Weather seal products manufacturer Coda Products Inc. moved to a 9,000-square-foot building in Epping, N.H., and equipped it for a proprietary extrusion process as part of a $2 million investment to expand capacity.
Founded in 2019, Coda produces foam-only profiles, upright T-slot profiles and offset T-slot profiles for window and door manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada.
The company started at a smaller production site in Manchester, N.H., and has retained that 2,500 square feet of space.
Coda products are selling well in the residential new construction and remodeling markets and gaining some traction in the commercial space, founder and President Daniel Cook said in an email.
"We have been well received by our customers because we are a supplier that is able to focus on our foam seal product line and the requisite customer service that comes along with that," Cook said.
The company's proprietary manufacturing process results in foam that has a smaller cell structure than competing products, giving it improved compression set performance, Cook said. The closed-cell construction eliminates water absorption compared to open-cell urethane foam products, he added.
Coda manufactures standard and custom seal geometries using proprietary foam technology. For its new facility, the company partnered with Davis-Standard LLC on process development and machinery integration.
"The manufacturing process was improved with higher quality products, better performance from our foam for compression set, simplified process control and easier part/profile changeovers," Cook said.
Compression set measures the ability of foam and rubber materials to return to their original thickness after being subjected to a compressive force over a given period of time.
Cook used the lab line at Davis-Standard's R&D facility in Pawcatuck, Conn., to run product trials and determine the optimal machinery configuration for Coda products prior to purchase.
"Their team helped us with feedscrew design, extruder specification and control systems for seamless integration with our proprietary in-house downstream equipment," Cook said.
After he made product samples that stood up to rigorous test criteria, Cook purchased several Davis-Standard extruders equipped with the machine maker's DS-eTPC controls, which were specifically engineered for Coda's processes to achieve the smaller cell structure.
All products are currently constructed with the same three base resin materials. The foam is a closed-cell TPE with a micro-cellular structure for improved compression set performance. The skin coating is a high-performance UV stabilized thermoplastic vulcanizate and the rigid carrier is polypropylene.
Coda staff also are working on several research and development projects.
"Some are specific customer applications; others are general market offerings," Cook said. "We are most excited about the line of casement/awning window products we are developing right now."
The company has a streamlined development process to introduce new products, Cook added.
"We utilize 3D printing, flow simulation software and relationships with tooling suppliers to be able to deliver new products to customers in a short amount of time," he said. "3D printing has really been a catalyst for our development over the past few years. This technology has allowed us to iterate product and tooling designs in a matter of hours compared to what would have normally taken weeks to do."
At its new headquarters site, Coda gains 1,000 square feet for an R&D lab as well as 5,000 square feet of manufacturing; 2,500 square feet of warehouse and shipping; and 500 square feet of offices.
The expansion is expected to created 5-7 new jobs.