Remanufacturer adds 2nd Cape Code site
POCASSET, MASS. - Thermoforming Solutions Inc., which remanufactures inline thermoforming machines, builds trim presses, supplies ovens and designs production lines, has expanded into a second building on Cape Cod.
TSI headquarters, including engineering, assembly and testing operations, is housed in an 8,000-square-foot building in Pocasset. In January, the firm opened a 10,000-square-foot machine shop in Mashpee, Mass., that has space for engineering and assembly.
Ed Giovannone helped found the company in 1999 as a consulting firm to help thermoforming companies improve efficiency of their inline packaging equipment.
The company now rebuilds and upgrades equipment and does repairs. Giovannone said TSI also offers a one-week training course in customer plants.
Some customers have asked TSI to build new machines, and Giovannone said ``it's just a matter of time'' before the firm does that. But he said TSI will retain its conservative approach of improving customers' operations and designing ``drop-in'' retrofit components such as a 35-ton form press, quartz ovens and 100- to 150-ton trim presses. One new product is a plug-in motion controller.
TSI employs eight and has an international customer base, including Fortune 500 companies.
Plantic purchases compounding line
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - Plantic Technologies Ltd., which makes thermoformed trays from plant-based biopolymers, has purchased a new 103-millimeter twin-screw compounding extruder.
Plantic should receive the line - its third from Entek Manufacturing Inc. - by year's end to supply customers in Europe. Mark Fink, Plantic's business development manager, would not say how much the extruder cost.
``At the moment we produce for the Australian and New Zealand markets and we export rolled stock to Europe and it is converted there. We are considering the Japanese and United States markets, but there is nothing solid there yet,'' said Fink.
Plantic supplies trays to confectionery makers and is moving into packaging for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The company also is exploring injection molding. New products under development include a flower bulb package that can be planted, and a mosquito trap that falls apart when the insecticide runs out.
Thermoformer touts quick-change system
SHELTON, CONN. - Shelton-based Thermoforming Connection LLC manufactures TCAL-brand cylinders and knobs for thermoformers making quick mold changes.
TCAL stands for thermoforming connection, align and lock.
Tom Steiz, a former cylinder product manager for thermoforming mold and equipment maker Edward D. Segen Co. LLC., started Thermoforming Connection last year. His company has five full-time employees who machine the products.
The quick-change system includes a plate with four cylinders mounted onto the thermoforming machine. When air is applied to the conical cylinder, it accepts a matching knob mounted on the mold. Once the knob is in place, five balls move into a locking position. When air is removed from the cylinder, the knob is locked into position.
``This pretty much replaces nuts and bolts,'' Steiz said.
Lyle, Gabler extend 5-year-old agreement
BEAVERTON, MICH. - Lyle Industries Inc. and Gabler Maschinenbau GmbH have extended their 5-year-old agreement covering sales, marketing, service and parts.
Gabler is based in Lubeck, Germany, and Lyle is in Beaverton.
The agreement combines Gabler's experience with trim-in-place technology - favored in Europe and growing in the U.S. market - with Lyle's strength in high-volume thermoforming machines. Each company maintains a complete parts inventory for both lines.
