ENGEL insert Vertical Selected for New Automotive Operation at Microplastics

Illinois-based insert molder Microplastics, Inc. has recently won new automotive business, and to meet this expanded demand, the company has added a new ENGEL insert vertical molding machine.

When insert molder Microplastics, Inc., St. Charles, IL, needed to expand their vertical molding capability, they turned to ENGEL North America, the injection molding machine manufacturer that has supplied them since their inception in 1989. Microplastics added an ENGEL insert 650/150 US vertical machine with a horizontal injection unit, to handle a new automotive contract for air bag sensors.

“Microplastics started with one ENGEL machine, and as we have grown we have always relied on ENGEL machines to support our molding operations” explained Vice President of Operations, Andrew Schaus. Today the company operates with 11 vertical and three horizontal presses, producing insert-molded components for the automotive, computer, appliance, telecommunications, electronics and medical industries.

ENGEL brings more than 60 years of experience to the design and construction of vertical injection molding machines. ENGEL’s comprehensive modular system design, including application specific modules, provides the right machine for any conceivable insert application.

Microplastics’ new system features a double smart pump which permits parallel machine movements at the injection and handling stations, allowing these sequences to be optimized without adversely affecting other machine functions.  This reduces machine dependent waiting times to a minimum, which increases economic efficiency.

“Microplastics really know what they want from their molding systems,” said Larry Davis, ENGEL account manager. “As they develop their fully automated manufacturing cells, we modify our equipment to meet their needs.”

“ENGEL machines integrate very well with our automated systems and allow us to remain competitive in the plastics industry,” said Schaus. “When we designed our new system, there were many specific features that we were looking for from our molding machine. ENGEL was able meet all of those requirements while providing additional features for future growth. One of the features that we were particularly impressed with is the new press design which allows for a higher clamping tonnage, while minimizing the machine foot print. This allows for a more robust processing window and minimizes our floor space requirements.“