INJECTION MOLDING/BLOW MOLDING/EXTRUSION: Plastics Spotlight Shines on Taiwan This September

Taipei Plas, the biennial show formally called Taipei International Plastics & Rubber Industry Show, will launch its 14th exhibition Sept. 26-30 in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2012, the event drew attendees from 101 countries, covered more than 45,000 m2, and had more than 15,000 visitors. In 2014, show organizers are projecting an 8.9% increase in exhibitors, with 2500 booths, and a 4% increase in visitors, forecasting 16,500 attendees. It is, of course, a showcase for Taiwan’s own plastics machinery builders. Here’s a preview of some of their machinery exhibits next month:

• Chen Hsong Group is well known in Asia, thanks to its production capacity of around 15,000 injection machines/yr. Its Asian Plastics Machinery (APM) subsidiary (represented here by Recto Molded Products, Cincinnati), plans to bring three machines to Taipei Plas—two-component, two-platen, and high-speed models. After successfully re-launching a line of two-platen presses, Chen Hsong will re-launch an all-electric line next year.

• Fu Chun Shin Machinery (FCS), represented here by Maruka USA, Pine Brook, N.J., will bring two injection machines to Taipei Plas, including a 150-ton hybrid and a vertical two-component press with a turntable. This year, the company will introduce a new generation of electric machines, fully Taiwan-made and offering a pricing advantage over
Japanese models.

• Jon Wai Machinery will feature three injection machines at the show, running closures, IML, and cutlery applications. The new closure system, dubbed SLIM cap, will
mold 26.7-mm, 1.6-g HDPE caps in 16 cavities on a 2.9-sec cycle. “I believe it’s the fastest machine in Asia,” said Robin Pan, marketing director. The company has also created a machine for cap slitting, using 12 rotating heads to add the security thread to closures at rates from 1000 to 5000/min. Next up for Jon Wai: its first all-electric injection machine.

• Multiplas Enginery Co. Ltd., represented by New Pacific Machinery, Trenton, Tenn.,is best known for its vertical injection presses, but the company’s new factory in Taiwan will allow it put a new focus on horizontal machines. The R&D-oriented company is
working on numerous projects such as overmolding a windshield with TPU seal and on closely guarded developments with companies like Foxconn, Gillette, and Johnson & Johnson.

• Victor Taichung Machinery, represented here by Fortune International, Somerset, N.J., will highlight its second generation of all-electric injection machines (introduced in 2012), the V alpha II range from 50 to 300 tons. At the show, the company will run five electric presses, including a fast-cycling 350 ton, and a two-component model. Victor Taichung counts Chinese electronics manufacturers Foxconn and Hon Hai among its clients and ships 1000 to 1200 machines to China annually.

• Chum Power Machinery is bringing what it calls the world’s fastest linear stretch-blow molding machine for PET. The all-electric LS16 has 16 cavities and production
rates to 24,000 bottles/hr for a 600-ml container. The new machine’s smaller footprint means only one operator is required. It has 38 mm of pitch between preforms, allowing more to be heated at the same time, saving energy. The machine also has an air-recovery system that allows it to reuse costly compressed air.

• The star of Fong Kee International Machinery’s booth will be a new bottom-blow  accumulator-head blow molder. Susan Wei, sales director at the family owned business, says the bottom-blow design not only improves cycle time and product quality, but also creates an overall “easier process.” The machine has a 75-mm screw and 100-hp motor and runs at 528 lb/hr. It has platens measuring 720 x 550 mm and can produce containers from 10 to 10,000 liters. At the show, it will run HDPE jerry cans with handles at 70 to 100 pieces/hr.

• In extrusion, Kang Chyau Industry has more than 25 years of  experience in blown film, selling approximately 4600 machines during that time in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Its newest product is a scrap recycling line. The company designs die heads, screws, barrels, and air rings, then outsources fabrication. During a recent visit, a  three-layer blown film line was undergoing testing prior to shipment to Venezuela.