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An App That Will Help the Plastic Recycling Industry

Whenever there’s a problem, there’s going to someone that comes up with an idea to solve this issue. In our case with the China ban on plastic scrap, a Silicon Valley based technology company called Scrapo, who built a platform that connects suppliers & buyers of recyclable plastics.

It’s absolutely true that there’s an app for everything.

Fun facts:

  • Today there are over 10,000 buyers and sellers that are active users on the platform and this number is growing.
  • 75% of these users are outside the United Sates.
  • Scrapo does not take a fee for listings or sales
  • How platform makes money is with their enhanced services which they help the user with the sales, logistics and payment processes.
  • Listings on the marketplace cover loose or baled material, flakes and pellets.
  • 65% of plastic listed on the platform has been post-industrial material and 35% post-consumer plastic.

 

If your tired of selling your scrap and perhaps thought about having a turn key plastic recycling systems then we can help guide you through this journey.

Hirate America has solutions to provide full turn key plastic recycling systems with a combination of full wash lines with shredders (Lindner Resource, specializing in waste management)  and all-in-one shredder + extruder + pelletizer by Next Generation Recycling (NGR).

Credit to Plastics Recycling Update, see full original article here.

 

If you have a project that you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us below to schedule a free consultation.

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Announcement: Jason Sears Named President of Dri-Air Industries

Jason Sears has been named president of Dri-Air Industries, replacing Charlie Sears, Dri-Air founder and Jason’s father, who passed away recently.   The Board of Directors of Dri-Air made the announcement.

Jason has been an employee at Dri-Air for 30 years, beginning after school during his high school years learning such skills as welding, electrical wiring, painting, packing and machine assembly.   Building on this strong foundation for a future leader, Jason joined Dri-Air after earning his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1992.

He has held positions in engineering new products, designing equipment for new applications, technical troubleshooting, manufacturing and customer service. He has been Vice President of Operations for more than five years.

Remembering his father, a customer satisfaction legend in the plastics manufacturing industry, Jason said, ”Charlie Sears was a great mentor, embracing all the good characteristics of a principled, customer service oriented, honorable person.   Hard work and leading by example are valuable lessons I learned from my father.   After he created a succession plan, we continued to work together very closely as Dri-Air grew and advanced its success.” He added. “My commitment is to maintain Dri-Air at the same standards that have made it successful for 44 years…providing the best quality dryers that our customers deserve.   At Dri-Air, the customer always will come first.”

In his community, Jason Sears has focused on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) movement, taking an active role in the First Robotics program at the middle and high school levels.   He has sponsored the Plastics Industry’s Plasti-Van at local schools.

Jason currently holds a position on the Plastics Industry Association Equipment Council and the NPE 2021 Content Committee, having participated in the NPE committee since 2015. He is also a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Dri-Air Industries is the leader in compressed air and desiccant drying technology. The company offers a proven, patented 4-bed desiccant dryer design for faster drying of plastic pellets with no moving parts.   Applications include plastic dryers, resin blenders and material handling systems.

Hirate America partners with Dri-Air Industries Inc. if you need desiccant drying equipment.

Please contact us if you have any projects you’d like to discuss with us.

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Top 5 Reasons To Get an All Electric Injection Molding Machine

All electric injection molding machines have been on the market for decades now, and there are many benefits in utilizing all electric injection molding machines.  Although there are still applications for standard hydraulic and hybrid injection molding machines, many of the major injection molding machine manufacturers are primarily focused on manufacturing all electric molding machines.  This is especially so as technology is constantly advancing and the previously too expensive to build larger tonnage all electric molding machines are becoming more and more common. It is clear that the future of the industry is in all electric injection molding machines.

Here are the top 5 reasons why it makes sense to mold with all electric injection molding machines.

1.) Cleanliness (No hydraulic oil, no oil leaks and spills on the floor)

  • No Oil Equals No Mess
    When comparing injection molding machine types, there are standard hydraulic injection molding machines, hybrid injection molding machines and all electric injection molding machines.  Standard hydraulic and hybrid injection molding machines require hydraulic oil to actuate the clamping motion and injection unit of the molding machine. All electric injection molding machines use servo electric motors to actuate all of the machines motions and have no need for hydraulic oil.
    All electric injection molding machines cannot leak oil, because they don’t use oil.  Your manufacturing floor will be free of dirty and slippery oil leaks which is a huge safety hazard during mold changes.  Not to mention you will no longer have to replace the hydraulic oil after the 2 to 5+ year life cycle of the oil. The life cycle of the oil depends on if you run 24/7 and also if you run the oil temperature hot which accelerates degradation.  It’s a big difference having to use and not having to use hydraulic oil.You never want oil contaminating and undermining your production floor, but this becomes a serious problem when you are in the food packaging, medical molding or clean room required industries.
  • No Oil Changes Equal Less Maintenance
    The life cycle of the hydraulic oil in a machine depends highly on the hours of use and the quality of the machine itself.  We have seen some instances where the hydraulic oil became extremely contaminated in as little as 6 months of use on a competitors brand new machine.  Imagine having to replace oil every 6 to 12 months, not to mention the cost of the oil which can get relatively expensive with larger machines requiring over 500 gallons of hydraulic oil.  With our hybrid injection molding machines, we have seen some of our customers, who periodically test the quality of their hydraulic oil, get 5 or more years of use out of their hydraulic oil.  However, please note that the manufacturer does recommend that the hydraulic oil be changed every 3 to 4 years depending on the hours of operation.

The clean and quiet working environment that you get with all electric injection molding machines make them the ideal machine to use for food packaging and medical molders.  You won’t have to worry about getting oil contamination when cleaning your facility before a plant audit and sending your customers contaminated parts.

2.) Low Energy Consumption

Contrary to its name, all electric injection molding machines are extremely energy efficient.  If you compare running the same part and mold in a standard hydraulic injection molding machine vs an all electric injection molding machine, you will see a 50% to 70% energy savings in most applications.

In a standard hydraulic injection molding machine, the hydraulic pump is constantly on when the machine is running.  It has to keep running to circulate oil, and is generating heat as long as the machine is running. On the other hand, because all electric injection molding machines only consume electricity as the servo motors turn to actuate movement, much of the production cycle is spent idling, this is especially so during the cooling phase of your cycle

  • All Electric Servo Motors
    Standard hydraulic injection molding machines have one or more pumps that generate hydraulic pressure, and valves that direct the pressure to the hydraulic mechanisms to build pressure based on the needed movements.  All electric injection molding machines do not have a central electric motor, but use individual electric motors designed for each function that is needed throughout the machine, i.e. mold open/close, injection, recovery, and ejection.  This means that the motors can be idle until their specific function is required. This is a night and day comparison vs a standard hydraulic injection molding machine that has to run its pumps continuously, even when nothing is happening.  This is especially apparent during the cooling phase.
  • No Hydraulic Cooling Needed
    The energy savings don’t end with the injection molding machine.  With the elimination of the hydraulic pump circuit also goes its need for cooling on the hydraulics.  Because all electric injection molding machine don’t have hydraulics, they don’t require machine cooling.  The only cooling that you will likely need is for your mold and feed throat. This leads to additional savings as you will not need the additional water lines and permits to put them up.  Chillers also consume large amounts of electricity, and cooling towers consume water, electricity and require frequent maintenance and monthly water treatment plans.
  • Less Equipment Equals Less Maintenance
    It is very common for customers who use only all electric injection molding machine to only have chillers in their plant.  This is because they no longer have a need for a high temperature circuit of cooling (85-95F) for their machines, and only require the low temperature circuit of chilling (anything under 80F, usually 55F) for their molds and feed throats.  Having fewer pieces of equipment obviously means, less capital invested, less upkeep and maintenance costs, less energy consumed, and lower overhead.

  • Overall Plant Energy Savings
    All electric injection molding machines also run significantly cooler because there is no heat being generated by a hydraulic pump.  Medical and clean room molding facilities are often climate controlled, which means that the air conditioning system does not have to work as hard to remove the heat from the molding room, if the machine is all electric.  This is another reason why medical and clean room manufacturers almost exclusively use all electric injection molding machines.
  • Think Long Term Savings
    Based on all of the above points, when comparing a 390 ton standard hydraulic injection molding machine vs an all electric injection molding machine, there is around $17,000 of annual savings on the all electric machine.  This number represents the savings based on today’s factors, but is only expected to increase as energy costs all across the US and Mexico are constantly on the rise. With proper maintenance and care, quality injection molding machines should last 20+ years.  This means that when considering a new injection molding machine, you need to be thinking of 10 to even possibly 20 years down the road. Make sure to purchase your new machines from a reputable and established company who manufacturers their own components, such as platens, motors, sensors, breakers, contactors, cables etc.  This ensures that you will always have access to replacement parts. LS Mtron is an example of a billion dollar company that manufactures all of the major components in their machines in house. www.lsmtron.com    www.lscns.com    www.lsis.com

3.) High Repeatability and Precision (Closed loop controls and linear motions)

  • Accuracy
    Of the 3 types of molding machines, all electric injection molding machines have the highest accuracy and repeatability.  This is because of the fact that these machines use electric servo motors with a 0.1mm +/- rotation to actuate their movements.  This type of movement allows the process to completely negate the fluctuations and inaccuracies of movements actuated by hydraulic pressure and their unavoidable pressure curves.
  • Consistency In Production
    Standard hydraulic injection molding machines constantly experience variations in their process throughout the year, and even throughout the day. This is because the weather is always changing and has an effect on your machines temperature and humidity.  As hydraulic oil gets cooler, its viscosity increases, and as hydraulic oil gets warmer, its viscosity decreases. The way hydraulic oil performs also changes as it degrades over time. This means that the way the oil in a machine moves and lubricates will always eventually be totally different than day 1.This also means that your molding machine’s process may need to be adjusted periodically throughout the day.  Standard hydraulic molding machine controls are considered “open loop” because they send signals to valves to adjust pressures, but don’t actually have direct control over the physical movements of the machine, and thus cannot make all of the minor adjustments that an all electric machine can make in real time.  All electric injection molding machines are considered to have “closed loop” controls because they control every movement with physical gear turns of their servo motors, and have the ability to constantly monitor and control their positions and speeds to a very tight tolerance, regardless of the ambient conditions.  This is the difference between “closed loop” and “open loop” controls.

All electric injection molding machines are the perfect fit for manufacturing most complex, difficult, and thin walled parts.  You can inject very accurate shots, while maintaining precise repeatability through the day, night, and seasons.

4.) High Speed

  • Simultaneous Movements
    All electric injection molding machines have multiple electric servo motors.  These motors are coupled to pulleys and belts that work onto ball screw mechanisms that actuate the movements of functions, i.e. platen open and close.  The ability all electric machines have to make compound movements (actuating multiple functions at the same time) is one of the reasons why electric machines often times produce reductions in cycle time vs standard and hybrid injection molding machines.  You can “eject on the fly” or eject your parts before opening the mold completely,and you can start recovering the screw while opening and closing the mold. Hydraulic injection molding machines can only handle one movement at a time, because they typically only have one hydraulic pressure circuit to actuate movements.  This becomes a huge game changer for many molders when they decide to advance to all electric injection molding machines.
  • Instant Torque
    We all know that electric cars get their immense speed from having instant torque from their electric motors, and the same goes for our all electric injection molding machines.  They have instant linear motions from our AC electric servo motors, and can achieve up to 800mm per second injection speeds, and can also have multi-step injection speeds with our high output and high response AC servo motors.

    With all that instant torque also comes the need for a very rigid and robust toggle clamping mechanism.  LS Mtron utilizes a very rigid 5 pin toggle mechanism to ensure that you will continue to have a fast and reliable machine.  Our platens and toggles have gone through extensive FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to determine where all of the major stress points on the mechanisms are.  We also utilize the highest quality steel and casting technologies via our own inhouse steel forging division. All of this is done to maximize the lifetime of our all electric injection molding machines.
    We also utilize a very robust and precise ball screw mechanism to actuate the clamping motion.   As is with any machine component, the range of performance and quality can range drastically, so it is important to ask what manufacturer’s ball screw the injection molding machine you are looking at uses to fully understand its reliability of performance.

5.) Technology Advancements

  • Extremely Reliable
    All electric injection molding machines are the most reliable of the different types of injection molding machines.  This is because unlike standard hydraulic injection molding machines and hybrid injection molding machines that were designed many decades ago, and are often more geared for a lower price bracket, all electric injection molding machines typically use state of the art technologies available.  All electric injection molding machines are also very quiet while running, and most run at or below 70db. This means that your employees are not required to wear hearing protection while operating the machines.
    You will have no oil, less maintenance, more accuracy, higher repeatability, energy savings, a much quieter work environment and a machine that is easier to maintain to continue running production.
  • Automated Features
    With all electric injection molding machines you will have no sticking valve issues, degrading oil quality issues, ambient temperature process fluctuations and noisy pumps.Many of the all electric injection molding machines have safety features standard, like mold safety to prevent crushing parts and foreign objects in the mold, cold screw rotation prevention to prevent the mistake of accidentally rotating the injection screw when the plastic is still cold and solidified from the machine being idle.Most machines will have a centralized lubrication system or automation lubrication system to automatically pump grease onto the tie bars, toggle links, linear guides and other locations where greasing is necessary.  So as long as the grease reservoir or cartridge is full, the injection molding machine will automatically grease the areas that need lubrication based on the number of full cycles. When the grease levels are low, some machines have sensors to alert that the grease reservoir or cartridge levels are low to remind your maintenance team to refill grease or change the cartridge.

Conclusion

Many of our customers prefer All Electric Injection Molding Machines based on the following:

  • The highest degree of cleanliness
  • Very low energy consumption
  • Very high repeatability and precision
  • High speed molding
  • Technological Advancements and Features

For these reason an all electric molding machines are extremely reliable for long term production runs.

We always recommend LS Mtron’s all electric injection molding machines when customers want to make millions of parts reliably every year.  If it’s a 24/7 operation that is required for maximum production rates, this is the best type of molding machine money can buy. We have customers that run “lights out” without any personnel on-site outside of normal business hours and weekends without any downtime.

Hirate America is partnered with LS Mtron Injection Molding Machines (formerly known as LG Injection Molding Machines) who manufactures all electric injection molding machines in South Korea ranging from 20 to 950 US tons.  We can provide a complete turn key solution including machines, molds, auxiliary and automation equipment. Contact us today to request more information and a proposal for your project.

If you have a project that you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us below to schedule a free consultation.

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Got End of Arm Tools? Part 3 Lifting Technology

 

This will be a 3 part series (Vacuum, Gripper and Lifting technology) from FIPA, End of Arm Tools (aka EOAT). 

If you have a robot to pick out parts from the mold it’s essential to have a properly designed EOAT which is the robot’s customized hand to extract your parts and runners.

FIPA specializes in EOAT (suction cups, grippers, cutting shears, lifting) and can customize the design to your specifications.

 

 

Part 3: Lifting Technology

FIPA lifting devices enables a more efficient, faster work process and relieves the stress on workers’ bodies.  All components are compatible with the entire FIPA vacuum techcnology and EOAT ranges.

 

The FIPA lift set has package handling capacity of 11 lbs ~ 143 lbs (5 kg~ 65 kg)
The lifting force depends on the suction tightness of the material to be lifted, the more leakage, the greater the losses in carrying capacity.

  • Vacuum pump
  • filters and hoses
  • vacuum cup

 

FIPA Vacuum Lifter “Spider” for heavy lifting made easy has handling capacity of  551 lbs ~ 1100 lbs (250 kg~ 500 kg)

  • Easy to install plug & play system with hand-slide valve, which only requires one person to lift the load safely
  • Suitable for the horizontal handling of heavy material like plates, metal sheets or disks
  • The vaccum lifter is used on a chain hoist

 

Hirate America partners with FIPA, a German based company that’s leading the industry in end of arm tooling design and components.

As you can see there are many options for your application.  Whether you want to purchase individual components or have a full turn key lifting system designed for your automation solution, FIPA & Hirate America has you covered to make lifting heavy materials for you.

 

 If you have any questions or need help with a custom designed end of arm tool, please contact any of the Hirate America team members to provide an automation solution tailored to your requirements.

 

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Got End of Arm Tools? Part 2 Gripper Technology

 

This will be a 3 part series (Vacuum, Gripper and Lifting technology) from FIPA, End of Arm Tools (aka EOAT). 

If you have a robot to pick out parts from the mold it’s essential to have a properly designed EOAT which is the robot’s customized hand to extract your parts and runners.

FIPA specializes in EOAT (suction cups, grippers, cutting shears, lifting) and can customize the design to your specifications.

 

 

Part 2: Gripper Technology

Grippers are like fingers for your robot.  There are some many different types of options available for your needs, all sizes as well as direct sensing technology to detect when the part is secure.

 

 

 

Miniature grippers are perfect for very tight spaces with clamping diameter of 10mm.

 

 

 

Parallel and angular grippers accurately positioned gripping, lifting up and depositing of components.

2 finger for pick and place, 3 finger for precise handling like inserts, angular for undercut or clamping components.

 

 

Gripper fingers with 35° and 95° angle stroke and option for gentle gripping with HNBR elastomer pads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ID grippers that expand pneumatically clamps workpieces at its inner surface and holding force controlled by feed pressure. Diameters range from 8mm ~ 81mm.

 

 

 

 

Air nippers (air scissors) are perfect for separating and cutting of plastic sprues or even metal wires.

 

 

 

 

Hirate America partners with FIPA, a German based company that’s leading the industry in end of arm tooling design and components.

As you can see there are many options for your application.  Whether you want to purchase individual components or have a full turn key gripper system designed for your automation solution, FIPA & Hirate America has you covered with the following:

  • Quick change systems
  • grippers
  • parallel and angular grippers
  • ID grippers and gripping fingers
  • magnetic grippers
  • needle grippers
  • air nippers (scissors)

 

 If you have any questions or need help with a custom designed end of arm tool, please contact any of the Hirate America team members to provide an automation solution tailored to your requirements.

 

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Got End of Arm Tools? Part 1 Vaccum Technology

 

This will be a 3 part series (Vacuum, Gripper and Lifting technology) from FIPA, End of Arm Tools (aka EOAT). 

If you have a robot to pick out parts from the mold it’s essential to have a properly designed EOAT which is the robot’s customized hand to extract your parts and runners.

FIPA specializes in EOAT (suction cups, grippers, cutting shears, lifting) and can customize the design to your specifications.

 

 

Part 1: Vaccum Technology – Suction Cups

Let’s focus on FIPA’s Varioflex suction cups that are extremely versatile and can be utilized on many surfaces:

 

 

 

 

FIPA Varioflex on abrasive products

 

 

 

 

FIPA Varioflex on processed or coated surfaces

 

 

 

 

 

FIPA Varioflex on structured and very rough surfaces

 

 

 

 

 

FIPA Varioflex on uneven and curved surfaces

 

 

 

 

 

Having an extremely well engineering and reliable suction cups and vaccum pads can make or break your production output.  Hirate America partners with FIPA, a German based company that’s leading the industry in end of arm tooling design and components.

Whether you want individual components or full turn key automation solution, FIPA & Hirate America has you covered:

  • high-efficiency vacuum pumps
  • vacuum cups
  • vacuum filters
  • vacuum switches
  • vacuum regulators
  • ejectors
  • valve technology

 

 If you have any questions or need help with a custom designed end of arm tool, please contact any of the Hirate America team members to provide an automation solution tailored to your requirements.

 

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China to enact tariffs on scrap and virgin plastics?!

There continues to be bad news on plastic recyclers and matters seem to worsen day-by-day.

The Chinese government plans to levy a 25% tariff on scrap plastic, as well as a number of virgin plastics and all recovered paper, in retaliation for the latest U.S. tariff proposals.

China’s Ministry of Commerce on Aug. 8 issued the latest list of tariffs the country is planning to implement on goods from the U.S. starting next week. The list identifies scrap PET, PE, PVC, PS and other plastics among the product codes that would be hit with the 25% duty.

The tariff codes named in the list would cover all scrap plastic, of which about 30.2 million pounds were exported from the U.S. to China during the first half of this year. In comparison to 2017, the U.S. sent 379.3 million pounds of scrap plastic to China.

The action also covers a handful of virgin resins, as well as recovered fiber.

Among the virgin plastics that will be hit with duties is high density polyethylene (HDPE). The U.S. shipped 300,000 metric tons of HDPE to China last year. The list also adds linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), of which 130,000 metric tons were exported to China last year.

The virgin impact is important for the recycling industry because recycled plastic prices often follow virgin resin trends.

Although previous tariffs have affected the recycling industry through steel and aluminum pricing and availability, or by their impact on recycling equipment, the new proposal from China marks the first instance of recovered plastic and paper being targeted directly.

If your company has been on the fence on turn key plastic recycling systems now is the time to move forward.

Hirate America has solutions to provide full turn key plastic recycling systems with a combination of full wash lines with shredders (Lindner Resource, specializing in waste management)  and all-in-one shredder + extruder + pelletizer by Next Generation Recycling (NGR).

Credit to Plastics Recycling Update, see full original article here.

 

If you have a project that you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us below to schedule a free consultation.

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Plastic Ban Expands to Other Southeast Asian Countries

“Thailand and a number of other Southeast Asian nations have seen substantially more scrap material flow into its ports this year because of China’s disappearance as a downstream destination. Census figures show U.S. exporters shipped 132.8 million pounds of scrap plastic to Thailand in the first four months of 2018, up from 4.6 million pounds shipped during the same period a year earlier.” – Resource Recycling

It is said that Chinese companies have set up factories around Southeast Asia, looking to stay in business by processing materials and shipping pellets back to China.  Other Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam is onboard with this as well.

This is more disappointing news on the plastic ban spreading like wildfire. The government of Thailand has banned all scrap plastic from entering its ports, amid a major increase in shipments to the country along with other Southeast Asia countries.   There is now an indefinite ban effective immediately imports of plastic scrap. Officials will begin inspecting recycling facilities across the countries.

Even the shipping and logistics companies responded swiftly to the Thai government announcement. Maersk, APL, Hapag-Lloyd, MCC Transport and  others have announced on June 23 that it would stop accepting shipments of recovered plastic bound for any port in Thailand.

Because of all of this, there has been significant activity with recyclers domestically and now really pushing to add new full turn key recycling systems in place.  It’s a race to see who will jump on this bandwagon of zero waste and zero carbon to clean up the environment and in the process capture business opportunities.

Hirate America has solutions to provide full turn key plastic recycling systems with a combination of full wash lines with shredders (Lindner Resource, specializing in waste management)  and all-in-one shredder + extruder + pelletizer by Next Generation Recycling (NGR).

Credit to Plastics Recycling Update, see original article here.

 

If you have a project that you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us below to schedule a free consultation.

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China will Expand Ban to Post-Industrial Plastic

Quick update for those that haven’t heard already and if we already didn’t have enough bad news going on with the ban on post-consumer plastics ban into China.  Here’s more as China plans to prohibit imports of post-industrial scrap plastic by the end of the year.

The Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced that it is set to re-categorize post-industrial PE, PET, PS, PVC and other scrap plastic as materials banned from import, according to The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

Post-industrial scrap plastics, including production scraps, off-cuts and regrind, were not named in the ban on post-consumer plastic that went into effect this year. Post-industrial loads, however, are subject to the sharp 0.5 percent contamination limits that went into effect March 1.

 

Chinese officials previously alluded to the country’s plans for further phased-in material import restrictions. The new announcement likely signals that the volume of scrap plastic shipped into China, which has dropped off substantially this year since the post-consumer ban took effect, will further decrease in 2019.

The market turbulence caused by China’s prohibitions over the last year have caused North American recycling stakeholders to scramble to determine the viability of markets in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.

 

More focus has also been put on trying to quickly develop greater capacity to use recovered material in domestic applications.  So which path are you going to take?

Hirate America has solutions to provide full turn key plastic recycling systems with a combination of Lindner Resource for shredders and wash lines and Next Generation Recycling (NGR) for all-in-one shredder + extruder + pelletizer.

Credit to Plastics Recycling Update, see original article here.

 

If you have a project that you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us below to schedule a free consultation.

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Announcement: Santa Fe Machine Works, Inc. Names Don Smith as Sales Executive/Product Development Manager

Don Smith a fixture in the Plastics Industry for nearly 40 years has transitioned from singular Barrel sales, to Screw, Barrel, Valve sales, as well as repair services with Santa Fe Machine Works, Inc.

Fontana, California 5/1/2018 Santa Fe Machine Works today announced that Don Smith has been named as Sales Executive/Product Development Manager. Don will work with his long established industry contacts to sell them Screws, Barrels, Valves & a multitude of Repair services offered by Santa Fe Machine Works. Don will work closely with SFM Management to develop new products & services that will help Santa Fe Machine deliver its Customers the most robust product offering in the Industry.

“We are obviously very excited to bring Don Smith into Management with Santa Fe Machine Works. For decades we have enjoyed the level of service he gave us with Wexco & he is already a natural fit to our team.” Scott Kelly CFO, Santa Fe Machine
Don Smith will remain in Virginia with his wife Beth, whom he has been married to for 28 years. From his location, Don will be able to focus his energy on developing new relationships with Extrusion/Injection OEM’s and Processers as well as adding enhanced service levels to our existing Customers around the world. Having worked his way from the Production floor, up to Management with Wexco Corp. his knowledge of the Manufacturing process & the balance between it and Sales will make him an asset to both departments within Santa Fe Machine. His expert understanding of the Barrel Market will allow Santa Fe to increase its market share in the Industry.
“When I was told that Don had been hired by Santa Fe, I instantly knew he was with the right company, who will respect his knowledge & ability to take them into a new expansive group of customers.” Fred Mellberg, Japan Steel Works Inc. (JSW.)

Don will be in Santa Fe Machine Works’ booth #W116 at ”NPE2018:The Plastics Show” in Orlando, Florida May 7-11, 2018. He is very eager to meet face to face with many of his friends in the industry & introduce them to the “concierge” style of service & dedication to its customers Santa Fe has offered for over 95 years. Don looks forward to an exciting time of discovering opportunities for Santa Fe Machine to capitalize on new areas of Market Share & deepening existing relationships with Processers & OEM’s alike.

Hirate America partners with Santa Fe Machine Works if you need screws and barrels.

Please contact us if you have any projects you’d like to discuss with us.