Plastic Art Products of Greeley, Colo., had a specific goal when it began searching last year for a piece of equipment. The custom thermoformer wanted to be one of the foremost U.S. thermoformers of polyolefins for medical applications. Chief Executive Officer Randall Howe bought a Kiefel KMD-52 thermoformer, the first of its type to be installed in the United States. The machine has patented preheating stations and a ``kiss-cut'' method of die cutting that trims more cleanly and does not cause as much wear on the die surfaces, Howe said.
The oven controls, which use a closed-loop infrared system, are also ideal for converting polypropylene, typically a difficult material to form.
PAP employs 85 in two plants. It serves medical, food packaging and other industries.
