Plastics News Show Daily - April 4, 2012 - (Page 4)

4 PLASTICS NEWS, April 4, 2012 Major expansion plans in works for PTi PLASTICS NEWS STAFF ORLANDO, FLA. — Sheet extrusion machinery maker Processing Technologies International LLC (Booth 6885) is investing $3 million to expand production for its equipment. “We’ve been very busy,” said Dana Hanson, PTi’s president, in an April 3 interview at NPE2012. “Our backlog is at record levels. The size of machinery we’ve been building is significant. This is what is driving us to expand.” On a macroeconomic level, Hanson believes the United States is coming out of recessionary lows. “Our customers are extremely busy. Capital expenditure is at an all-time high,” he said. “Our business has hit record levels the last three years, and our products are being well received throughout packaging markets in North America.” The growth has come as a result of an increase in market share and expansion into new markets in- From left, Dennis Paradise, PTi senior vice president of sales and marketing, with Dana Hanson, president sales and marketing. The company also is expanding internationally. It has delivered a PET packaging line into Turkey. Its sales are up 40 percent from the same period one year ago. “Our pipeline has never been bigger than it is right now,” Paradise said. Magna gets a feel for car console controls By Rhoda Miel PLASTICS NEWS STAFF ORLANDO, FLA. — Molding and electronics are creating a whole new way to put your car radio controls at your fingertips. Unlike the mechanical dials, switches and buttons — and the flat-screen system used on some cars now — Magna International Inc.’s Intelligent Surface is a system that integrates a capacitor film through in-mold technology to create one part with touch control placed on sculptured shapes that fit nicely in a driver’s hand. For the system on display at Engel Machinery Inc. (Booth 943), that combination of technologies has created a sample that is very familiar to anyone who has ever used a computer mouse. “It’s a very intuitive shape,” said Mike West, manager of product/process development for Magna. “People like the way it feels, and it only takes them a few minutes to understand it.” The part is made using Engel clearmelt technology and Magna’s capacitive foil. The foil is located on the back surface of the part, but is triggered by touch and allows a driver to easily adjust a car’s temperature, adjust the radio or even place a call. Unlike a flat-screen surface, the molded surface allows the company to integrate a raised surface to guide a user’s finger along the controls, so it is easier to manipulate the controls without taking your eyes off the road. “We are able to create real Kautex Machines Inc. 201 Chambers Book Road North Branch, NJ 08876 PH: 908-252-9350 Your Single Source Supplier of Extrusion Blow Molding Machines and Turn-Key • Packaging (consumer and Systems for industrial) • Technical Parts • Automotive products (fuel tanks, filler pipes, ducts etc.) • Up to seven layers including 3D and suction blow molding Made to Move your Business See us at NPE booth 1751 sculptured surfaces,” said Georg Laukart, executive director for product line cockpit and instrument panels with Magna’s operations in Europe. The capacitive foil is not only flexible — allowing it to be used on curved surfaces — it can also work with a leather skin, which will allow automakers more design options for various car trim levels, and also allow drivers to operate the controls while wearing gloves, unlike a smart phone, West said. Magna can also set the system to activate when it senses nearby movement rather than touch, which would, for instance, turn on a glove box light automatically when someone reaches into it. At NPE2012, an Engel duo 350 injection molding machine is producing the center consoles. Using spin-stack technology, the thermoplastic center console top carrier, made of ABS-polycarbonate, is injected while a molded part, created in the previous cycle, is overmolded with polyurethane in the second half of the mold. The capacitive foil is insert placed into the mold via linear robots. Beyond the aesthetics of the curved surfaces and the operation, the capacitive film also allows Magna and its customers to cut the amount of space needed for electronic controls. Without bulky wiring harnesses, carmakers have more space inside the car for the driver and passengers. Interior suppliers also can reduce the gap required between parts, improving interior fit and finish, said Tom Pilette, vice president of product and process development. In addition to its typical automotive customer base, Magna has been showing the integrated film technology to a variety of other industries, such as the mak- Getting in touch, from left: Magna’s Mike West and Georg Laukart sample their firm’s intuitive, raised-surface car console controls during NPE2012. ers of home spas and agricultural equipment. The film might launch in commercial production in any of those industries soon, West said. The auto industry is changing, and plastics have a good future, Peter Neumann, Engel’s president and CEO, said at the machinery maker’s press conference April 3. “The philosophy to build cars will change dramatically in the next 10 to 15 years, and for us in the plastics industry, this is a great opportunity,” Neumann said. Plastics News photo by Michael Marcotte Plastics News photo by Michael Marcotte By Angie DeRosa cluding “dryer-less” PET systems. Customers also are retiring older equipment for higher capacity and increased efficiency systems. Through its expansion at their base in Aurora, Ill., officials will increase overall plant capacity by 50 percent. They will add 40,000 square feet of primary manufacturing and office space. That will take the facility to 100,000 square feet and grow it to nearly 120 employees. PTi will break ground later this year with plans to be fully operational by Spring 2013. PTi will be able to build more complex machinery. The expansion will include a dedicated feed-screw testing and development center that will serve as a “proof-ofprocess” resource for application development work. Officials wanted a place for customers to conduct process trials and identify potential new business opportunities without interrupting their own operations. “Customers don’t have the time and can’t afford to take the time to prototype,” said Dennis Paradise, senior vice president of 

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