Auxiliaries

Vacuum coating of plastic substrates using conventional batch process machinery requires a significant investment on the part of the processor as well as high labor requirements for manual loading/unloading of parts. By moving this process in-line and machine-side, The Japan Steel Works (JSW, Tokyo) reckons it has a lower cost and more flexible solution.

Robot supplier Yushin Precision Equipment (Kyoto, Japan) graced the recent IPF show in Japan with a take-out solution promising savings in energy and air consumption, plus faster part removal times to boot.

If you want to know what Robert Schad is doing, then maybe it's best to visit injection molder Niigon in Moose Deer Point, ON, where seven injection molding machines run through the night without an employee in sight.

Inverter drives applied to a dehumidifying dryer and a mold chiller system have enabled energy savings of up to 75% and 57%, respectively, according to supplier Matsui MFG., Co. (Osaka, Japan).

This edition of Product Watch, our report on new equipment and supplies for plastics processors, is focused on injection molders' needs. DME Molding Supplies has introduced new kit to help remove and prevent precipitate in cooling water, SAS Automation has extended its EOAT range and Slide Products is proud to be the first manufacturer of molding processing aids to completely eliminate chlorinated solvents from its entire product range.

Plastics recyclers face a multitude of tough challenges. Getting access to a sufficient supply of potential recyclable plastic is one of the biggest, and even when they find material it often is so contaminated that it cannot be economically recycled. There is plenty of work ongoing to help recyclers tackle this challenge, fortunately, to include work we've reported on for recycling of heavily printed films.

This issue of Product Watch, our look at new machinery and equipment for plastics processors and mold manufacturers, includes coverage of two new products. From Tulsa Power is a new automatic cut and transfer tubing coiler, while Steinbichler Optotechnik is commercial introducing its Comet L3D system for use in quality control and reverse engineering.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Jason Forgash, EVP of Bay Plastics Machinery in Bay City, MI. Bay Plastics Machinery traces its roots back to 1961, when Jason's grandfather, Tony Forgash, Sr. founded JETRO, Inc.

In 1974 JETRO was purchased by Conair and operated as Conair JETRO. When Conair decided to consolidate all manufacturing in Pennsylvania in 1997, a core group elected to remain in the area and form Bay Plastics Machinery.

Plastics auxiliary equipment manufacturer Novatec (Baltimore, MD) has begun marketing its new Novatec FXS (FlexXpand) programmable logic controls (PLC) to help processors keep track of plant-wide operations. In other news from the company, it has made touchscreens the standard interface on every NovaWheel model of resin dryer.

In this issue of Product Watch, our look at new equipment and services for plastics processors, we preview three new pieces of kit.