Tooling and engineering company will be moving its UK operation to a 50% larger purpose-built facility and plans to hold an Open House event at the new facility.
R and D Tool and Engineering have confirmed that their UK operation will be relocating to a larger purpose-built facility in Summer 2006. RandD's UK facility oversees all Group activities outside of the Americas and the announcement follows a broadening of R and D's sales network in Europe and the Middle East in 2005. The new facility will be sited close to the existing UK operation, near to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire and will be nearly 50% larger than the existing site with an expanded development capability.

Commenting on the announcement, Alan Tolley, managing director of R and D's UK operation said: 'To continue being successful in an increasingly competitive global market, in addition to utilising state of the art manufacturing equipment and processes, we need to have first class manufacturing and development facilities and the time is right for us to move.

The purchase of our new facility will enable us to continue to develop our operations in the UK and allow us to have the space and flexibility to accommodate future business growth.' Once the move has been completed, R and D plans to hold an Open House event at the new UK facility for existing and prospective customers.

Further details will be announced later in the year but it is expected that this will be held towards the end of 2006.

As an established supplier of moulds, mouldings and assemblies into Europe and the USA, Luen Tai International Mould align its growth and continuous improvement strategy in line with market demands.
Luen Tai International Mould has a new service in the UK for both new and existing customers. As an established supplier of moulds, mouldings and assemblies into Europe and the USA, Luen Tai International Mould align its growth and continuous improvement strategy in line with market demands. As more and more businesses in the UK become ready to trade directly with suppliers in China, Luen Tai International Mould are responding to their needs.

Not only are customers able to benefit from pricing direct from the factory in China, they are still able to enjoy project management support from a UK based sales manager.

There are no agency fees and commissions to pay, just direct 'door-to-door' business with China utilising their UK representative Ian Allsop.

Allsop has 28 years front line experience in the plastics moulding industry.

Luen Tai International Mould has over 20 years of experience in manufacture of moulds and supplies to high European standards.

Moulds, mouldings and assemblies can be supplied from their range of machines up to 1600T locking force, inclusive of twin shot and gas assisted moulding.

Visits to the Luen Tai manufacturing site in Guang Dong Province, China are welcomed.

Shipping is handled by their office in Hong Kong.

Luen Tai International Mould offer a comprehensive 'Quotation to Delivery' service and tailors company expertise to the specific needs of each customer.

Customers enjoy all the desired characteristics of a successful project, from fast quotation response to full evaluation and inspection of samples.

'In-house' blow-moulding of PET containers, with production capacities up to 10,000 bottles/h, can be accommodated with the latest linear KSB-8L stretch blow-moulder
PET containers are becoming the norm for filling operations involving soft drinks, bottled waters and even edible oils. However, costs associated with storage and transportation of these low-weight to large-volume ratio container products can be considerable, particularly for high-throughput bottling lines. In-house blow-moulding of PET containers, with production capacities up to 10,000 bottles/h, can be accommodated with the latest linear KSB-8L stretch blow-moulder from Kosme.

This versatile machine is designed for the supply of cylindrical and petaloid containers in sizes up to 110mm diameter, 340mm length and from 0.2 to 2.0 litres capacity.

The machine incorporates a preform supply system with chute, conveyor and input ramp feeding a blow-moulder with integrated stove, preform combiner, blow stations and built-in control panel.

The latest eight cavity model is based upon a technically successful four cavity predecessor, but clever design ensures that no more floor space is required for the new higher throughput model.

The benefits are not limited to footprint size, however, as the equipment can produce high-quality PET bottles with reductions in both energy and air-consumption levels.

Preforms with 28mm PCO/PCO high/BPF/BPF light/Alaska/30-25 and oil threads can be processed.

Bottle production can be tailored exactly to customer specifications, while easy changeover procedures and short conversion times ensures that smaller batch runs with different containers can be accommodated as well as large runs utilising the same containers.

Direct connection via neck handling air conveyor transportation to the filling unit can be established to achieve full function in-house direct on-line operation with maximum efficiency.

The KSB-8L machine is technically advanced, but is based upon simple sequences of the preform movements within the structure to achieve a high degree of reliability and performance.

This is combined with excellent access to all components, reduced maintenance and wear and easy-to-exchange blow moulds comprising twin independent modules each with four blowing stations.

During operation, the hopper-stored preforms are orientated to hanging from their neck rings for transfer through the heating zone while being continually rotated.

On exit, they are picked-up in groups of 2 x 4 prior to separation.

At this stage, an infra-red camera is used to check the preform temperature which is compared via the control system to operating parameters, with adjustments undertaken to the heating process if required.

Automatic spacing is carried out at pitch centres from 40 to 120mm, prior to the heated preforms being positioned in the blow mould cavities.

After sealing, the stretching and air blowing is carried out until the containers are fully formed.

Once cooled, the completed bottles are de-aerated and transported to storage or transferred direct to the filling operation.

A blow-molding machine uses advanced parison suction technology to economically produce elongated and curved 3D shapes virtually flash-free from high-temp engineering resins.
Uniloy Milacron's new UMA 20.SH blow-molding machine uses advanced parison suction technology to economically produce elongated and curved 3D shapes virtually flash-free from high-temp engineering resins. Particularly suited to automotive underhood components - air ducts, turbocharger pressure pipes, coolant lines, tank filler pipes, etc - the innovative machine can also save production time and material waste for the appliance industry on high-temp lines and pipes for tumble dryers, laundry washers, and dish washers. Parison suction eliminates parting lines as weak points, while delivering superior wall-thickness uniformity.

The UMA 20.SH machine can be equipped for sequential co-extrusion of two-material parisons, enabling molding of components with both stiff and flexible sections.

Modular machine design allows easy interchangeability between suction-blow and conventional blow-molding.

This enables users to gain high flexibility and utilization from the accumulator head UMA 20.SH, especially in the early stages of developing suction-blow business.

The machine's dimensions support processing of a wide range of products.

In parison suction, mold close comes first, then the parison is pushed out from the melt accumulator into the closed cavity.

The parison floats on an air stream generated by a suction fan at the bottom of the cavity.

The parison is drawn down through the mold contours, while support air is blown as needed inside the parison from the top to prevent parison collapse.

When the mold is filled, sliders close off the top and bottom ends of the parison.

The parison is inflated against the cavity walls via needles located at the parison ends.

Additional needles can be used to enhance internal cooling/flushing air for reduced cycle times.

Parison suction permits exceptionally tall molds, enabling two or more parts to be molded end-to-end in one cycle, then separated afterwards.

The suction process eliminates flash along the length of components, in turn reducing trimming stations and waste handling.

Parison suction leaves minimal flash material, just finishing of domes created by top and bottom close-off.

The UMA 20.SH brings exceptional material utilization and process economies to blow-molding of HDPE, PP, high-temperature nylons, glass-filled resins, thermoplastic rubber, and engineered materials.

The machine is engineered for 340 deg C (640 deg F) melt temperatures.

Parison suction allows a compact machine to produce parts of exceptional dimensions and geometries for significant investment and energy savings.

The process enables a smaller head and extruder and lower clamp force than would be required for traditional blow molding of the same shapes.

The UMA 20.SH offers shot sizes up to 1.3 litre (1kg of HDPE) with maximum output of 125kg/h HDPE.

The adaptable machine accepts mold platens up to 700 x 650mm (27.5in x 25.6in) and provides 1000mm opening daylight.

An open-access, tie-barless clamp unit, adapted from Uniloy shuttle machines, permits easy access to the mold from three sides.

The 200kN clamp unit (300kN optional) enables traditional blow molding, along with suction blow.

A touch-screen machine interface provides 100-point process control, configuration of valve sequences, record of all modified variables, and remote tele-service access to machine screens and sequences.

Control-based SPC/QC capability is available as an option.

Ethernet communications allows easy networking and high-speed signal transmission.

Uniloy can supply the UMS 20.SH as a complete production system with downstream equipment for automated parts handling and finishing (cutting, milling, welding).

* About Uniloy Milacron - Uniloy Milacron is the largest supplier of blow molding machines in North America with an extensive parts and service network.

In addition, the company provides a full range of turnkey system services, including container design, mold development and manufacturing, prototyping and pre-production runs, and system commissioning.

Industrial blow molding is centered in Batavia, Ohio.

The company has a number of facilities in Europe and China, in addition to the USA.