Wittmann still makes robots, but the firm has taken that word out of its U.S. unit's name to reflect its move into a range of auxiliary equipment.
The Torrington, Conn., operation officially changed its name Aug. 1 to Wittmann Inc., from Wittmann Robot & Automation Systems Inc.
After three acquisitions in the past three years, Wittmann now also makes granulators, vacuum loaders and other materials-handling equipment, dryers, chillers and water-temperature controls.
``We have grown to become a leading supplier of auxiliary equipment and complete system packages and the name limited the awareness of this fact,'' President David Preusse said.
Preusse recently was promoted to president, from vice president of sales and marketing. Former U.S. unit President Michael Wittmann is returning to company headquarters in Vienna, Austria, effective Oct. 1. Todd Rains was promoted to national sales manager.
Wittmann showed two new products at its exhibit during Plastics Encounter Indianapolis:
* The MB series of low-speed, high-torque granulators that run at 240 revolutions per minute. Standard features include adjustable knives and soundproofing. The machines meet European safety standards. The granulators use a slant-knife design and a three-blade open rotor. A pre-adjusted knife fixture is standard. For safety, the machines are equipped with two sensors to monitor the rotor pulley, ensuring it is completely stopped before allowing access to the cutting chamber. Also, a mechanical brake prevents the rotor from turning when the unit is open. MB granulators come in four cutting chamber sizes: 6 inches by 6 inches; 6 inches by 12 inches; 8 inches by 8 inches and 8 inches by 16 inches.
* The Nucon Wittmann series of adjustable dewpoint dryers for PET resin. Called Continuous Desiccant Dryers, the CDD lines come with throughputs of 250-2,500 pounds an hour. The dryers can be placed beside the press or centrally located, arranged with multiple drying hoppers.