Originally Published MPMN November 2005

INDUSTRY NEWS

Thermoformer Adds Equipment to Produce Extra-Large Parts

Corinne Litchfield

A thermoformer of heavy-gauge materials has acquired the largest rotary thermoforming machine in the western United States. Ray Products (Ontario, CA; www.rayplastics.com) commissioned Modern Machinery of Beaverton Inc. (Beaverton, MI; www. modernmachineinc.com) to custom build and install the Modern 1018 223 machine. Requiring five flatbed trailers to move it in its entirety from Michigan to California, the machine features a forming window of 10 X 18 ft.

The machine uses plastic sheets up to 10 X 18 ft at thicknesses ranging from 0.060 to 0.500 in. Using its three-station carousel system, machine operators are able to maintain continuous loading, thermoforming, and unloading in one smooth process. The new equipment will join eight other thermoforming machines and complement the company's existing services of pressure forming, five-axis CNC trimming, assembly, painting, silk screening, and EMI and RFI shielding.

According to company president Brian Ray, "We now have a service and capability that was once only located east of the Mississippi River. Now, West Coast customers can enjoy the added flexibility that large-part thermoforming has to offer from a local supplier. We have identified several local companies that have a need for large, custom-thermoformed parts, and now is the time to meet with them and show them our new capabilities."

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