VICKSBURG, MICH. — Injection molder Triple S Plastics Inc. of Vicksburg is using robotics to reduce part costs in a sanitary molding application.
Triple S has installed a $55,000 robot for a new line of milk vials used by dairies to take milk samples in the field. It molds the vials at its Battle Creek, Mich., plant, the company said in a news release.
The robot, produced by Yushin America Inc. of Cranston, R.I., takes deep-draw parts from a 16-cavity tool. Integral caps are closed quickly to seal out contaminants, and the parts are boxed on a conveyor — all during a 14-second molding cycle.
Triple S has been using robots for the past two years for a variety of applications. The company said it would not have started the milk vial line without the robot because human labor would take too long and the vials would be contaminated. The robots had to be modified significantly for the application, a process that took a couple years.
The company molds parts for the consumer products, telecommunications, medical and automotive markets.
Triple S currently is consolidating its two plants in the Vicksburg area. Afterwards, it will have four U.S. molding plants, and a technical center in Vicksburg.
The company employs 750. Sales for its last fiscal year were more than $64 million.