CHICAGO — Zed Industries Inc. has introduced what it claims is the world's fastest pressure forming machine.
The Cam-Form Series is a high-speed, in-line pressure former with punch press-type trimming that runs at speeds as fast as 60 cycles per minute. The machine can use roll-fed material as thick as 60 mils.
The Cam-Form on display at Zed's booth during NPE 1997 in Chicago featured a 14-inch-by-14-inch mold area, but the machine is available in sizes as large as 16 inches by 26 inches. The former makes cup lids, bowls, trays plates, packaging and other small parts.
``It is intended to run in the multiple millions of cycles,'' Peter Zelnick, vice president, said in a June 18 interview at the show. ``The changeover is longer, up to two hours. But it's designed for extended runs.''
The servo-driven Cam-Form molds all types of materials, including PET, PVC, oriented polystyrene and foam.
At the show, the machine thermoformed 12-millimeter vinyl blister packs. A smaller version is being used in Canada for PET egg cartons, and another in France is making PVC egg cartons, Zelnick said. Parts can be indexed, registered, counted and stacked for easier packaging.
One servo motor runs the whole machine from ceramic heaters, top and bottom moving platens, through the cooling station and the punching station. Scrap web is rewound or fed to a grinder.
The machine controller remembers the last hour of operation. If there i a problem, a warning is issued but the controller's loop-break protection continues to operate the machine just as it had before the problem.
The Vandalia, Ohio-based firm also makes skin and blister packaging equipment; heat sealers; form, fill and seal systems; die cutters; clam shell sealers; and heavy-gauge thermoformers.
Also at NPE, Zed brought out its SC Series of in-line pressure formers equipped with an upgraded computer-control package. The machine features a 15-zone heating system, a secondary hanger hole punch, 110-ton trim press and a parts stack with an automatic counter/unloader in a 22-inch-by-22-inch mold format.
The SF Series features servo-driven platens and pin chain film indexer and a color touch-screen computer control with complete job memory capabilities.