Plastics News correspondent Roger Renstrom gathered these items at the Digital Content Delivery conference, held Feb. 4-6 in San Jose, Calif.
Optical Disc to make special-purpose disc
In a business diversification, Optical Disc Corp. of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., is negotiating to acquire a Steag HamaTech AG line to manufacture special-purpose polycarbonate compact discs. The line will include injection molding equipment for replicating the discs.
The line will allow ODC to shorten turnaround time for customer orders, the firm said. ODC is combining recordable and read-only-memory capabilities on a standard, 120-millimeter CD.
``By midyear, we expect to do development work on a similar product for DVD users,'' said Richard Wilkinson, ODC president and chief executive officer.
ODC qualified its CDR-ROM in Germany on a Steag line with a Netstal press and in Tijuana, Mexico, at a replicator with a Steag line and Meiki press. ODC may use the Mexico site for contract production.
The basic technology emulates programmable CD-ROMs such as those Eastman Kodak Co. uses in retail outlets for processing digital photographs.
ODC's approach differs from Kodak's and involves the use of a mastering process with a proprietary dye polymer.
ODC primarily makes optical-disc mastering systems. The company said it will pursue recordable and ROM technologies aggressively.
Sunrise Packaging eyes security market
Sunrise Packaging Inc., headquartered in Blaine, Minn., said it is exploring markets for personal identification and security applications.
The company is investing in die-cutting and printing equipment to produce name badges and holders and luggage tags, mostly of PVC.
Sunrise saw potential in pursuing technology for security applications involving use of photographs and bar codes for scanning machines, said Michael Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing.
The company primarily thermoforms storage packaging for training-development and personal education cassettes and optical media..
The firm employs 120-160 and occupies 50,000 square feet in Blaine and 30,000 square feet in Olivia, Minn.
RPA, Göding team up in mold maintenance
Göding & Partner Inc. and Record Products of America Inc. have established a mold-repair and mirror-block-polishing facility in Amherst, N.Y.
Started in August, the service can repair, polish, laser-weld and coat molds, said Dan Hemperly, RPA technical sales manager. Having all of the services under one roof is unusual for the industry, he said.
Previously for such broad services, a replicator sent the mold to parent Göding & Partner GmbH in Spenge, Germany.
