Macro Plastics Inc. is expanding its bulk material handling product capacity with the addition of two large-tonnage injection molding machines at its Shelbyville, Ky., facility.
The company in March installed its first two manufacturing cells featuring Negri Bossi Bi-Power machines with 2,200 and 3,850 tons of clamping force. They are paired with Negri Bossi Sytrama 301G integrated Cartesian servo robots.
According to Jeff Mitchell, vice president of operations at Macro Plastics, the two new machines were added to mold large folding bins for the automotive and agriculture markets.
The Bi-Power model is a modular two-platen clamp hybrid power machine featuring a compact footprint and a twin-cylinder injection unit. The moving platen rides on a slide way and features a “hydro block” tie bar locking system. It has an electric screw drive and allows overlapping movements for faster cycle times.
Mitchell said in an email that Macro has purchased three other 1,000 ton machines for its California operations from Negri Bossi over the last six years. He added that all of their machines have robotic part-removal accessories.
Macro Plastics got its start in the late 1980s by providing plastic shipper bins to the wine and stone fruit markets. It has grown since, and now provides bins for agricultural, food processing, retail, industrial and portable flooring markets. All products are reusable and recyclable.
The company is headquartered in Fairfield, Calif., and has a third U.S. manufacturing plant in Union Gap, Wash. It bills itself as the world largest manufacturer of bulk plastic containers with sales and manufacturing facilities worldwide.
Mitchell said as a privately owned company it does not provide specific details of its business, but it does have presses ranging from 750 to 9,000 tons.
