Technitool Inc. has begun using a Nissei portable injection unit to give it flexibility to revert to single-shot molding when a two-shot job is finished.
Technitool of Berlin, N.J., early this year started up a new Nissei servo-hydraulic injection press complete with Nissei's portable injection unit, the first such installation in the United States. The unit has an L-shaped configuration to allow the second shot to come in from the side, making changeovers quick and simple.
“When demand for the two-material product decreases, I am able to easily use the machine for standard molding,” explained Technitool co-owner Pete Welding in a phone interview.
Technitool is using the portable injection unit with a new 308-ton Nissei injection press to mold tool handles at its plant in West Berlin, N.J. The firm's main business is building complex injection molds but about 20 years ago it added production molding and mold tryouts to its services. Technitool's main markets for its molds are automotive, medical and cosmetics.
Welding said he chose the Nissei system after a major customer decided on a mold redesign. Technitool runs seven Nissei injection presses — about half its press stable — in its 10,000-square-foot facility.
Nissei America Inc. introduced the portable injection unit at the NPE 2015 trade show.
“Many U.S. customers are looking into adding an injection unit to customize the mold or machine,” explained Nissei America President Jin Yoda. Customers of molded parts are looking at ways to add value in their products and two-color molding helps them differentiate themselves from competitors, he added.
Yoda said more than 90 of the portable injection units have been sold in Japan. Shot sizes range from 10 cubic centimeters to 5,600 cc, the latter being sold to an auto parts molder. The most common sizes are about 20 cc to 180 cc.
Processing equipment supplier Premier Plastics Systems Inc. of Warminster, Pa., helped coordinate the purchase and installation of the portable injection unit and new servo-hydraulic press.
Technitool bought the Nissei portable unit and injection press for high quality and reliability rather than price, Welding notes. He said his firm's Nissei presses include a 1983 40-tonner which continues to run well. Welding and partner Sal Russonmanno founded Technitool in 1975.
Nissei America emphasizes safety issues before it will sell the portable injection unit. The machinery supplier ensures safety doors, covers and other molding system components meet high standards before it will ship the units.
