Nissei and Negri Bossi have brough some of their oldest injection molding machines to the show. The YD-2 in the foreground of the photo dates back to 1960; it was Nissei’s first production model after it was incorporated as an injection machine maker in 1957. With a clamping force of 30 tonnes, the YD-2 on show was used for more than 40 years by a processor molding various resins, including polyacetal, polystyrene, and PVC, before being donated to the Nissei museum.

The three older machines that are being replaced will be utilized at Natech’s mold-making facility for mold sampling and production. Natech has a total of 19 injection molding presses between its three facilities, two of which are in Ronkonkoma. The third plant, in Clark, NJ, houses mold-making operations.

“Because of the machine’s new technology, we can develop more stable processes. This ensures the processes will yield quality parts for clients,” commented Domingo Hernandez, Plant Manager.

Negri Bossi brought a molding machine to the K that is older than the show itself, which is marking its 70th anniversary this year.

The new machines are a 470E 112-ton Arburg with integrated robot, Nissei FNX280 with YCII-250 servo-driven take-out Yushin robot, and Nissei FNX360 with a YCII-400 servo-driven take-out Yushin robot. Just four days after installation, Natech was able to begin production, the company said.

More recent highlights at the joint Nisse/Negri Bossi booth include an injection molding machine outfitted with an injection blow molding tool from Spanish mold builder Molmasa that employs factory compressed air. The production cell is being demonstrated molding 500-ml biodegradable PLA jars with in-mold PLA labeling.

The Nissei presses run bigger and smaller molds than the machines they replaced. With multiple machines running bigger molds, production schedules are more flexible and clients don’t have to wait because a machine isn’t available to run their product.

Both celebrate their 75th anniversary this year, both companies have red in their logo, and both are now under the same roof at K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Japan’s Nissei Plastic Industrial and Italy’s Negri Bossi are exhibiting jointly for the first time in hall 15, booth B22, after Nissei acquired Negri Bossi in 2020. Also present at the booth is robot maker Sytrama, part of the Negri Bossi group.

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and is a proud dachshund owner.

The new Arburg press has faster robot-to-machine integration and helps to improve cycle times, according to Natech. Indeed, the company said the new machine improved cycle time by four seconds compared with the press it replaced.

Natech offers design, engineering, injection molding, assembly, filling and sealing, and packaging services. FDA registered, Natech is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 and has an ISO Class 8 cleanroom on site.

Negri Bossi, for its part, has shipped in a hand-operated unit that was built in 1946 (background in the photo), one year before the company was officially incorporated. The NB28 15-tonne press was the first machine manufactured in Italy and it was sold to a factory near Bergamo for 450,000 lira (€232 in today’s money) to mold buttons from polystyrene.

The new presses give engineers and operators more opportunities to efficiently run data-driven scientific molding for a reliable and repeatable process with little to no variation, said Natech. Scientific molding optimizes the tool design and validates the part’s end use, it added.

A contract development and manufacturing firm offering end-to-end services for clients in the medical device and diagnostics markets, Natech Plastics announced that it has installed three new injection molding machines this quarter at its Ronkonkoma, NY, headquarters. The machines will service customers in the medical, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods industries.