Extrusion machinery manufacturer Boston Matthews (Worcester, UK, and Coral Springs, FL) has announced an expansion of its engineering department to meet increasing demand. Mechanical and electrical design engineers have been added to the existing team; they will work on both the Boston Matthews extrusion machinery and Munchy Recycling product ranges.

New personnel on the mechanical design team will be working on the latest 3D CAD technology within the company’s design center. Additions have also been made to the electrical design team, which develops and designs the electrical schematics for individual machines and complete turnkey installations. An investment has also been made into new electrical design software packages for this area of the business. An experienced control systems engineer has been assigned to the design department to develop and write PLC and motion software for the company.

"The decision to take on more design engineers is a big investment and, therefore, was carefully considered," said Managing Director Simon Brookes. “Technological innovation and the constant drive for product improvement is at the heart of Boston Matthews and [maker of recycling equipment] Munchy, and it is imperative we have the experience and skills to accomplish this. We are experiencing a high level of demand for our products because of our ability to work with customers and take them to the next level, which is fantastic, but it does place particular demands on engineering. The new additions to our team have been very carefully selected to add to our already highly experienced and skilled design team.”

In addition to shoring up the staff, Boston Matthews has also made investments in technology hardware. This includes high-precision machine component manufacturing equipment and precision digital measurement equipment. This enables the company to enhance the design and manufacture of complex die heads, tooling and other precision component parts. “We try to keep as much manufacturing in-house as possible to enable us to incorporate any design improvement as quickly as possible. It also greatly improves our R&D capabilities,” said Brookes.

The world’s first manufacturer of 150-mm extruders for processing polyurethane, Boston Matthews has been in business for more than 50 years. Upwards of 35,000 machines are in operation in more than 70 countries, according to the company, which operates facilities in the United States, United Kingdom and China.

Boston Matthews acquired recycling machinery maker Munchy in 2002. Munchy invented the dual-diameter screw, which enables the recycling of plastics into premium pellets.