machinery | Thermoforming
start the process from the automatic dosing and feeding of the polypropylene (PP) granules and finish with the recycling of the scraps. These are reduced to flakes and re-sent to the dosing unit at the end of the line. The line is equipped with WM’s Next 75 extruders –
which have a screw diameter of 75mm – and two Next 45 co-extruders (with 45mm screw diameter). The total extrusion capacity is 1,096 kg/h. The process continues with the flat die head of the
extrusion that feeds a vertical laminating calender composed of three rolls which produce the extruded sheet with a width of 930mm and a thickness of 0.2-2mm. The sheet is then transported to an FT 900 thermo-
forming machine, which can use moulds with a maximum size of 880 x 520mm and has a clamping force of 750kN. Because the tilting system of the movable platen can rotate up to 75 degrees, the formed cups can be easily removed by the lower half mould. The cups are formed and cut in-mould, removed with
aspirating spindles and sent to a collection cage. The stacked cups are then sent by a conveyor belt to the rimming machine, which has three rotating screws. The rimmed cups follow their way to the counting, packag- ing and boxing units ready to be delivered to the final customer.
The in-line system manages to cut energy consump- tion, says WM, as it can produce 120,000 cups per hour, reducing waste and the number of people needed to manage the system.
Sonoco adds capabilities US-based packaging company Sonoco is to acquire Peninsula Packaging, a thermoforming specialist based in California. The deal, worth approximately $230 million, will see
Peninsula’s ownership transfer from Odyssey Invest- ment Partners to Sonoco. The transaction is subject to normal regulatory review and is expected to close by the second quarter of 2017. “With the addition of Peninsula, Sonoco will nearly
double its thermoforming packaging capabilities,” said Jack Sanders, president and CEO. “Our goal has been to expand our consumer packaging portfolio to grow our offerings in both the centre of the store and the fast growing perimeter.” Founded in 2001, Peninsula had sales of around $190m last year, and operates five manufacturing facilities – four in the US and one in Mexico. It special- ises in thermoformed packaging for a wide range of whole fresh fruits, pre-cut fruits and produce and prepared salad mixes – well as baked goods – sold in supermarkets. Sonoco’s chief operating officer, Rob Tiede, noted that supermarkets have spent $15bn growing their freshly prepared options in recent years – in order to increase sales of items along the perimeter of the store. Recent industry research estimates that perimeter
store sales of fresh foods could achieve a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of up to 7% over the next four years, he said. “Combining Peninsula’s product lines with Sonoco’s packaging capabilities positions us extremely well to capture new growth in this rapidly expanding category,” he said.
At the same time, GN Thermoforming Equipment, a Canadian manufacturer of thermoforming machines, has expanded its agreement with Chinese agent Vulcan Plastics Technology. Vulcan will now sell GN’s entire machine line beyond China and Taiwain – in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. “Vulcan has well-established relationships in the
thermoforming industry and the necessary resources that will help us grow our position in that part of the world,” said Jerome Romkey, GN’s business develop- ment manager. Under the new agreement, Vulcan is hiring dedi-
WM Thermoforming has recently supplier four FT 900 thermoforming machine lines to make American -style ‘red cups’
18 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | June 2017
cated staff to sell and service GN’s complete line of thermoforming machines – which includes contact- heat and plug-assist thermoformers. By late summer, GN will house a demonstration machine at Vulcan’s Shenzhen site for customer evaluation, testing, and processing trials. Other demonstration machines could be added later
in the year. Romkey said the timing is right for an expanded
agreement with Vulcan due to increased demand from Asian processors for Western-made equipment.
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