Sike-Kik replaces corrugated displays
Consumers can see Side-Kik Corp.'s patented plastic replacement for corrugated power-wing displays at retail stores showcasing Mattel's Barbie dolls and Hot Wheel toys.
Mattel Inc. of El Segundo, Calif., saw Side-Kik ``as a way to cut tooling costs,'' said Alan Kinder, vice president of Cypress, Calif.-based Side-Kik.
Retailers attach the plastic parts, sold under the Side-Kik name, to a store's existing wire racks and can restock or change merchandise as needed. The Side-Kik is 13.9 inches wide, 6-10 inches deep and as tall as 48 inches.
TMC LP's Triad Merrick Machine LP division in Alda, Neb., built the tooling. The firm also molds the product, using high-impact polystyrene for the back panel; Mitsubishi's high-strength clear Danka PS for side panels, shelves and dump bins; and Celanese 33 percent glass-filled nylon 6/6 for hooks. Polycarbonate is used as a stronger alternative for some side panels. Another TMC unit, Triad Products Co. in Hastings, Neb., assembles the kits.
To market the concept, O'Brien Industries Inc. started a separate outfit that adopted the Side-Kik product's name. O'Brien makes large corrugated power wings for displays.
``A new corrugated power wing needs new tooling each time,'' Kinder said. ``Side-Kik is a reusable device with no [repetitive] cost for tooling. The only thing you have to pay for are the plastic hooks and shelves, depending on the configuration.''
A refined version omits side panels and header and uses Celanese 43 percent glass-filled nylon 6/6 for the shelf bracket.
Contact Side-Kik at tel. (714) 761-2636 or fax (714) 761-9680.
3D's SLA-5000 touts high speed, low cost
3D Systems Corp. has come out with a new stereolithography machine that makes rapid prototyping faster and more user-friendly.
The SLA-5000 uses new solid-state laser technology that can deliver a prototype part 25 percent faster than other SLA systems, said Richard Balanson, president of the Valencia, Calif., firm. The lasers also make parts in 0.05-millimeter layers that require less post-production part finishing than typical prototypes.
The machine, which can replace 3D's SLA-540 unit, is compact and uses about one-tenth the power requirements of other SLA units. In addition, it features ergonomic conveniences such as automatic resin refills and leveling, a layer-by-layer simulated viewing of the process and an easily accessible parts-delivery system.
The SLA-5000 is targeted for high-volume users, such as rapid prototyping service bureaus and large-parts applications in industries such as automotive and aerospace, Balanson said. He said 3D plans to ship at least a dozen units during the third quarter.
Tel. (805) 295-5600, fax (805) 257-1200.
Software designed for injection molding
A. Routsis Associates Inc. of Dracut, Mass., has released two new interactive CD-ROMs, called ``Process Control Systems,'' for injection molding. Each one includes a two-disk set.
Part one covers processing parameters, including machine calibration, material drying and plastication, injection molding packing parameters, part weight determination, cooling and part removal.
The second part of the program describes closed-loop process control.
Tel. (508) 957-0700, fax (508) 957-1860.
FDM8000 produces larger prototypes
Stratasys Inc. announced a rapid prototyping machine to make large models, measuring as large as 18 inches by 18 inches by 24 inches, called the FDM8000.
``Some of the users, especially those in the aerospace and automotive industries, have expressed a need to build large rapid prototyped parts,'' said Jon Cobb, vice president of marketing.
FDM8000 creates tooling patterns, masters and functional protytypes.
The Minneapolis firm's patented Fused Deposition Modeling process creates three-dimensional models from ABS, wax or polyester compounds.
Tel. (612) 937-3000, fax (612) 937-0070 or e-mail [email protected] sys.com.
Fasco PC-2000 cuts extruded plastic
Fasco Products Division of Fab-Alloy Steel Inc. has introduced a puller-cutter without a flywheel-assisted swing blade.
The PC-2000 machine can cut extruded plastic and rubber profiles or tubing as large as 3 inches in diameter. The cutter uses a new knife-blade drive with no flywheel links or mechanical or pneumatic triggers. A laser senses the edge.
Cut placement accuracy is 0.025 inch or less at a speed of 37 feet per minute.
Fasco is based in Twinsburg, Ohio.
Tel. (216) 425-8338, fax (216) 425-9232.
United Plastics offers pipe bundler, stacker
United Plastics Machinery Inc. of Exton, Pa., has developed a fully automatic machine to bundle plastic pipe.
The bundler advances the pipe, bundles it with strapping or plastic wrap, and stacks the pipe onto racks.
Tel. (610) 363-0990, fax (610) 363-0993.
