Sweden-based Rapid Granulator AB is beefing up its slow-speed grinder business, by purchasing a French company, Moditec srl.
Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which was announced Oct. 16.
Moditec, of Marennes, France, will continue to operate under its own name. The company has developed several innovations for its slow-speed, high-torque granulators. One feature, called Integrated Metal Detection, instantly shuts down a grinder if metal enters the cutting area, protecting the machine from damage.
The French company makes both single- and twin-shaft granulators. Its slow-speed brands are the Goliath Plus and Titan Plus.
The acquisition follows Rapid's strategy to become a world leader in slow-speed grinders.
``As a result, we can now provide a broad range of slow-speed machines, extending from very small granulators for the grinding of small injection molding sprues and rejects, to units that are capable of handling car bumpers and dashboards,'' said Rolf Gren, chief executive officer of Rapid Granulator, in a news release.
Rapid is based in Bredaryd, Sweden. Its U.S. unit is in Rockford, Ill.
Rapid plans to apply Moditec's patented IMD technology to its entire range of slow-speed screenless granulators, which turn at only 25 revolutions per minute. The slow grinding maintains the molecular structure of the thermoplastics, with low-noise and low-dust operation.
For the past seven years, Rapid and Moditec have done some technical work together on slow-speed machines, said Moditec Managing Director Gilles Dutour.