in operation at customer sites and have demonstrated their reliability in everyday production. This is a solution designed for manufacturers who need to remain competitive under intense cost pressure.

Manufacturers of technically straightforward standard components in large volumes – such as connectors, cable ties and wall plugs – face intense cost pressure. Margins are tight, price increases are difficult to pass on, and competition from lower-cost production locations is fierce. To succeed, they need a production solution tailored to these demands. At Fakuma 2026, ENGEL will demonstrate what that looks like in practice with a WINTEC e-win 1800, offering operators three key advantages:

• Low investment costs: The machine is sized precisely for the application, keeping investment and operating costs down.

• High availability: Digital assistance systems maintain process stability even when ambient conditions change.

• CE-compliant cell from a single supplier: The machine, robot, safety enclosure and conveyor belt are supplied as one tested, CE-compliant unit, eliminating the need for a separate conformity assessment of the complete cell by the operator.

For this application, ENGEL uses the all-electric WINTEC e-win 1800 with 1,800 kN of clamping force and an injection unit size of 640 – precisely the size and specification needed for technically straightforward standard components. The figures for the exhibit show what the cell can deliver in practice: the mould has 128 cavities and runs at a cycle time of 8 seconds. That equates to 57,600 parts per hour – a tangible measure of the high-volume output at the heart of this application.

When margins on standard components are tight, every minute of downtime matters. The production cell is designed for high availability. iQ weight control plus automatically compensates for process fluctuations and responds if individual cavities fail. This helps maintain consistent part quality even when production conditions change. If a fault does occur, customers can draw on ENGEL’s global service network for prompt on-site support. This reduces downtime and strengthens their competitiveness against manufacturers in lower-cost locations.

Making its Fakuma debut, the new viper 6 removes the sprue in this application. The latest generation of the smallest robot in the viper range features redesigned axis profiles and a choice of strokes, allowing it to fit into cells of different sizes. The finished parts drop freely onto a conveyor belt, which transports them to a collection container at the side – a simple, robust and particularly reliable process well suited to high-volume standard applications.

The cell produces a genuine automotive component already manufactured in series: a connector part measuring approximately 10 × 6 mm. The mould comes from CWB Technology Germany GmbH, based in Frankfurt am Main. With roots in China, the company specialises in connectors for automotive electronics and electrical systems. Material conveying and drying equipment is supplied by the Italian Piovan Group, a specialist in automation solutions for plastics processing. The cell’s temperature control units are supplied by ENGEL.

See the production cell in action at Fakuma in Hall A5, Stand 5203.