CHICAGO-Morgan Plastics Inc. is introducing coinjection molding to the housewares industry with a line of two-color tumblers and bowls. The San Juan Capistrano, Calif., firm began molding the products about six months ago in its Kansas City, Mo., plant. Morgan spent more than $1 mil-lion on three new Mitsubishi presses, eight specialized coinjection molds and auxiliary equipment, said Kirk Morgan, national sales manager. We believe this is the first coinjection application of its type,'' Morgan said in an interview at the National Hardware Show in Chicago.
The coinjection process is used to make multiple-color parts in a variety of industries, including auto and electronics. Morgan said most tableware makers still glue parts together to achieve the two-color appearance.
We definitely will be expanding this into a lot of other products. We've received an unusually good response,'' he said.
Morgan Plastics sold its conventional tableware molds to concentrate on the coinjection line. The firm, which has 12 presses and also does custom molding, has made tableware for 20 years. Morgan said the firm had to climb a steep learning curve to make the coinjection process work.
We had problems with flash - the first layer was still soft and pliable when we injected the second against it. But we've licked that problem,'' he said.