WM Wrapping Machinery SA, Stabio, Switzerland, now is incorporated for business in the United States and will be leasing a new building this month to replace its operations in the Elkhorn Tech Center, Elkhorn, Wis., where it began. That facility has been sold, officials say. While the company prepares to move, its products now are available for purchase.
Stateside, the company now is doing business as WM Wrapping Machinery Inc. Its technology for high-speed thermoforming machines includes further enhancement of its technique for tilting the lower platen that aids product trimming and overall production speed. While the tilting platen is not new in the industry, WM has patented some of the stacking solutions, says Luca Oliverio, sales manager.
On WM equipment, the 75-degree tilt feature aids precision cutting (the cutting mold is stainless steel), helps cope with shrinkage, and makes using robots easier. Otherwise, the system would require an in-machine, two-axis robot. With the tilting platen the sequence is: close, form, cut, open, tilt and pick and place parts, with no need for a separate station.
WM held its Thermoforming Technology Days in July in Elkhorn during which it presented its technologies to about 65 attendees. WM officials wanted to emphasize the company's quality and service to U.S. customers.
Three months ago, the company supplied a machine, Model FT 500 with a 570mm by 375mm platen, for the production of PP multilayer coffee pods with a 40-cavity mold, equipped with a Rotostack (RS) as its stacking device. RS is a stacking and transfer unit with rotating plates. The stacking and counting units allow for a single-lane feed to downstream equipment. That installation was in Europe, officials say. WM's other stacking options include Easystack and Multistack.
The company's available range of thermoforming machines for in-mold punching with lower tilting platen is designed and manufactured in Switzerland. The goal for WM is to address market requirements for high quality, but economical, batch sizes of containers such as cups, bowls and tubs. Its tilting system uses a combination of servo motor-driven cams and levers, based on a double system that guarantees less vibration compared to other techniques. The precision and repeatability of movements ensure high-quality products and long life for the punches and the tools of the mold.
Three sizes are available for a range of production volume requirements: the FT 500, the FT 700 (705mm by 400mm platen) and the FT 900 (880mm by 520mm platen). All models are equipped with a plug-assist system in which the plug movement is controlled by a dedicated servo motor providing an even and controlled distribution of the material inside the mold cavities. The capability to program plug speeds and times can considerably improve the appearance of the final products, especially when using transparent materials.
All FT models are equipped with software for management of all the cycle parameters and machine functions. The control system guides the operator through a very simple and safe step-by-step sequence of settings, and all recipes are recorded on a digital device for future reference.
Early this year, WM installed an FC 1000E Speedmaster Plus thermoforming machine atCartolux-Thiers, Peschadoires, France, the thermoforming division of Top Clean Packaging. The company installed the machine in its clean room for manufacturing health-care packaging products.
The machine, which WM says is the largest of its type in production, can run forming molds with a maximum size of up to 1,060mm by 750mm. Its forming press has a clamping force of 67 tons with platen strokes of 160mm. The upper platen has a servo-driven plug movement and also has digital control that monitors that clamping force.
Merle R. Snyder, senior correspondent
Contact:
WM Wrapping Machinery SA, 011-41-91-64-07-050, www.wm-thermoforming.com
