COVINA, CALIF. — Caco Pacific Corp. has added a smaller nozzle to its line of hot-runner systems.
Developed over the past year, the nozzle has a 27-millimeter pitch on center-to-center spacing and complements the firm's 35mm and 45mm versions, which were introduced in June 1997.
The miniature nozzle ``can go in small molds and machines,'' John Thirlwell, vice president of sales and marketing, said at the firm's plant in Covina. ``The nozzles will be smaller so there will be better shot control.''
Caco Pacific tested the nozzle in a 16-nozzle hot-runner manifold.
Caco Pacific introduced the new nozzle at the Mike Koebel Moldmakers Trade Fair, sponsored by the Western Moldmakers Division of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. and held Nov. 11 in City of Industry, Calif.
During a tour, Manfred Hoffmann, president and chairman, identified some new units being funded from a capital budget of more than $3 million.
Caco Pacific has added one Charmilles and one Mitsubishi computer numerically controlled electric discharge machine, each with robotics for the electrodes and the mold components. Now, the firm has 30 EDMs and five wire EDMs.
The company is adding three BostoMatic high-precision electrode machining centers — it currently has seven.
In late October, Caco Pacific added a third Mitsui Seiki horizontal machining center for mold bases and hot runners.
A Hardinge CNC turning center arrived in September, and a second Zeiss coordinate measuring system is expected in January or February, both to help meet increased demand for hot-runner systems.
Caco Pacific has added a 1,000mm-diameter mold-rotating plate to its offerings with 500mm and 750mm diameters.
``And it looks as though we see a need for a fourth size, 850mm,'' Thirlwell said, for the rapidly growing market making ``multishot components or parts.''
In Covina, Caco Pacific employs 200 and recently completed work improving its lobby and principal offices.
The facility occupies 75,000 square feet.
An adjacent, 12,000-square-foot building has three Krauss-Maffei injection molding presses of 100, 275 and 550 tons for product testing. Space is allocated for a stream of dedicated customer-supplied presses.
