Alexandria, Minn.-based Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Co. has installed a 70-ton press to produce complex molded parts, increase efficiency, and help customers get their products to market faster.
The Engel 330H vertical rotary press has an on-board camera that laser scans molds to detect and properly place inserts, which protects the mold, provides quality control and achieves optimal productivity, according to a news release from Donnelly.
The press also features Industry 4.0 connectivity that offers more precise control of the process. With sales of $36.2 million, Donnelly ranks No. 182 among North American injection molders, according to Plastics News' latest ranking. The business specializes in short-run manufacturing for original equipment makers in the industrial market.
The new press was purchased at NPE2018, according to Donnelly President Ron Kirscht.
"The Engel press is another example of how Donnelly continually invests in technologies that allow us to cost-effectively deliver increasingly higher quality parts in shorter time frames," Kirscht said in the release. "When combined with our short-run expertise, advanced technologies put us in the best position to help OEMs effectively compete and thrive."
Donnelly also bought a Toshiba 500-ton electric press and Universal Robots' UR5 collaborative robot prior to the installation of the Engel press, added Jerry Bienias, Donnelly's vice president of operations.
"By enhancing our capabilities with this new best-in-class machine, we continue to leverage technologies that ultimately help our customers succeed and lead with innovation," Bienias said in the release.
Founded in 1984, Donnelly has 240 employees handling about 13,000 mold changes a year. The average run time for a mold is 11 hours, according to the company, which describes its focus as setting the standard for how short-run is done.