• No complicated takeout systems or bottle knock out devices

• No complicated tooling (shear steels, blow pins, deflashing, etc) to maintain

• High operating efficiencies of the production line

• No complicated hydraulics and greater energy savings

• Much small machine requiring less floor space

• Because of the simplistic design it requires less people

• Much high quality bottles than can be made on other type of machines

Recently I talked with a customer that said our competitor told them the SB process “does not work”, I said “does not work, what do you mean?” the competitor says that your machine produces unblown bottles, the process does not work with no tails and it takes 3 people to run the line”. So I then put him in touch with a customer that has been running our SB system, very successfully, for 4 years. After the conversation he told me “you are right, he loves his machine and says he has less than one operator”. The moral of the story is, don’t believe what you hear from competitors. With the Wilmington’s SB system, things CAN BE too good to be true. It’s simple and better than any other process on the market today, I hope you will call me to find out the truth about the SB RBM systems.

910-431-1003 or email me at: jnewman@wilmingtonmachinery.com

-Jeff

If you did not get a chance to stop by and see us, contact Russ or myself to discuss your project or to get more details.

Wilmington MSB40-Dual Parison Blow Molding System, 800 BPM

The system is being shipped to South America to produce 80 ml HDPE liquid yogurt bottles. The rotary molder’s 40 stations with dual cavities operate at a 6-second cycle time. Utilizing the SB technology, the molder is simple and efficient to operate as well as very repeatable. It produces weight variation of less than +/- 0.05 grams, yielding excellent material distribution.

“The system is part of our new SB series of rotary blow molding systems,” says Jeff Newman, Wilmington Machinery VP of Sales. “This is the first of several new dual parison models that we plan to build. Also to be built is our model MSB60 DP which will produce 80 ml type bottles at the rate of 1200 bottles per minute, and this is anticipated to be the fastest extrusion blow molding systems in world.”

The SB technology is ideally suited to these very high speed applications since it does not rely on clumsy mold knock out rod systems, cut-off knives or high-maintenance bottle takeout systems under the wheel. The bulk conveying of bottles away from the rotary blow molder is the key to its success. Plus, the streamlined Wilmington Blow Needle design further simplifies the process with only a single pneumatic function, resulting in less moving parts.

The repeatability of the process has exceeded expectations with a total weight variation of only plus/minus 0.05 grams. There is also the added benefit of an extremely small floor space requirement of only 30 x 45 feet, a fraction of the footprint that would be required by multiple shuttle or reciprocating blow molding machines.

In another first, Wilmington Machinery is working with Maer trimmers in Spain to produce their first 800 BPM rotary spin trimmer for single filed bottles. Bottles are delivered to the Maer from a Lanfranchi unscrambler.

The process can easily be scaled up to handle bottles as large as 250 ml (or larger) and speeds in excess of 1200 bottles per minute depending upon the size and weight. This is believed to be the fastest extrusion blow molding system in the world. Ideal bottle applications are food, single serve drinks, juices, teas, sports drinks, energy drinks, dairy/milk and liquid yogurts, just to name a few.

The MSB40 Dual Parison system is extremely impressive to see in operation. To see video footage and learn more about Wilmington’s dual parison SB rotary blow molding systems, please contact Jeff Newman at jnewman@wilmingtonmachinery.com or 910.431.1003 (mobile).

Foam Molding Technology

The Structural Foam Process is a low pressure injection molding process where an inert gas is introduced into melted polymer for the purpose of reducing density and hence weight of the finished product.

Structural foam molded products have cellular cores surrounded by rigid, integral skins. Foaming agent (NI, CO2   or CBA) is introduced into the polymer melt stream, creating a homogenous mixture of polymer and gas.
The mixture is short-shot injected through nozzles into the mold in a volume that is less than the amount required to mold a solid part. Injection pressure and expansion of the polymer/gas mixture fills the mold.

A porous skin is formed when the melt contacts the cold surface of the mold. The expanding polymer/gas mixture forms the cellular core.

The expanding gas provides the final pack and hold pressure. Once the plastic gas mixture enters the mold cavity, the gas expands (i.e. foams), filling the cavity and forming cellular structures within the part. The finished part is typically 10 – 30% less weight than an equivalent solid part.

Advantages over alternative methods

• Part weight reduced 10% to 30%
• Density Reduction, hence resin savings
• Low cost N2 or CO2 – much less expensive than chemical blowing agents (CBA’s)
• Large part molding with low clamp force requirements
• Mold Cavity Pressure; typically 200 – 600 psi ( 14 -41 Bar )
• Lower energy costs vs. other IM processes
• Lower cost aluminum molds vs. high pressure IM machines
• Faster cycles due to better heat transfer of aluminum
• Thick wall parts from 0.125″ – 0.500″ ( 3 – 12 mm )
• Stiffer parts at the same weight as IM as a result of cellular foam structure
• Complex parts without sink marks
• Higher impact strength than thinner wall IM
• Parts can be sawn, screwed, nailed or stapled like wood

The process of arriving at this proprietary machinery can be difficult and expensive, so many companies turn to a machinery manufacturer to assist and guide them through the complicated process. Contrary to what you might initially think, however, there are precautions and procedures which a buyer can apply when working with a custom machinery builder. Because we at Wilmington Machinery have a perspective from the machinery builder’s position, the following tips may be of value to those in the process of acquiring proprietary high-output processing systems.

Many problems between buyers and suppliers of proprietary machinery begin with the very first meeting, when expectations are not properly defined in writing. Let me repeat: expectations must be written so they can be considered, discussed, clarified, and understood by all. No one can read minds, and making assumptions has been the basis for many long, costly arguments. Expectations should encompass overall objectives and goals, detailed specifications, performance criteria, testing parameters, and budgetary constraints. Because custom projects are by nature highly individualized, nothing should be left to subjective interpretation. Written documentation protects all parties. This includes developing an “exit strategy” prior to beginning that can be used by either party.

The Process of Designing a Proprietary Machine

The process of designing a machine from the ground up can be overwhelming to those who have not gone through the process. In reality, the sequence must be thought of in terms of distinct steps. Wilmington Machinery has broken these out into distinct Phases that should be followed.

The Exploratory Phase. In most cases the customer has an idea to start the process. This is the learning Phase during which the customer explains the process their ideas for the future machinery. This is also a learning period for the machinery manufacturer to understand the critical elements of the particular production process and variable and interfaces necessary to deliver a successful production machine. This typically takes place in 1-2 meetings.

The Concept Phase. During this phase, the machinery builder’s engineering and production-oriented staff formulates several possible solutions and assesses each concept with its Strength, Weakness and Risk Analysis. These are reviewed in detail with the customer for their input and suggestions based upon their understanding of machinery and process requirements. This would include for the first time an estimated cost of the first and subsequent production machines along tentative timelines. This Phase can take 4-8 weeks depending upon the complexity of the project.

The Development Phase. All general arrangement drawings, detail drawings, schematics and bills of materials are created on CAD. A firm price of the machinery and firm timeline are agreed upon, along with a very detailed set of deliverables. This Phase can take 6-12 weeks, again depending upon the complexity of the project.

The Production Phase. The machine is physically manufactured and assembled. This is typically a 3-6 month project depending upon the material delivery time and amount of assembly hours required.

The Validation Phase. During this phase, all machines are tested under agreed-upon production conditions and validated prior to shipping. This would also be the time when extensive operator/maintenance training would be completed, as well as a thorough review of the complete documentation set that includes BOM, detailed assembly drawings, maintenance and the operator manuals.

The Installation/Commissioning Phase. The machine is installed in customer’s facility, and start-up and full production are validated for a second time.

It is vital that buyers treat each of these phases as separate parts of the whole process and build into the arrangement an agreed-upon series of milestones with sign-offs when the written specifications for each phase have been successfully fulfilled. Again, it is also important that each phase features an exit strategy in the unlikely event that mutual objectives have not been met.

Buyers should be cautious of assuming that a turnkey system is more costly than a pieces and parts approach to custom machinery development. In fact, a turnkey approach is usually much less expensive in the long run. The reason is rooted in the reality that a turnkey supplier provides everything to produce the finished product. Moreover, if there is a component failure, the responsibility is clearly that of a single supplier and there can be no finger-pointing between dual or multiple vendors. Conversely, a system that has multiple suppliers integrating different components is ripe for the “blame game.” Once an initial turnkey system is successful, subsequent systems may be pieced together with much less chance of failure.

Some buyers have been hurt by assuming that the technology represented by the custom machinery they are buying will become their legal property. Before you sign on the dotted line, be sure that you have a binding assurance that the completed machine you receive will, in fact, be proprietary. If you don’t, you may wake up to find your competitors enjoying the technological benefits you paid for!

Because proprietary machinery is frequently required to meet unique processing criteria, a buyer can use the quotation, order and written job specifications to help ensure a comprehensive proving-out sequence of the process. Most successful projects stipulate a production run at the machinery manufacturer’s facility before shipping then a repeating, using identical processing guidelines, once the equipment is in place with the customer.

Summary

In summary, the common thread that runs through all “good practices” of customized equipment buying is the absolute need to spell out all expectations, to specify all criteria for performance, and to provide a clear, mutually acceptable method for evaluating progress at each phase of the customizing process.

For more than three decades, Wilmington Machinery has been designing and building cost-effective, highly specialized, quality custom processing machinery.