Like many toolmakers, Calframax Technologies Inc. usually has a presence at NPE, but not with its own booth. Instead, injection press OEMs ran Calframax molds at their own exhibits.
At NPE2018, that changes.
The Oldcastle, Ontario-based company is a first-time NPE exhibitor this year, taking the opportunity at Booth S37057, to show off its technology for tools that make industrial pails in record speed.
Matt Little, who handles sales and service at the 22-year-old company, said Calframax designed and engineered its standard 5-gallon pail molds to run an average of 3 seconds faster than the industry norm. The typical Calframax mold runs between 13 and 15 seconds per cycle, depending on the design of the pail and the speed of the injection press.
"This design has been in the market for three years. We have a lot of customers running molds under 15 seconds [per cycle]," Little said.
That means molders can make 26 percent more pails per year on the same press, according to Calframax. The secret is in the cooling: the design is optimized, with localized cooling in areas where it is needed.
Calframax was founded in 1996 by former Letica Corp. tooling specialists. The company moved into its current plant in Oldcastle in 1998, then expanded in 2010, adding space and injection presses for mold tryouts.
The company employs 65, including more than 50 toolmakers. It works with a local high school and community college to train apprentices.
About 95 percent of its business is in industrial packaging, and the company has customers around the world, Little said.