LSR specialist Nexus Elastomer Systems GmbH is investing 10.5 million euros ($12.1 million) to build a new facility in Eberstalzell, Austria.
“We decided in early 2018 to increase our capabilities and our international business,” said Dietmar Waizenauer, chief sales officer and one of three managing partners. “The operations in the new building will start in January, and a grand opening event is planned for March.”
The firm offers technology expertise for LSR dosing, tool making, cold runner, demolding, automation and turnkey solutions in conjunction with customers and numerous makers of injection molding equipment.
The business was founded in 2007 and, until July, operated as Nexus Automation GmbH.
The new structure will have 12,900 square feet for the headquarters' operations and 43,000 square feet for the research, development and engineering functions. “We will extend the lab's capabilities when we are in the new factory,” he said.
Currently, Nexus rents a total of 21,500 square feet.
That includes its existing headquarters in Eberstalzell and, separately, 22 miles away, a technology center in Schörfling am Attersee, Austria.
Along with other equipment, the center operates five injection molding machines from multiple manufacturers to run trials of customer projects. Nexus awaits delivery of a sixth press, a 408-metric-ton electric.
Nexus will vacate both locations.
Nexus focuses on molds and equipment to process LSR, high-consistency rubber or solid silicone, nitrile and EPDM rubber and Viton-brand fluoroelastomers.
“We can run these materials with our cold deck valve gate technology totally waste-free,” Waizenauer said. “We gate direct on the parts without a runner.”
The Nexus ServoMix-brand LSR dosing system mixes the material. In comparison with the operation of piston systems, Nexus' new Splitnex-brand servo-drive online-degassing technology removes all of the air from the silicone before it is fed for processing.
“Total loss of material is less than 0.5 percent from a 55-gallon drum,” Waizenauer said. “We guarantee air-free silicone.”
Other managing partners are CEO Benjamin Fellinger and Dietmar's twin brother, Bernhard Waizenauer, who serves as chief technology officer.
Recently, the firm established the Nexus Asia Ltd. unit for sales in China. Plans are in place for a North American sales office in 2019.
Dietmar Waizenauer gave a Sept. 11 presentation about Nexus at the LSR 2018 conference in Anaheim, Calif.