Mold-Rite Plastics, a supplier of plastic closures and jars, announced a groundbreaking ceremony today, July 8, at its Twinsburg, OH, manufacturing facility. The company is responding to extraordinary growth in manufacturing closures that are used daily by millions of consumers around the world, said the company in its announcement. The company has remained operational 24/7 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our mission remains to be the most responsible and flexible supplier in the packaging industry. Our factories have responded incredibly well to increased levels of demand, resulting in production being up 32%,” stated Brian Bauerbach, President and CEO of Mold-Rite Plastics.

Netstal will also provide mould partner Ceylan with an all-electric Elion 2200, which will produce 150g margarine trays with IML decoration in four cavities. Eurasia Robotic created the IML system with side removal, camera control, and packaging unit.

When operating in automatic mode, the control system identifies the optimum point at any time and adjusts the pressure in the hydraulic system. Netstal states that, depending on the application, this adjustment can minimize the energy consumption required to reach the appropriate system pressure.

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

“The new addition will allow us to increase our business over 25%,” added Carol Rinder, Vice President of Operations for the Twinbsurg facility. “The expansion will also allow the facility to further advance the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin in its products.”

It offers a show weight of 42g and a cycle time of 3.8 seconds, and the turnkey production line will run at Ceylan’s booth at Fakuma.

Netstal is displaying a lightweight, thin-wall, injection compression moulded cup for dairy products, reportedly made of 100% polypropylene, at Fakuma.

The molder of plastic closures and jars for a range of markets reports that production has increased 32% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, Netstal is showcasing Axos 9, the newest generation of its control technology. Set to be applied to the Elion and Elios series machines, the technology comes with an operating concept expected to maximise performance.

The company noted that this increased demand cannot be fulfilled through operational efficiency alone. Mold-Rite Plastics has historically invested capital at a substantially higher rate than the industry average in order to stay ahead of demand and maximize flexibility. This building expansion reaffirms a commitment to employees, customers, consumers, and American manufacturing, said Mold-Rite.

Smart Operation, only available as a paid option in past models, has been implemented into the scope of delivery from Axos 9. It claims to facilitate the fast, safe, and effective operation of Elion and Elios machinery.

“We are manufacturing important products, adding employment opportunities, and working to improve the environment,” added Rinder. “We are excited to make this investment in our community.”

Previously, ENGEL, ALPLA Group, Brink and IPB Printing collectively produced thin-walled containers made of PET and rPET in a single injection moulding process step; and Sumitomo (SHI) Demag expanded its IntElect S all-electric high-performance injection moulding machine range to explore low part weights, narrow tolerance components, and other product applications.

Mold-Rite Plastics manufactures injection-molded plastic closures and jars at locations in Pittsburgh, New York, and Somerset, NJ, in addition to the Twinsburg facility. The company’s products can be found on many national brands and private-label products, including spices and seasonings, syrups, sauces, health and beauty products, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals.

The thin wall is manufactured in four cavities at a cycle time of 2.7 seconds in an Elion 1750 injection moulding machine with a hybrid injection unit. Adaptive system pressure reduction has also been applied in an effort to increase the efficiency of its hybrid machines.

Glaroform, Beck Automation, SABIC, IPB Printing, motan, Regloplas, and Uniform Color also contributed to the creation of the pack, with dairy product bottler Emmi AG also serving as a development partner. The cup’s previous appearance has been maintained while its specifications have been tailored to Emmi’s requirements.

Reportedly, the filling volume of the cup is 200g, its part weight 5.4g, and its wall thickness 0.3mm. Injection compression moulding, or ICM, claims to reduce the cup’s weight by 34% and, when combined with product optimization, lowers packaging volume by 27%.

All of the Twinsburg facility’s current product offerings are manufactured with recyclable polypropylene, and Mold-Rite has been working closely with brand owners to incorporate more recycled content into their packaging. Mold-Rite Plastics takes pride in ongoing initiatives to delight customers by offering more sustainable products that reduce the amount of plastics used, provide recyclable options, and promote re-use wherever possible.

A collaboration between Plastiques Venthenat, Amcor, Olga, Cedap, and Arcil-Synerlink has also resulted in a form-fill-seal yoghurt pot that claims to be fully recycle-ready. Its 98.5% polystyrene content is expected to smoothen the sorting and recycling processes.

Due to its mono-material design, it is said to be easy to recycle. The label apparently comes apart from the rest of the pack during the recycling process – unlike a conventional in-mould label – and the printing ink particles are separated from the pure polypropylene to keep the recycling stream from becoming contaminated.