The following items were gathered by Plastics News correspondent Frank Antosiewicz during the MassPlastics 2002 show, held March 28-29 in Fitchburg, Mass.
Absolute adds staff
Absolute Machinery Corp. will expand in June when it moves from its 1,200-square-foot base in Worcester, Mass., to a 2,400-square-foot facility, also in Worcester.
The company started with two partners in June 2000, but has grown to three partners and a total staff of six.
``We focus on three core brands in the plastic industry and one in the metals,'' said Nathan Smith, who is a partner with Mike Ortolano and Scott Keith in the company.
Absolute Machinery is a manufacturers' representative for molding machinery, auxiliary equipment, electronic discharging machines and parts-management systems.
MAC debuts big box
For MAC Automation Concepts Inc. of Woodstock, Ill., MassPlastics offered a chance to bring out its biggest resin box.
The company showed off a resin box that holds 1,200 pounds, slightly more than a standard gaylord.
MAC Automation previously offered stackable 150- and 350-pound resin boxes. But the company came out with the bigger version in preparation for NPE 2003, according to Randall J. Altheide, vice president of sales and marketing.
Kruse forms alliance
Kruse Analysis Inc. of East Haddam, Conn., is offering sales and service of Sigmasoft GmbH's software simulation tools in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Kruse President Torsten Kruse was at MassPlastics demonstrating the product, which uses three-dimensional, computer-assisted-design data imported into Sigmasoft to simulate the injection molding process. It can be used for thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, liquid silicon rubber, powder/metal injection molding, insert and overmolding applications.
The 3-D flow module can predict fill time, pressures, temperatures, shear rate and dynamic viscosities. It also can do effects such as flow perpendicular to the mold wall, flow into ribs, fiber orientation, jetting and venting.
