Orlando, Fla. — Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Plustech Inc. introduced the next two generations of electric and hybrid injection molding machines to North American processors at NPE2024 in Orlando.
Plustech, the injection molding machinery division of Japan-based Sodick Co. Ltd., is expanding its all-electric product lineup with the MS G2 series for high-cycle applications and replacing the hybrid vertical rotary injection molding machines with the VR-G series, according to National Sales Manager Len Hampton.
"The vertical improvements are a lower table height more conducive for manual loading and unloading of substrates," Hampton said.
Plustech marked its 20th anniversary in North America this year with a big showing at NPE2024. The company ran five different machines in its booth in collaboration with more than 20 vendor partners for dryers, loaders, robots, molds, temperature control units and materials.
The demonstration parts were probably some of the most difficult and precise produced at the trade show, according to Plustech Vice President Kohei Shinohara.
"These sophisticated machines provide precision to 1/1,000th of an inch with every single shot. That's hard to imagine, but we'll be doing it in the booth in real time," Shinohara said.
Both machines feature Sodick's proprietary V-Line technology to improve energy efficiency, response time and overall user experience.
About a third of the machine fleet of Erie, Pa.-based Beaumont Technologies Inc. was built by Sodick, Beaumont President John Ralston said. He's considering investing in more.
The processor serves the medical and custom molding markets as well as automotive with thick LED vehicle lenses.
"The screw plunger system allows us to do things we can't do with a conventional injection molding machine, such as really precise dosage and high precision for connectors and thicker LED lenses," Ralston said. "It has been wonderful for us."
Tim Lucks II, a molding manager and process engineer at Biomerics LLC in North Carolina, also lauded the screw plunger system. The company specializes in micromolding for medical and military applications.
"I'm able to take some of the shear heat out of my plastic and buy some more residence time to produce components that have the chemical properties and molecular structure we need," Lucks said.
Midwest Precision Molding is expecting a new Sodick press in the next month or two.
"We do a lot of medical, auto and industrial applications," Midwest Precision Molding President Patrick Austin said. "We found with the tolerances our parts require, these machines serve us really well."
About half of Matrix Tool's 41 injection molding machines are Sodick, General Manager Dave Moyak said. "We're a big believer in the technology and the increased capability the machine provides for us," he added.