Quarterly Mags: 2010 4th

WWW.THERMOFORMINGDIVISION.COM
Quarterly®
Thermoforming
NSIDE …IA JOURNAL OF THE THERMOFORMING DIVISION OF THE SOCIETY OF PLASTIC ENGINEERS FOURTH QUARTER 2010 n VOLUME 29 n NUMBER 4
Report from Dusseldorf page 7
Energy Efficient Process Cooling page 12
Industry Review and Market Outlook page 16
®
Shifting Into Drive for 2011
WWW.THERMOFORMINGDIVISION.COM
Quarterly®
Thermoforming
NSIDE …IA JOURNAL OF THE THERMOFORMING DIVISION OF THE SOCIETY OF PLASTIC ENGINEERS FOURTH QUARTER 2010 n VOLUME 29 n NUMBER 4
Report from Dusseldorf page 7
Energy Efficient Process Cooling page 12
Industry Review and Market Outlook page 16
®
Shifting Into Drive for 2011

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Thermoforming
Quarterly®
FOURTH QUARTER 2010
VOLUME 29 n NUMBER 4
Contents Contents
n
Departments
Chairman’s Corner x 2
Thermoforming in the News x 6
The Business of

Thermoforming x
16
Thermoforming and
Sustainability x
26
University News x
28

n
Features
Industry Practice x
7

Report from Dusseldorf: A Review of Thin-Gauge Thermoforming
Technology from the 2010 K-Show

Lead Technical Article x
12

Process Cooling for1 Compounding

Parts Competition Winners x
24-25

Page 5

n
In This Issue
Correction x
6
2011 Conference – Schaumburg, IL x
23
Thermoformer of the Year

Award Criteria x
29

Front CoverShifting Into Drive for 2011

A JOURNAL PUBLISHED EACH
CALENDAR QUARTER BY THE
THERMOFORMING DIVISION
OF THE SOCIETY OF
PLASTICS ENGINEERS
Editor
Conor Carlin
(617) 771-3321
cpcarlin@gmail.com
Sponsorships
Laura Pichon
(847) 829-8124
Fax (815) 678-4248
lpichon@extechplastics.com
Conference Coordinator
Gwen Mathis
(706) 235-9298
Fax (706) 295-4276
gmathis224@aol.com
Thermoforming Quarterly® is published
four times annually as an informational
and educational bulletin to
the members of the Society of Plastics
Engineers, Thermoforming Division,
and the thermoforming industry. The
name, “Thermoforming Quarterly®”
and its logotype, are registered trademarks
of the Thermoforming Division
of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any form or by any means
without prior written permission of the
publisher, copyright holder. Opinions
of the authors are their own, and the
publishers cannot be held responsible
for opinions or representations of any
unsolicited material. Printed in the
U.S.A.
Thermoforming Quarterly® is registered
in the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office (Registration no. 2,229,747). x
Thermoforming
Quarterly®
Cover Photo courtesy of
Dallager Photos, Columbus, OH
All Rights Reserved 2010

Page 25

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 1

Thermoforming
Quarterly® Chairman’s Corner
Ken GriepKen Griep
“Embrace the Challenge”

First of all, I want to thank all
of our sponsors, exhibitors and
attendees who made this year’s
conference a great success. Secondly,
a special word of thanks is in order for
Clarissa Schroeder, your conference
chairperson, for her dedication
and drive to deliver an informative
technical program and to manage
a successful conference overall. I
also would like to acknowledge our
scholarship winners: Adam Mix,
UW of Madison; Clinton Reges, East
Carolina University; and Jerome
Fischer, Oakland University. On
behalf of the Thermoforming Division,
I wish them continued success in their
academic and thermoforming careers.

As we drive forward to the close of
2010 and open the doors to a new
year in 2011, I want to review some of
the areas where your Thermoforming
Board is taking action.

2010-2014 Strategic Plan

1. Streamline committee duties by
using more on-line meetings
between board meetings.
2. Restructure and refine the
conference.

3. Develop a communication
committee to improve the
information flow from the Board

to the membership.

4. Reduce costs.
= Huge Success

Our goal here, like many other
companies and trade organizations, is

to create a more efficient board. We

have already begun to address one
of these areas: many of our technical
committees are now meeting online to
address items left over from our last
board meeting in September. Our next
board meeting in February 2011 has an
aggressive meeting schedule designed
so that board members become more
productive during our time together.
By holding these periodic meetings
between formal board gatherings,
we can improve the methods by
which we promote our industry and
be more effective in bringing to
our membership an array of topics
and developments in materials and
processes.

We are now in the early stages of
planning our next board meeting in
May at Penn College (Williamsport,
PA). As you may know, your board
and division are extremely active in
providing funding, program assistance
and course development at this highly
acclaimed technical college. It only
makes sense for your board to visit
this center of higher education, to
experience their passion and develop
a strong bond between industry and
academia. In this sense, we are true to
our mission statement: “Our mission
is to facilitate the advancement of
thermoforming technologies through
education, application, promotion, and
research.”

Thermoforming Business
Outlook

As Dr. Peter Mooney illustrates in
our “Business of Thermoforming”
feature this issue, some of our biggest
challenges include designing new,
innovative products and creating

business models that deliver sufficient

value for our customer so they will
continue to buy. This has been made

more difficult by the recession. We

are also facing increasing costs from
rising health insurance premiums,
dealing with more government
regulations and potentially a greater
federal income tax. There also
appears to be a shake-up coming
in raw material costs. We are in a
roller coaster of ups and downs these
days. However, in response to this
uncertainty, one of the most important
acts we can do as thermoformers and
manufacturers is to get out there and
get involved with our clients and our
markets. Push thermoforming with a

PASSION! Explain all the benefits we

can offer the markets over alternative
closed-molding processes.

BE ACTIVE within your industry
instead of sitting around waiting for
the phone to ring. It starts with you!
If you have any view points or
comments please feel free to contact
me. I would like to hear from you!

ken@pcmwi.com

2 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Thermoforming
Quarterly® New Members
Juan Jose Aguirre
Total Petrochemicals USA
Deer Park, TX
Sandeep Armin
C&K Plastics
Metuchen, NJ
Jammie Arens
Advanced Extrusion Inc.
Becker, MN
Dave Armstrong
Fabri-Kal Corp.
Kalamazoo, MI
Chris Atkinson
Flecknoe Pty. Ltd.
Cloverdale, W Australia
Clint Atkinson
Superline Plastics
Perth, W Australia
Suresh Ayyasamy
GDC Inc.
Goshen, IN
Andrew P. Bacher
Tri-Cor LLC
Cleveland, OH
Gordon Beach
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Dwayne Bixler
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Serge Blanchard
CGP Europe
Torcy
Ron Blitchok
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Christoph Bonte
Vitalo Industries NV
Meulebeke
Marshall Brekke
Mikwaukee, WI
Bill J. Burke, Jr.
Spring, TX
Cory L. Buxengard
Allied Plastics, Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
Patrick M. Cain
General Plastics
Glendale, WI
Lisa Case
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Jeeyoung Choi
Align Technology
San Jose, CA
Todd Chrismer
McClarin Plastics
Hanover, PA
Nathan Cline
Georg Utz
Edinburgh, IN
Brad Colson
Rapid Granulator Inc.
Cranberry Twp, PA
Christopher Corona
Cartier & Wilson Co.
Columbus, OH
Sandy Crapser
Advanced Extrusion Inc.
Becker, MN
Gary Crivellaro
Speck Plastic Inc.
Nazareth, PA
Don Culbertson
Omni Technologies
Greendale, IN
A. Gaspar Cunha
University of Minho
Minho
Nirav N. Desai
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Al Diocochea
Freetech Plastics Inc.
Fremont, CA
Goran Djekanovic
AWP
Surrey, BC
Tom Douglas
Douglas Fabrication &
Machine Inc.
Wendell, NC
Allen Dunlap
Kenson Plastics Inc.
Warrendale, PA
Kamal Eldin Eisa, Jr.
Octal Petrochemicals
Salalah
Perry Engstrom
Arlington Heights, IL
Mark Faber
CM Packaging Group
Lake Zurich, IL
Jay Ford
ASI Plastics
Port Coquitlam, BC
Brett Franklin
Tooling Now
Mentor, OH
Bill Gerard
Specialty Mfg. Inc.
San Diego, CA
Jim Grace
Profile Plastics Corp.
Lake Bluff, IL
Scott Grant
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Carl Griffin
Insul-Fab
Cornelia, GA
Shane Harris
Seeley Int’l. Pty. Ltd.
Lonsdale
Dina Hebein
Profile Plastics Corp.
Lake Bluff, IL
Cory J. Hendricks
Corvac Composites
Byron Center, MI
Dale A. Hogan
Visy Industries
Campbellfield
Daniel J. Hribar
Plastic Ingenuity
Cross Plains, WI
Rocky Jacobs
Concote Corp.
Tyler, TX
James Johnson
Midland Plastics
New Berlin, WI
Scott Johnson
Charlotte, NC
Alan Jordan
CPT
Janesville, WI
Chad Kampa
Advanced Extrusion Inc.
Becker, MN
Phillip Karig
Mathelin Bay Associates
LLC
St. Louis, MO
Chris Kirby
Granger, IN
Wesley Knotts
Thermopro Inc.
Duluth, GA
Nanda Kumar
Maini Plastics &
Composites Pvt. Ltd.
Bangalore
Walter T. Kuskowski
Wentworth Technologies
Co. Ltd.
Hamilton, ON
Bob Kyle
Precision Packaging
Products
Holley, NY
Kevin Lakinski
Melrose Park, IL
Jonathan D. Larson
Allied Plastics Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
David Larson
Allied Plastics Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
Erik Larson
Allied Plastics Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
C. Y. Lee
Formosa Plastics
Point Comfort, TX
Dan W. Leisner
Eberle Mfg. Co.
Wheeling, IL
Derek Little
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Steve Logsdon
Fiber Pad Inc.
Tulsa, OK
Tim Lusk
Federal Foam
Technologies
New Richmond, WI
Dave Lyons
Innovative Plastech Inc.
Batavia, IL
Ben Lyson
Industrial Models Inc.
Gainesville, TX
Michael Maciejewski
Innovative Plastech Inc.
Batavia, IL
Louis Madrid
Bayer MaterialScience
Wildwood, MO
Ron Magee
Brentwood Industries
Reading, PA
Stephen F. Maguire
Tray-Pak Corp.
Reading, PA
John D. Manos
Rochester, NY
Mike Matthews
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Jason Mendofik
Tray-Pak Corp.
Reading, PA
Dan Mitchell
Solo Cup Co.
Chicago, IL
Kay Modrak
Allen Extruders Inc.
Holland, MI
Pat Montfusco
Clear Lam Packaging
Elk Grove Village, IL
Ken Morgan
Concote Corp.
Coppell, TX
Robert Mozian
SencorpWhite
Hyannis, MA
Rahul Mukerjee
Wilbert Plastic Service
Huntersville, NC
Pat Mulroy
Barger Packaging
Elkhart, IN
Randall Myers
Spartech Corp.
St. Louis, MO
Greg Nagel
Burfordville, MO
Dustin Nance
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Thomas J. Neumann
Greendale, WI
Chris O’Leary
Kenson Plastics Inc.
Warrendale, PA
Andy Pavlick
Genpak LLC
Hope Hull, AL
Doug Payne
Proform Plastics Ltd.
Frankton, Hamilto
Kevin Pedersen
Persona Inc.
Watertown, SD
William Person
Bloomfield Hills, MI
(continued on next page)
Thermoforming
Quarterly® New Members
Juan Jose Aguirre
Total Petrochemicals USA
Deer Park, TX
Sandeep Armin
C&K Plastics
Metuchen, NJ
Jammie Arens
Advanced Extrusion Inc.
Becker, MN
Dave Armstrong
Fabri-Kal Corp.
Kalamazoo, MI
Chris Atkinson
Flecknoe Pty. Ltd.
Cloverdale, W Australia
Clint Atkinson
Superline Plastics
Perth, W Australia
Suresh Ayyasamy
GDC Inc.
Goshen, IN
Andrew P. Bacher
Tri-Cor LLC
Cleveland, OH
Gordon Beach
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Dwayne Bixler
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Serge Blanchard
CGP Europe
Torcy
Ron Blitchok
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Christoph Bonte
Vitalo Industries NV
Meulebeke
Marshall Brekke
Mikwaukee, WI
Bill J. Burke, Jr.
Spring, TX
Cory L. Buxengard
Allied Plastics, Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
Patrick M. Cain
General Plastics
Glendale, WI
Lisa Case
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Jeeyoung Choi
Align Technology
San Jose, CA
Todd Chrismer
McClarin Plastics
Hanover, PA
Nathan Cline
Georg Utz
Edinburgh, IN
Brad Colson
Rapid Granulator Inc.
Cranberry Twp, PA
Christopher Corona
Cartier & Wilson Co.
Columbus, OH
Sandy Crapser
Advanced Extrusion Inc.
Becker, MN
Gary Crivellaro
Speck Plastic Inc.
Nazareth, PA
Don Culbertson
Omni Technologies
Greendale, IN
A. Gaspar Cunha
University of Minho
Minho
Nirav N. Desai
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Al Diocochea
Freetech Plastics Inc.
Fremont, CA
Goran Djekanovic
AWP
Surrey, BC
Tom Douglas
Douglas Fabrication &
Machine Inc.
Wendell, NC
Allen Dunlap
Kenson Plastics Inc.
Warrendale, PA
Kamal Eldin Eisa, Jr.
Octal Petrochemicals
Salalah
Perry Engstrom
Arlington Heights, IL
Mark Faber
CM Packaging Group
Lake Zurich, IL
Jay Ford
ASI Plastics
Port Coquitlam, BC
Brett Franklin
Tooling Now
Mentor, OH
Bill Gerard
Specialty Mfg. Inc.
San Diego, CA
Jim Grace
Profile Plastics Corp.
Lake Bluff, IL
Scott Grant
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Carl Griffin
Insul-Fab
Cornelia, GA
Shane Harris
Seeley Int’l. Pty. Ltd.
Lonsdale
Dina Hebein
Profile Plastics Corp.
Lake Bluff, IL
Cory J. Hendricks
Corvac Composites
Byron Center, MI
Dale A. Hogan
Visy Industries
Campbellfield
Daniel J. Hribar
Plastic Ingenuity
Cross Plains, WI
Rocky Jacobs
Concote Corp.
Tyler, TX
James Johnson
Midland Plastics
New Berlin, WI
Scott Johnson
Charlotte, NC
Alan Jordan
CPT
Janesville, WI
Chad Kampa
Advanced Extrusion Inc.
Becker, MN
Phillip Karig
Mathelin Bay Associates
LLC
St. Louis, MO
Chris Kirby
Granger, IN
Wesley Knotts
Thermopro Inc.
Duluth, GA
Nanda Kumar
Maini Plastics &
Composites Pvt. Ltd.
Bangalore
Walter T. Kuskowski
Wentworth Technologies
Co. Ltd.
Hamilton, ON
Bob Kyle
Precision Packaging
Products
Holley, NY
Kevin Lakinski
Melrose Park, IL
Jonathan D. Larson
Allied Plastics Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
David Larson
Allied Plastics Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
Erik Larson
Allied Plastics Inc.
Twin Lakes, WI
C. Y. Lee
Formosa Plastics
Point Comfort, TX
Dan W. Leisner
Eberle Mfg. Co.
Wheeling, IL
Derek Little
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Steve Logsdon
Fiber Pad Inc.
Tulsa, OK
Tim Lusk
Federal Foam
Technologies
New Richmond, WI
Dave Lyons
Innovative Plastech Inc.
Batavia, IL
Ben Lyson
Industrial Models Inc.
Gainesville, TX
Michael Maciejewski
Innovative Plastech Inc.
Batavia, IL
Louis Madrid
Bayer MaterialScience
Wildwood, MO
Ron Magee
Brentwood Industries
Reading, PA
Stephen F. Maguire
Tray-Pak Corp.
Reading, PA
John D. Manos
Rochester, NY
Mike Matthews
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Jason Mendofik
Tray-Pak Corp.
Reading, PA
Dan Mitchell
Solo Cup Co.
Chicago, IL
Kay Modrak
Allen Extruders Inc.
Holland, MI
Pat Montfusco
Clear Lam Packaging
Elk Grove Village, IL
Ken Morgan
Concote Corp.
Coppell, TX
Robert Mozian
SencorpWhite
Hyannis, MA
Rahul Mukerjee
Wilbert Plastic Service
Huntersville, NC
Pat Mulroy
Barger Packaging
Elkhart, IN
Randall Myers
Spartech Corp.
St. Louis, MO
Greg Nagel
Burfordville, MO
Dustin Nance
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Thomas J. Neumann
Greendale, WI
Chris O’Leary
Kenson Plastics Inc.
Warrendale, PA
Andy Pavlick
Genpak LLC
Hope Hull, AL
Doug Payne
Proform Plastics Ltd.
Frankton, Hamilto
Kevin Pedersen
Persona Inc.
Watertown, SD
William Person
Bloomfield Hills, MI
(continued on next page)
Thermoforming QUArTerLY 3

Thermoforming
Quarterly® New Members (continued)
Randy Pinsch
General Plastics
Milwaukee, WI
Michael Pugh
Seeley International
Lonsdale
Robert Rehmel
Barger Packaging
Elkhart, IN
Tim Riegling
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Brandon Roberts
Tech II
St. Paris, OH
Russell Romocean
Sun America Converting
Alliance, OH
Chris Schou
Tray-Pak Corp.
Reading, PA
Brent Shannon
Specialty Manufacturing
San Diego, CA
Kent Shepherd
Plastics Unlimited Inc.
Preston, IA
Fred Simonson
Multisource Mfg. LLC/
Victory Tool
Anoka, MN
Keith D. Smith
Flight Plastics
Wellington
Kelly South
Barger Packaging
Elkhart, IN
Chris Spellman
Mold-Tech Midwest
Carol Stream, IL
Prabhushanker
Srinivasan
StarPet Inc.
Asheboro, NC
Frank Stones
ASI Plastics
Port Coquitlam, BC
Cameron Streidl
Formed Solutions Inc.
Holland, MI
Masaaki Sueoka
Kyoraku Co. Ltd.
Chuo-ku Osaka-Shi,
Osaka
Li Sun
Becton Dickinson
Franklin Laakes, NJ
Varawong Tangitvet
vandapac
Chonburi
Indarjit Teelucksingh
Metal Industries Co. Ltd.
Tunapuna
Robert Tennyson
Multi-Plastics Extrusion
Lewis Center, OH
James Michael Thomson
Boltaron Performance
Products
Newcomerstown, OH
Ricardo Vallejos
Pamolsa
Callao, Lima
Matt Vandivier
Primex Plastics
Richmond, IN
Anne Walker
Nova Chemical
Monaca, PA
Robert D. Ward
Thule Inc.
Franklin Park, IL
Phillip Whetstone
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Sue Williams
Endurial LLC
Costa Mesa, CA
Dan Williams
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Stefan Wilson
Metal Industries Co. Ltd.
San Juan
Terrence Woldorf
CMT Materials Inc.
Attleboro, MA
Tracy C. Wolf
Innovative Plastech Inc.
Batavia, IL
Frank Wolfinger
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Sam Woodford
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Why Join?
Why Not?
It has never been more important to be
a member of your professional society
than now, in the current climate of
change and volatility in the plastics
industry. Now, more than ever, the
information you access and the personal
networks you create can and will directly
impact your future and your career.
Active membership in SPE – keeps you
current, keeps you informed, and keeps
you connected.
The question really isn’t “why join?”
but …
Thermoforming
Quarterly® New Members (continued)
Randy Pinsch
General Plastics
Milwaukee, WI
Michael Pugh
Seeley International
Lonsdale
Robert Rehmel
Barger Packaging
Elkhart, IN
Tim Riegling
Display Pack
Grand Rapids, MI
Brandon Roberts
Tech II
St. Paris, OH
Russell Romocean
Sun America Converting
Alliance, OH
Chris Schou
Tray-Pak Corp.
Reading, PA
Brent Shannon
Specialty Manufacturing
San Diego, CA
Kent Shepherd
Plastics Unlimited Inc.
Preston, IA
Fred Simonson
Multisource Mfg. LLC/
Victory Tool
Anoka, MN
Keith D. Smith
Flight Plastics
Wellington
Kelly South
Barger Packaging
Elkhart, IN
Chris Spellman
Mold-Tech Midwest
Carol Stream, IL
Prabhushanker
Srinivasan
StarPet Inc.
Asheboro, NC
Frank Stones
ASI Plastics
Port Coquitlam, BC
Cameron Streidl
Formed Solutions Inc.
Holland, MI
Masaaki Sueoka
Kyoraku Co. Ltd.
Chuo-ku Osaka-Shi,
Osaka
Li Sun
Becton Dickinson
Franklin Laakes, NJ
Varawong Tangitvet
vandapac
Chonburi
Indarjit Teelucksingh
Metal Industries Co. Ltd.
Tunapuna
Robert Tennyson
Multi-Plastics Extrusion
Lewis Center, OH
James Michael Thomson
Boltaron Performance
Products
Newcomerstown, OH
Ricardo Vallejos
Pamolsa
Callao, Lima
Matt Vandivier
Primex Plastics
Richmond, IN
Anne Walker
Nova Chemical
Monaca, PA
Robert D. Ward
Thule Inc.
Franklin Park, IL
Phillip Whetstone
Tech II
Springfield, OH
Sue Williams
Endurial LLC
Costa Mesa, CA
Dan Williams
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Stefan Wilson
Metal Industries Co. Ltd.
San Juan
Terrence Woldorf
CMT Materials Inc.
Attleboro, MA
Tracy C. Wolf
Innovative Plastech Inc.
Batavia, IL
Frank Wolfinger
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Sam Woodford
Placon Corp.
Madison, WI
Why Join?
Why Not?
It has never been more important to be
a member of your professional society
than now, in the current climate of
change and volatility in the plastics
industry. Now, more than ever, the
information you access and the personal
networks you create can and will directly
impact your future and your career.
Active membership in SPE – keeps you
current, keeps you informed, and keeps
you connected.
The question really isn’t “why join?”
but …
4 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

2010 Thermoforming Conference

milwaukee, Wisconsin

Attendees enter the Exhibit Hall as “Embrace the
Challenge” gets underway.

Future thermoforming experts learn about the latest
technology on display.

Thermoformer of the Year Roger Kipp and family. Attendees examine some product samples at the Ex-Tech
Plastics booth.

The SPE PlastiVan educates local Milwaukee-area
students about the wonders of plastics.

A packed session at the conference center is testament to
another successful event.

All Conference Photos Courtesy of Dallager Photos, Columbus, OH

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 5

Thermoforming in the news
InterTrade
Industries
buys California
packaging
thermoformer

By Bill Bregar, Plastics News Staff
Posted: October 22nd, 2010

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA

– InterTrade Industries Ltd. has
purchased Plastic Concept Inc. in a
deal involving two thermoformers
in Huntington Beach.
The deal expands InterTrade’s thingauge
thermoforming capacity,
doubles manufacturing space and
quadruples its tooling capability.
A company spokeswoman said
InterTrade will continue to run
Plastic Concept’s factory and retain
its employees. Workforce numbers
were not available.

Plastic Concept adds to InterTrade’s
blister and clamshell operations.
InterTrade specializes in vacuum
and pressure forming of heavygauge
products for markets
including aerospace, military,
automotive, electronics, medical
and consumer products. It also does
in-line forming.

Terms were not disclosed for the
purchase announced on October
21st.

Plastic Concept has nine
thermoforming machines that
specialize in thin-gauge plastics,
for retail packaging and other
markets. The company employs 22
and generated 2009 sales of $4.2
million, according to Plastics News’
most recent thermoformers ranking.
InterTrade said it will retain all
Plastic Concepts employees.

InterTrade is ISO 9001:2008

certified with more than 35 years

of experience. The company does
in-house computer-aided design

and five-axis computer numerically

controlled routing. It is a subsidiary
of American Innotek Inc. in
Escondido, CA. x

Creative Plastics
International
Acquires
Thermoforming
Assets of SeaGate
Plastics

Released: 11/11/2010

JACKSON CENTER, OH – Creative
Plastics International, Inc. (New
Washington, OH) announced
today that it has acquired the
thermoforming division assets of
SeaGate Plastics in Tecumseh,

Correction

Michigan. This production will
be transferred to Creative Plastics

facilities, located along the I-75

corridor near Jackson Center, Ohio.

Kevin Fink, President of SeaGate
Plastics, stressed that “While
SeaGate has spun off its thermoform
operation, we will continue to
operate the extrusion facilities in
both Ohio and Michigan.”

Gerald Wurm, President of
Creative Plastics, stated that the
SeaGate customers “can continue
to expect high-quality products
with uninterrupted supply and top
notch service. This transfer will be
advantageous to SeaGate customers
who will now have access to other
types of vac-grade materials, larger
part sizes of up to 8 x 10 feet,
pressure forming, higher volume
rotary forming and roll fed inline
product offerings.” x

Due to a formatting error on page 19 of our last edition of Thermoforming
Quarterly (TQ 3, Vol 29, No. 3), we inadvertently printed a table from “The
Business of Thermoforming” article with some missing data. The corrected
table is printed below.

Table 2. Variables Common to All Materials.

SPECIFIC WEIGHT 1.35 1.35 g/cm3
SHEET PRICE 1.63 1.63 $/Kg
SCRAP PRICE 0.38 0.38 $/Kg
% SKELETAL WASTE AND SCRAP 11 25 %
ENERGY CONSUMPTION (GN) 6.8 70 KW/machine
NUMBER OF CAVITIES PER TOOL 10 10 N/A
ORDER SIZE 2000000 20000000 N/A
COST OF LABOR 19.20 19.20 %/Hr
ELECTRICITY 0.128 0.128 $/KwHr
Contact M/c Radiant M/c Units
6 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Thermoforming

Industry Practice

Quarterly®

Report from Dusseldorf

A Review of Thin-Gauge Thermoforming
Technology from the 2010 K-Show

by Mark Strachan
Global Thermoforming Technologies, Inc.

O
O
n the first day of “K” 2010, I
was one of the first at the gate
and when the show opened, I was
like a kid in a candy store eager to
verify the claims made by so many
thermoforming OEMs. There were
a lot of press releases in the many
plastics publications leading up to
the show and I needed to see for
myself the state of technology on
display.

In this report, I list the details
of machinery (in no particular
order), tooling and I have added
my comments on the actual
demonstrations and special features
that, in my opinion, should be
well-noted by those interested in
purchasing new thermoforming
machinery. In some cases I have
added diagrams that will better
explain the usefulness of some of
those features. Unfortunately, we do
not have enough space in one article
to discuss all the thermoforming
machinery configurations available
today, so I will only be making

Illustration 1: Form/Trim/Stack.

mention of those showcased at “K”
this year.

Configuration # 1

Form then Trim then Stack –
all operations are performed in
separate stations while material
is still captive in the chain rails.

An example of such a

configuration was showcased

by Kiefel Technologies, Inc. of
Freilassing, Germany. Their new
KMD80 steel rule machine, with
separate forming and trimming
stations and an up-stacker system

ran at a remarkable 45 cycles per

minute producing a plug-assisted
fruit clamshell on an 8-cavity tool
manufactured by Techno Trading
A/S.

The majority of the machinery
showcased at the show this year
featured trim-in-place technology, so
before proceeding any further, we’ll
take a closer look at this technology.

Configuration #2

Trim-In-Place Thermoformers –
the part is formed and trimmed in
the form station.

Illustration 2: Trim-in-Place Tooling.

The sharp edge of the knife
only partially penetrates the
sheet, creating a sealed chamber
between the heated sheet and the
mold cavity. Once the forming
air pressure and/or the forming
vacuum is turned off, the knife is
driven through the sheet cutting the
formed part from the web.

The trim-in-place feature is
available in various thermoforming
machinery formats. The type of
format chosen depends on the

geometry of the final plastic part

and how the processor would

like the finished parts presented

to the packer or the downstream
automation equipment. The
illustrations on page 8 show a few
of those formats.

(continued on next page)

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 7

Configuration # 3:

Form and Trim-in-place then
Stack – The form and trim
operations are performed in one
station and then the parts are
moved to another station for the
stacking operation.

Illustration 3: Form & Trim-in-place then stack.

ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH
Co. of Heilbronn, Germany’s
RDK90 thermoformer is a perfect
example of such a single station
trim-in-place machine and I
was very impressed to see this
machine running at an incredible
55 cycles per minute producing
6″x 5″x 4″ APET trays on an 18cavity
steel rule-type trim-in-place
tool. The steel rule trim-in-place
tooling offers reduced tooling
costs while still being capable of
accommodating the required 50+
psi of form air pressure. The trick
is in the mounting of the steel rule
knives and the precision welding
of the join. This is now made
much easier by new, extremely
high precision CNC benders and
welders available in the market
today.

GN Thermoforming
Equipment of Nova Scotia,
Canada exhibited their new
GN760 with third-motion plug
which ran a 10-cavity tool with a
center web of only 7 mm between
cavities. The trays were run using
600 micron (0.023″) thick sheet
from Octal’s D-PET range of

materials. The trim-in-place tooling
was manufactured by GN.

Paddle Type Retrieval System

Often in when using the single

station trim–in-place configuration,

parts can be retrieved via a paddle

that enters the form station and picks
up the trim parts before the next
cycle. At the OMV stand, the paddle
was used to place the preformed
labels in the mold cavities and at the
same time to pick out the formed
labeled parts and place them on a
conveyor.

TIML: Thermoforming In-Mold
Labeling

Even more impressive is the fact

that this same machine configuration
can be configured to allow for a

pre-printed label to be automatically
placed into the mold (by the same
parts removal paddle) prior to the
platens closing. This is known as
TIML (Thermoforming In-mold

labeling) and although I first saw

this done commercially in the early
1980’s at the company my father was
running (Nampak, Mono Containers)
in South Africa. The advent of new
label materials and faster automation
equipment is rapidly making this
a very viable option for parts
decorating and will, in my opinion,
take a large chunk of business
from the IML (Injection In-Mold
Labeling) industry.

Such a TIML machine was
showcased by OMV Machinery

S.R.L of Verona, Italy where
seven labels were simultaneously
picked from label magazines then
pre-formed and placed in a 7-cavity
euro tub mold (single row) and
were running consistently at 14cpm.
OMV did a great job in simplifying
the process to take full advantage of
their patented in-mold placement and
retrieval system.
Trim-in-Place & Tilt

Staying with the trim-in-place
technique, a very popular European

thermoforming configuration is the

tilt-mold system for stacking. This
technique is becoming more popular
in the USA for the manufacture of
tubs, lids and smaller trays.

I am personally very excited
about this technology as I cut my
thermoforming teeth when I was
only 16 years old when I ran four
such thermoformers, first built by
Habomat in 1967 (model T100).

Illustration 4: Below sheet line former with trim-in-place and tilt-to-stack feature.

8 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

When I saw this old machine
on display at the Wikon stand, I
could not help reminiscing over the
countless hours I spent toiling over
the mechanical cams, micro switches
and mechanical gears that were
required to dial in a product.

With these small but remarkable
machines, I was able to secure a
contract for airline juice cups for the
outgoing flights from Cape Town.

Mark Strachan at Wikon booth in
Dusseldorf.

Thomas Piesik of Wikon
Thermoform Ltd. & Co. KG
of Luebeck, Germany has taken
these old machines and rebuilt a
newer version for use in today‘s
market. While they would be
considered a miniature thermoformer
in the predominantly large-bed
thermoforming industry in the US,
I believe it still has a place in the
industry where a small filling or
printing house would like to easily
manufacture their own cups, tubs
and lids.

Further advancements have been
made to the trim/tilt/stack technology
so that taller, thinner walled parts
that would normally crush easily
when stacked can now be stacked
in nested fashion while promoting
much faster forming cycles.

A – The formed cup is picked up by
the stacker mandrel.

B – The formed cup is turned 180
degrees.

C – The formed cup is placed into
the stacker magazine, tapered

end first.

Illustration 5: Below sheet line former
with trim-in-place, tilt-to-stack feature
with 180 degree swing.

The only disadvantage of these
machines is that one is not able to
form above the sheet line to include
features such as high “U” flanges.
Some OEMs have included features
which allow the chain rails to pivot
down and away from the form
station after each form cycle.

Other companies that showcased
the form/trim and tilt-to-stack
configurations were:

ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH
Co. demonstrated a model RDM
70K with a 27-cavity APET drink
cup at 45cpm. This model also
included many energy saving
features.

Kiefel Technologies, Inc.
demonstrated a model KTR4 trimin-
place and tilt machine with their
“BEST 75/39” vertical stacker.
This machine was producing APET
drinking cups with the following
dimensions: 80mm diameter,
100.5mm deep, 6.1g, 1mm thick
on an 18-cavity tool manufactured
by BoschSprang at a rate of 45cpm
using form air saving technology.

Gabler Maschinenbau GmbH
showcased a new M60 trim and tilt
former with a 24-cavity drinking cup
tool for APET at 38cpm. The up and
down movement of the form platen
is driven via servo cam drive while

the tilt is achieved via a separate
servo motor. The tooling was
manufactured by BoschSprang
BV of The Netherlands and
because I was intrigued with the
superb clarity of the parts, I went
to the BoschSprang stand where
they were running a Gabler M90
trim and tilt machine for PP cups
(60 cavities at 38cpm). The PP
cups were so clear that I thought
they looked like APET cups. I
discovered that the high clarity
sheet was supplied by Sabic and
Martijn Haex of BoschSprang also
attributed the high clarity of the
cups to a new plug material from
CMT Materials, Inc. known as

Hytac-FLXR5.

Meaf Machines B.V of The
Netherlands showcased their
new trim and tilt technology
which abandons the cam-driven
motions of former models and is
now replaced with multiple servo
drives. The tooling was built by
Mold and Matic of Austria.

MEICO (TFT) of Monza,
Italy showcased their new trim
in place and tilt former built at
their WM Wrapping Machinery
SA, plant in Switzerland. The
new thermoforming machine
model FT 500 ran a 15-cavity
mold for 95mm diameter PET/
PP cups at 45cpm. A patentpending
pivot system uses a
combination of servomotor driven
cams and levers, based on an
innovative double desmodromic
system which I was told permits
absolute precision of movement,
repeatability, and a controlled
distribution of forces during the
platen movement and cutting
phases of the cycle.

TSL – Thermoforming
Systems LLC of Union Gap, WA
showcased their latest machine,
the FT3500 featuring TSL Tilt

(continued on next page)

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 9

Technology, which was developed
to accommodate the growing midsized
trim-in-place machine market
primarily for PP processing. The
machine forms and trims parts

up to 5.91″ (150mm) deep in a

single station and has a forming

area of 30.51″ (775mm) x 17.72″
(450mm).

The TSL patent-pending tilt
technology is a synchronized dual
servo toggle-driven design which
provides a rugged, high speed
forming platform for a reliable
and repeatable thermoforming
process. This is the only trim-inplace
and tilt machine currently
being built in the USA. Moreover,
this machine is only a small part
of a very large TIML automation
line currently being produced
by Hekuma GmbH of Eching,
Germany. What might prove to
be an important development in
US thermoforming is the news that
Tech II, an Ohio-based injection
molding company, will be the first

U.S. company to produce TIML-
labeled parts using this TSL-
Hekuma system.
Configuration #4:

Heat, Form & Trim-in-place
(aka contact-heat method) – the
plastic sheet is heated, formed and
trimmed in the same station and
then the trimmed parts are moved
to a separate stacker. The upper
platen is static while the lower
platen moves up and down.

The heating is made possible by
a hotplate mounted on the lower
moving platen which consists of
many tiny vent holes and a baffle
plate sandwiched in-between to
block off the areas where heat
should not be applied. When the
lower platen moves up and pins
the sheet against the knives, air is
blown down on the sheet, pinning
it against the hot plate for a preset

Illustration 6: Heat, form & trim-in-place.

time. The air is then turned around
and blown up through the hot plate
causing the heated sheet to move
into the female mold cavities. After

a sufficient cooling time, the knives

are driven through the sheet and the
parts are trimmed.

The disadvantage of this forming
configuration is that until recently
one could only form “above sheet
line” parts. This is due to the fact
that the lower plate is an extremely
hard and flat plate against which the
forged or steel rule knives trim. New
tooling techniques allow for limited
“below sheet line” forming.

GN Thermoforming Equipment
exhibited their new GN3021DX
with robotic stacker, forming
a reverse lip tray on a standard
contact-heat cut-in-place machine
by profiling the lower heater plate.
The 8-up common edge tool (no
skeletal web in-between the trays)
was manufactured by GN and was

running at 16-19cpm. D-PET sheet
supplied by Octal was 380 microns

(0.015″) thick.

In conclusion, I was very
impressed by the outcome of my
findings at the 2010 K-Show as
the majority of the pre-show hype
proved to be true. I am especially
excited about thermoforming inmold
labeling and the impact it
is going to have in the very near
future on markets worldwide. It also
became very clear to me that there
has been a dramatic upswing in the
economy and that thermoforming
companies are purchasing new
machines again. I look forward to
“K 2013” as I believe we will
see many more thermoforming
machinery and tooling OEMs
offering new, advanced technologies
allowing for larger volume
production of in-mold decorated
parts such as pre-printed sheet,
TIML and more. x

2010 Thermoforming Conference
milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ribbon Cutting by International President Ken Braney andmembers of Thermoforming Board of Directors.
10 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Need help
with your

technical school
or college
expenses?

I
I
f you or someone you know is
working towards a career in
the plastic industry, let the SPE
Thermoforming Division help support
those education goals.

Within this past year alone, our
organization has awarded multiple
scholarships! Get involved and take
advantage of available support from
your plastic industry!

Here is a partial list of schools
and colleges whose students have
benefited from the Thermoforming
Division Scholarship Program:

• UMASS Lowell
• San Jose State
• Pittsburg State
• Penn State Erie
• University of Wisconsin
• Michigan State
• Ferris State
• Madison Technical College
• Clemson University
• Illinois State
• Penn College
Start by completing the application
forms at www.thermoformingdivision.
com or at www.4spe.com. x

REDUCE! REUSE! RECYCLE!

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 11

Thermoforming

Lead Technical Article

Quarterly®

Process Cooling for Compounding

Michael Mueller, Technical Sales Manager, AEC, Inc.

Y
Y
ou wouldn’t want to slow down your extruder
capacity with a feeder that is undersized, but
every day we see plants that limit capacity due
to undersized or inefficient cooling systems and pumping
capacity that is short of what is required. Today, having an
adequate and energy-efficient cooling system is crucial to
be competitive.

Cooling requirements have not changed much for
extrusion processes; however confusion still exists as
to how much cooling is required, what type of system to
choose, and the benefits of each.

In extrusion processes, there are two types of cooling
requirements: material cooling and machine cooling.
We will also explore elements of process cooling in
thermoforming.

Material Cooling

The type and throughput rate of the material processed
determines the heat load requirement while the heat transfer

device determines the flow rate required. Polyolefins and
PVC usually require cooler water, 45-55°F, while resins

such as nylons, styrene, polycarbonates and PET process

well with higher temperatures, some over 80°F. The formula

for material cooling is expressed as follows:

Mass x Delta T x Specific Heat /12,000 = cooling load

in chiller tons (15,000 for cooling tower applications)

Usually a safety factor of 20 percent is included by
auxiliary companies to guarantee sizing. This calculation
has been used to create easy guidelines for extrusion
processes as follows:

40 lbs/ton/hr for LDPE (coating)

50 lbs/ton/hr for HDPE (pipe/profile/sheet)

55 lbs/ton/hr for LDPE/PP (sheet)

75-80 lbs/ton/hr for PS/ABS (sheet/pipe/profile)

80-90 lbs/ton/hr for PVC (sheet/pipe/profile)

Required flow rates for these cooling applications are:

-water baths and under water pelletizers – 2.4 gpm (or

less)

-pipe/profile – 4.8 gpm per ton

-sheet extrusion – 8 gpm per ton and extrusion coating

– 12 gpm per ton
Thermoforming

In thermoforming, most cooling requirements are for tempered

water in the 80-110°F with some high speed applications in
the 50°F range. Tower water or chiller systems are typically

used.

Sizing for mold cooling in thermoforming depends on the
amount of material being cooled and is as follows:

240 lbs/hr PVC = 1 cooling ton

250 lbs/hr HIPS = 1 cooling ton

180 lbs/hr PE = 1 cooling ton

The cooling rates are lower for thermoforming as the
air used in the molding process helps to cool the material
in the mold. Recommended cooling water flow rates for
thermoforming are approximately 4.8 gpm per ton and like
most applications, achieving turbulent flow in the tool is as
important as the temperature of the cooling water. The higher
flow rate causes lower temperature differential across the tool
and more leads to consistent cooling of the parts.

At 4.8 gpm per ton a rise in temperature of 5°F will occur

from the process water inlet to the tool to the outlet. At 2.4

gpm, the temperature rise of process water will be 10°F.

You can determine the exact heat load of a tool by using the
following formula: GPM x Delta T / 24 = chiller tons.

Machine Cooling

Some extruder gearboxes and barrels may be air-cooled so
the following information pertains to those water-cooled
components that have heat exchangers provided on the
extruders. The machine cooling requirements are usually

for 85°F water. Some manufacturers may request lower

temperatures.

One ton per 100 hp on gearboxes

Feed throats: up to 3½” – 1 ton each; 4” and up = 2 tons

per extruder

Barrel cooling: 1 ton per inch diameter

Screw cooling: ½ ton per inch diameter

Vacuum pumps: 0.2 tons per pump HP

Add up all material cooling (45-50°F or 85°F, material
dependent) and machine cooling requirements (at 85°F) for
the number of extruders, and begin the process of selecting the
most efficient cooling system. It is also important to consider
other plant cooling requirements including air compressors,
dryer after-coolers and HVAC requirements.

12 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Different Applications

An interesting difference between injection molding
applications and the extrusion processes is that injection

molding loads are usually 70-75% hydraulics, with air
compressors and other equipment requiring 85°F water and
25-30% material cooling requiring 50°F water. Extrusion
processes are almost the opposite, with 70-80% material
cooling and 20-30% machine cooling. This has led extrusion

companies to lean towards air-cooled chiller systems and
to bypass tower systems that require more water treatment,
dual sets of process water piping and indoor space. Recent
trends show compounders with both higher and lower water
temperature requirements are considering tower water
systems (possibly with smaller water cooled chillers) as an

energy efficient alternative.

Cooling Systems

Considering that a 100 ton cooling tower utilizes a 5-10 hp fan
and the same size chiller requires 100+ hp for compressors and
condenser fans, even the most efficient chilled water systems

cost $9.00-12.00 more per hour for electricity (at $.06 per
kW/hr). Costs for a basic 100 ton chilled water system will

start at about $95,000 while a 100 ton tower system starts at
about $45,000. Costs for a closed-loop tower system will start
at about $55,000. Water and water treatment chemicals only

slightly reduce the advantage of cooling tower cost savings.

Current chiller design utilizes rotary compressor
technology in both screw and scroll compressors. Scroll
compressors combined with new refrigerants including
R410a which operates at a higher pressure than other
refrigerants can provide more cooling tonnage per hp and
should be considered for upgrading any chilled water system
10 years old and any reciprocating compressor design. Screw
compressors generally utilize R-134a and come in larger
sizes starting at 60 tons.

Closed Loop Tower System with Heat Exchanger (left) filters

(center) tower water treatment unit (right).

Cooling towers use evaporative cooling to achieve energy

efficient cooling at higher water temperatures but have been

improved in recent years with “closed loop” designs that
provide clean, clear water to process via heat exchangers,

coils or fluid cooler designs. In northern and arid climates

cooling towers may provide cooling water temperatures

easily in the low 70°F range for most of the year. Cooling

towers are air-to-water heat exchangers that are based on
wet bulb conditions (a temperature and humidity index)

and may achieve upper 60°F water temperatures in 100°F

weather due to low humidity.

Energy Efficiency

In addition to updating chiller designs, other energy saving

devices have become extremely popular. High efficiency

motors, variable frequency drives and free cooling system
designs are often used for energy savings and gaining
rebates from power companies and utilities.

Winter-Koolers, also known as free-cooling fluid coolers,
use low ambient conditions in northern climates to cool
process water via fan coils.

Winter-Kooler Unit on a roof.
A 100 ton fluid cooler uses eight 1.5 hp fans and 28 amps
at 460v to cool the load. An air-cooled chiller at 220-300
amps will achieve the same result, depending on the type of
chiller. This represents a savings of $7.80-$10.00 per hour
of operation when air temperatures are 15 degrees lower
than process water requirements. Thermostatic switching
systems will activate the system automatically at night
and during cold weather while the chiller shuts down as
the water temperature lowers. These systems require freeze
protection and usually provide a payback of 1.5 winters.

Variable frequency drives have become a standard
option on cooling towers, chilled water pumping systems
and tower fans. They offer excellent energy savings in
the range of 30% for most motors, more as systems are
operated at partial load, i.e. when fewer process machines

(continued on next page)

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 13

running. Variable speed drives have come down in price in

recent years and provide many benefits in addition to energy
savings. Benefits of variable frequency drives include:

•
Improved process control (based on temperature or
pressure)
•
Reduced energy/operating costs
•
Built-in soft start
•
Reduces water hammer
•
Control shut down with loss of power
•
Motor performance
•
Extends pump life/Reduces maintenance
•
Less pump noise
Variable frequency drives may be retro-fitted to existing
systems as long as inverter duty motors are being used,
making an upgrade a very good choice for reducing energy
costs immediately.

Variable Frequency Drive Pump Control. The smaller pump is
the chiller pump.

Temperature Control

Some heating and cooling applications such as barrels, dies,
heating and chill rolls require close temperature control
above the temperatures where chillers and towers can
safely operate. Temperature control units can isolate these
requirements and provide a process circulating loop up to

300°F with water and 550°F with oil. A wide variety of these

units are available for particular applications.

Oil Temperature

Controller – 550°F.

Water Treatment

Water treatment is required by all process cooling systems.
Some chiller companies will not start up a chiller without

filtration equipment located (and operating) upstream of the
chiller. Chillers operating at 45°F or lower require freeze

protection as the evaporator may see temperatures at the
freezing point.

Chilled water and closed loop systems require industrial
corrosion inhibitors as the recirculating fluids become
corrosive over time. Chilled water systems require: filtration,
corrosion inhibitor (possibly a biocide to prevent biological
growth (slime)) and occasional system water tests.

Tower systems require more attention for water treatment.
As a tower system evaporates water the mineral content
and dissolved solids remain in the system, super-charging it
with the undesirable effects of the local water supply. Four
components are required for tower water treatment systems:
water meter chemical feeder to monitor incoming water and
add the appropriate chemical; filtration; biocide feeder; and a
bleed-off (conductivity) controller which purges water when
dissolved solids become too high.

As the winter falls upon us, it is a very good time to review
process cooling systems and get a head start on summer.
Items to review can include overall system sizing and easy
energy efficiency upgrades such as a new, energy efficient

chiller or variable frequency drive controls. x

2010 Thermoforming
Conference
milwaukee, Wisconsin

Conference Chair Clarissa Schroeder enjoys a packed

show floor in Milwaukee.

14 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

PROSPECTIVE
AUTHORS

Thermoforming
Quarterly® is an
“equal opportunity”
publisher!
You will notice that
we have several
departments and
feature articles. If you
have a technical article
or other articles you
would like to submit,
please send to
Conor Carlin, Editor.
Please send in
.doc format.
All graphs and photos
should be of sufficient
size and contrast to
provide a sharp printed
image.

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 15

Thermoforming

The Business of Thermoforming

Quarterly®

A Market Overview and Outlook
for the Thermoforming Industry

by Dr. Peter J. Mooney, President
[Editor’s Note: The following article is taken from a formal presentation delivered
by Dr. Mooney at the September Thermoforming Conference in Milwaukee, WI. It

Plastics Custom Research Services

appears in Thermoforming Quarterly with the express permission of Dr. Mooney and

Advance, NC

PCRS. We invite readers to send us their comments on this piece and other articles. If
you would like to contribute a business or technical article, please write to cpcarlin@

gmail.com.)

The State of U.S. Manufacturing

Let’s take a brief look at trends in U.S. manufacturing on
which we all depend for the growth of our companies.

We observe in this graphic the trend of the percentage
share of manufacturing value-added in U.S. GDP from 1947
to 2004.

The overall trend-line is obviously downward. Yet the
implications for manufacturing employment are even more

The State of U.S. Thermoforming

This then is the economic environment in which thermoformers
and the companies on your material and machinery supply
chain operate. Let me turn now to what I see evolving in
the two branches of thermoforming – that is, light-gauge

film forming (primarily packaging) and heavy-gauge sheet

forming (primarily industrial products).

Share of Manufacturing Value-Added in U.S. GDP (1947-2009)

(Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)

disturbing. Employment in U.S. manufacturing industries

has been declining at an average annual rate of 0.1% for the

past 60 years whereas factory output has been growing at an

average annual rate of 3.4%.

The one bit of good news is that the recovery of
manufacturing output here in 2010 has been quite impressive.
The value of U.S. manufacturing output has grown every
month since January, driven largely by the automotive and
electronic equipment industries.

Hopefully most of you know that since 1995 I have been
researching and publishing – roughly every 3 years – reports
covering both the packaging and industrial thermoforming
businesses. I’d like to share with you today some of the
data and insights from my two latest reports covering those
businesses.

I’ll start by providing the graphic shown on page 13
portraying the share of thermoforming in North American
plastics processing.

Packaging thermoforming is obviously the larger segment
with 2009 sales of $11.3 billion, based on the consumption of

16 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

6.1 billion lbs. of plastic material. Industrial thermoforming
is the smaller segment with 2009 sales of $2.6 billion, based
on the consumption of 1.3 billion lbs. of plastic material.
Industrial Thermoforming

I’ll address first the industrial thermoforming business. In the

slide shown below, I portray the annual changes in the value of
North American industrial thermoformed output going back
to 1996. We observe that this business boomed in the mid1990s.
It tapered off in the late 1990s and then suffered lost
sales in the moderate 2001-2002 recession. It recovered, like
the rest of the North American economy, in 2004. Since then
its growth dynamic has weakened, culminating in a severe

slump in 2009. This estimate of a 10% drop in industrial

thermoformed product sales is based on data from the most

recent Plastics News survey of thermoformers, published
earlier this year. The actual drop may have been worse than

10%. I’ll return to this point momentarily.

Another way to get an assessment of the recent trend of
industrial thermoformed output is to examine the trend of key

markets in which these processors participate. They are as
follows:

Leading Industrial Thermoforming Markets

• agricultural equipment • lawn and garden
• aircraft/aerospace • marine products
• appliances • medical devices
• automotive/transportation • office products
• building and construction • recreational/
• electrical/electronic devices sporting goods
• signs and displays

I regard the following table as critical to an understanding
of the extent of the setback in industrial thermoforming
in recent years and the extent of the challenge recovering
from this setback in future years. I gathered data on unit
shipments in 10 of these end-use markets from 2004 to
2009, drawn from several industry associations tracking
these markets. Here are the sources of these data.

Sources

Appliances:
2004-2009, major home appliance
shipments from the Association of
Home Appliance Manufacturers; 20102014,
PCRS projections

Automotive:
2004-2009, car and light truck
production from Wards Auto; 20102014,
PCRS projections

Building:
2004-2011, single- and multi-family
housing starts from The National
Association of Home Builders; 20122014,
PCRS projections

Furniture:
2004-2010, sales of office furniture

from the Business & Institutional
Furniture Manufacturer’s Association
International; 2011-2014, PCRS
projections

Heavy Trucks:
2004-2009 actual data and 2010-2014
projections from ACT Research

Marine:
2004-2009, new boat sales from
the National Marine Manufacturers
Association; 2010-2014, PCRS
projections

Medical:
2004-2009, PCRS estimates of medical
device production; 2010-2014, PCRS
projection

RV:
2004-2011, Recreational Vehicle
Industry Association; 2012-2014, PCRS
projections

Signs:
2004-2009, sales of profile extruders

specializing in the production of
signs and displays; 2010-2014, PCRS
projections

(continued on next page)

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 17

Trends in the Volume of Production in Major Markets
Served by Industrial Thermoformers, 2004-2014
(2004 = 100)

Notes: 1) The annual averages are unweighted averages.
2) Data are in volume terms except for those for furniture and signs which are in value (sales) terms.

Other: 2004-2009, real GDP growth; 2010-2014,

PCRS assumes 3% real GDP growth in
2010 followed by 2.5% 2011-2014

In some cases these associations have put forward predictions
for the likely volume of production in 2010 and 2011; in
one case (heavy trucks) their forecasts go out to 2014. In
all other cases I have made what I believe are conservative
projections from 2010 out to 2014.

Here then is the table.

and construction sector. The good news is that as the economy
recovers there should be huge pent-up demand. Appliances,
cars, computers, and other durable goods either wear out or
require upgrading. So there will be strong demand for these
durable goods. However, economists differentiate between
demand and effective demand. The difference is money – that
is, will consumers have the money and will banks lend them
the money to purchase these worn-out products?

I have taken the data on volume of production from
the various associations and converted them into indices
starting in 2004. Therefore, all markets have a common
starting point of 100. By 2006 most of these markets had
index numbers greater than 100. However, by 2007 the
volume of production in most markets began dropping
back to 100 and below. This downward trend continued into
2009 when only two markets – medical equipment and all
other – had volume of production indices greater than 100.
Fortunately most of these markets have been rebounding
here in 2010. By 2014 this analysis suggests the average
volume of production in these 10 markets will be 100 – the
same as in 2004, 10 years ago.

I mentioned a minute ago that based on the most recent
Plastics News survey of thermoformers the sales decline
experienced in 2009 by industrial thermoformers was 10%.
That was in value or sales terms. Based on the data in this
table, relating to the volume of production, the decline
was even greater – that is, 17% from an average index
level of 87 in 2008 to 72 in 2009. Even this may be an
understatement.

Nevertheless, the scenario portrayed in this table
demonstrates clearly what you already know – namely,
many key durable goods markets took tremendous hits
during the “Great Recession.” Building and construction
was particularly badly hit, and 10% of U.S. manufactured
goods are consumed directly or indirectly in the building

On the supply side the glut of capacity created over the
period 2004-2008 won’t be eliminated quickly. Thus, as this
table suggests, whereas some markets are likely to rebound
back to and beyond the 100 index level by 2014, others will
take longer to regain that level.

I made assumptions underlying each of my market
projections for 2010-2014. They are as follows:

Appliance

In theory the rebound in appliance manufacturing should
correlate positively with new housing starts, however the
recent trend of new housing starts has been woeful. AWhirlpool

official was quoted recently saying that future appliance sales

will be driven largely by households replacing old and wornout
machines, not installing new machines in new houses.
I would add that Mexican, not American, thermoformers

will derive the benefit from the eventual rebound in large

appliance production.

Automotive

By 2014 annual car and light truck production will hopefully

return to 16-17 million units, the level common in the first

half of the decade.

Building

New housing starts last year were 554,000, the lowest total
recorded since records began in 1959. New housing starts

18 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

exceeded 2 million units in 2004 at the height of the housing
bubble. It is totally implausible that we will regain the 2
million level of new housing starts by 2014 – nor, from an
economist’s perspective, should we.

Overspending on housing constitutes a gross misallocation
of national resources that should go instead to raising
productivity and national income.

Furniture

The commercial real estate market will continue to slump in

2010 and 2011, and then rebound out to 2014. Office furniture

will follow that trend-line.

Heavy Trucks

Heavy truck production won’t recover to the 2004 level until
after 2014.

Marine

Boat sales were down 20% in the first quarter of 2010. That

level will hold for the remainder of the year, and then boat
production and sales should rebound out to 2014.

Medical

The medical product industry is truly recession-resistant. It
grows every year, and it will continue to grow to 2014.

Signs

The production of signs and displays wasn’t impacted
that much in 2008-2009, and it should continue to grow
to 2014.

Other

The “all other” category is based on the trend of real U.S.

GDP. I assume 3% GDP growth here in 2010 and then
2.5% GDP growth out to 2014. This is much slower future

growth than the government’s February Budget Statement.

I’ll summarize, therefore, my sense of the past and
likely future growth dynamic in regional industrial
thermoforming.

Over the period 2004 to 2009 the average annual growth
of sales by industrial thermoformers was only 0.5%, mainly
due to the difficult economic conditions experienced the
past two years. If I assume an average annual price increase
of 2.5%, then the average annual change in the volume
of output of industrial thermoformed products over the
past 5 years was -2.0%. In view of the pent-up demand
for durable goods as we emerge from the recession, it is
entirely possible that average annual volume growth in
industrial thermoformed output could be 5% or more out
to 2014. And 5% could be too conservative. For example,
if my projections for the various durable goods markets

Recent and Likely Future Growth in the Value and
Volume of Industrial Thermoforming, 2004-2014
(% change)

(continued on next page)

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 19

in the foregoing table are reasonably accurate, the average
annual growth rate for these 10 key markets from 2009

to 2014 will be 6.8%. If inflation remains subdued at 2%,

then the average annual increase in the value of industrial

thermoformed products could be in the range of 9-10%.

Packaging Thermoforming

I’ll turn now to address the packaging thermoforming
business.

the average annual growth in the volume of production in

food-related markets will be 2% – that is, twice the rate of

the growth of the U.S. population. Second, I assume average
annual growth in the volume of non-food-related markets

will be 6.8%, the rate I referred to a minute ago. Third, I
assume the market weights of 75% and 25% for food- and

non-food-related markets will continue to apply.

The distribution of markets in packaging thermoforming
is very different from that of industrial thermoforming.
Food service and food processing constitute roughly
three-quarters of the total business. Conventional wisdom
suggests these markets are relatively recession-resistant, as
is the medical product packaging business.

Nevertheless, as a result of the recession, the value of
thermoformed packaging output in 2009 experienced a rare
decline of 2.4%.

The setback to average household incomes was such that
austerity ruled the day. Families changed their shopping
patterns, heading to Wal-Mart, Family Dollar, Goodwill,
and other discount outlets for lower-priced items. Producers
were forced to lower costs, and this impacted packaging
decision-making as well.

What lies ahead for the packaging thermoforming
business? I’ve made 3 key assumptions. First, I assume

Bringing these assumptions together, I arrive at a 3.2%

average annual growth rate in the volume of thermoformed

packaging out to 2014. I assume an average annual inflation
rate of 2.0%, slightly higher than the 1.8% rate that prevailed
over the past 5 years. So the average annual increase in the

value of production of thermoformed packaging out to 2014

works out at 5.2%.

What are some of the trends evident in packaging
thermoforming?

Trends in Packaging Thermoforming

•
inline thermoforming
•
inmold labeling and printing
•
light-weighting
•
sustainability
•
the new austerity
Recent and Likely Future Growth in the Value and
Volume of Packaging Thermoforming, 2004-2014
(% change)

20 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Inline Forming

In all the plastics processing businesses I cover, I see a
trend to faster speed and greater control over the process.
In packaging thermoforming this means converting from
two-step processing – taking extruded sheet to the former

– to one-step processing by means of inline sheet extrusion
and forming. This may be difficult for custom packaging

thermoformers to justify. It makes eminently good sense for
high-volume proprietary and captive thermoformers.

Inmold Labeling and Printing

In the same way injection molders have reduced secondary
operations by introducing inmold labeling to their operations,
thermoformers are taking that route to improved costeffectiveness.
This is also true of distortion printing. This is
not an easy capability to take on; getting the registration right
is tricky. However, some packaging thermoformers have
mastered this technology, and I believe others will follow in
their wake.

Light-Weighting of
Thermoformed Packaging

Clearly there is a continual drive to lightweight formed cups,
lids and other formed packaging to compete against injection
molders. However, inevitably we will reach the end of this
technological change. We may already be there. Plastic
packages are getting thinner and thinner, which compromises
the functionality of the package. Ultimately we’ll reach the
stage where the packaging is so thin you can’t see it or feel it.
I don’t think we want to go there.

Sustainability

I have to confess I’ve always been a sustainability skeptic.
I was making a presentation about “Innovations in Plastics”
at a conference in Dublin, Ireland, in 2008. At the end of
the presentation a guy asked me what I thought about carbon
footprint. I told him I think about it as little as I possibly can.
However, the reality that we all face, whether we agree with
the concept or not, is that sustainability sells. So you simply
have to keep up to speed on biopolymers, biodegradable
plastics, PCR and all the other plastic materials that will
ultimately appeal to the end-use consumer.

The New Austerity

In the wake of the Great Recession, some economists are
referring to “the new austerity.” The recession will eventually
end. However, it is likely to leave huge scars on the psyche
of consumers. Confronted with high unemployment, stagnant
real income, limitations on bank lending, higher taxes, higher
healthcare costs, the uncertainty created by Congress and the

administration – confronted with all this consumers will
be far more cautious in their spending patterns. Many
products packaged in blister packs, clamshells and trays
may encounter slower growth in demand from households
determined to live within their means.

Conclusion and
Recommendation

Economists, despite all their faults and failings, are clear as
to how we can restore the virtuous economic cycle where
growth leads to hiring, which leads to higher disposable
income, which leads to increased effective demand, which
in turn drives growth. We have to become more productive.
We put too much emphasis on restoring consumer demand.
We need to boost the supply side as well. We simply have
to become more productive. GDP growth derives from two
macro variables – 1) labor force growth and 2) productivity
improvements. That’s it – that’s what GDP growth is all
about. Without productivity improvements we will only
grow in line with the population. Unemployment will stay
elevated, and per capita income will continue to stagnate.

Thermoformers have many options for raising their
productivity – namely,

•
If you haven’t done so already you need to apply lean
manufacturing throughout your whole organization.
•
Maximize energy efficiency in every aspect of your
plants
• Automate to minimize your total labor force burden. I
presume you’ve all done that to some degree already.
• Differentiate your company and your services for a
marketing advantage. You wouldn’t be around if you
haven’t followed that principle over the recent past.
• Diversify your processing capabilities. If someone
comes to you with a part design that really should be
injection molded or blow molded or extruded, you
should have the in-house capability or the partner to
take on that job.
•
Be an integrator. You won’t survive simply being
a shoot-and-ship thermoformer – even if you’re a
very good one. Be a total solutions provider to your
customer with value-adding upstream and downstream
capabilities.
• Innovate – In a recovering economy your customers
are looking to differentiate their products and services,
to rise above the rest. They are wide open to any new
innovative component or assembly that can draw
attention to their brand. You have to assist them in that
process.
•
Be forward-thinking – You’re obviously concerned
with surviving day-to-day. You’ve been forced to lay
off some of your staff, many of them with valuable skill
(continued on next page)

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 21

sets. Now you’re at the irreducible
minimum. So it’s more important
that ever to look ahead to what
some call the “reset economy” of
the future.

It is axiomatic that industries rise or
fall based on their ability to attract,
retain and productively use talent
across all aptitudes and skill levels

– from brilliant design engineers to
plant floor operatives.
As the beneficiary of a great

education and as a former teacher
of economics, I have a passion
for education. I suggest the most
important challenge we confront as
an industry is our inability to invest
in our educational system to get
young people interested in a career in
plastics.

For years the SPE Thermoforming
Division has been way ahead of
the curve, awarding scholarships to
young men and women to pursue an
education in plastics. Now you need
to redouble that effort. Moreover,
you need to convince every other
SPE division to do likewise and to
coordinate those efforts. If we could
pool the funds and human capital
resources from the various divisions,
we could truly make a difference
attracting young people into our
profession. We simply don’t have the
option of sitting on the sidelines. x

2010 Thermoforming
Conference
milwaukee, Wisconsin

Ed Probst, Profile Plastics, inspecting

part in competition.

22 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

September 17 – 20, 2011

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 23
SAVE THE DATE!!
www.thermoformingdivision.com
Welcome Back to Chicago!
20th Annual Thermoforming Conf erence
Schaumburg, Illinois (20 minutes from O’Hare Airport)
For Reservations: 1-800-468-3571
or 847-303-4100
Request SPE Room Rate of $159.00
Chairman Heavy Gauge Technical Chairman
James Alongi
MAAC Machinery
630-665-1700
jalongi@maacmachinery.com

Parts Competition
Bret Joslyn
Joslyn Manufacturing
330-467-8111
bret@joslyn-mfg.com

Technical Chairman
Paul Alongi
MAAC Machinery
630-665-1700
paul@maacsales.com

Jay Waddell
Plastics Concepts & Innovations
843-971-7833
jwaddell@plasticoncepts.com

Roll Fed Technical Chairman
Mark Strachan
Global Thermoform Training, Inc.
754-224-7513
mark@global-tti.com

Conference Coordinator
Gwen S. Mathis
706-235-9298
gmathis224@aol.com

2010 Parts Competition Heavy-Gauge – Pressure
1st Place: Specialty Manufacturing Inc.
Enclosure Assembly

Heavy-Gauge – Pressure

2nd Place: Profile

Plastics
Progeny Machine Cover

Heavy-Gauge – Twin-Sheet
Winner: Allied Plastics
Front Bumper with Air Silencer Intake

Heavy-Gauge – Vacuum
1st Place: Brentwood Industries
Chrome Bumper Cladding

Heavy-Gauge – Vacuum
2nd Place: Plastilab Technologies
The Vorttice: Competition Cycling Helmet

Roll-Fed – Food
1st Place: Lindar Corporation

Single Cupcake and Muffin Package

24 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Competition Winners Competition Winners
Roll-Fed – Food
2nd Place: EverEdge IP
CrushPak – A Crushable Yogurt Container

Roll-Fed – Industrial
1st Place: Vitalo Industries
Automated Medical Tray

Roll-Fed – Industrial
2nd Place: Tegrant Corporation
Motorola FUJI OEM Bluetooth Headset Package

Roll-Fed – Medical
1st Place: Perfecseal
Surgical Device Package

Roll-Fed – Medical

2nd Place: Tegrant
Corporation

Thermo Scientific
Pipette Sleeve
and Lid for
RD Packaging

People’s Choice
Winner: Grimm
Brothers

Plastics BreezeDry
Cabinet

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 25

Thermoforming
Quarterly®

Adventures in PLA

Clare Goldsberry, PlasticsToday.com (Canon
Communications), October 19th, 2010. Reprinted
with permission.

I
I
t seems that last month’s
SPE Thermoforming
conference drew more than
one person skeptical of the
many claims surrounding the
“green” revolution. Common
sense, scientific data, and more
reliable information could help
processors sort fact from fiction.

When Fabri-Kal Co., one of
the largest thermoforming
businesses in North America
specializing in food service
and custom food packaging
for the likes of General Mills
and Kellogg, began looking at
sustainable materials it seemed

to be a good fit. David McIntosh,

senior engineer Materials &
Development, noted that Fabri-
Kal supports the technology
to reduce U.S. dependence on
imported oil and “it was a good

fit with Fabri-Kal’s ownership

and management philosophy.”

In 2002, as Fabri-Kal began
working with the plant starchbased
plastic PLA (polylactic
acid), Dow was a material
supplier to Fabri-Kal, and PLA’s
properties were well-suited to
the cold-drink cups that Fabri-
Kal produced. “PLA had similar
shrink to PET and we were
already making a line of PET
cups, and we had the tooling

Thermoforming and Sustainability

for PET,” explained McIntosh. “It
looked like a drop-in technology.
However, that’s not the way it
worked.”

Some of the early lessons Fabri-
Kal realized was the importance
of temperature control and

the difficulties of PET-to-PLA

conversion for products. Other
lessons included:

• The older equipment Fabri-
Kal had made it difficult to

clean out the material to run
PLA

• PET doesn’t melt at the same
temperature as PLA

• Equipment had poorer
control at lower operating

temperatures.

“There are so many ways in
which PLA is different from PET,
you have to be really careful,”
cautioned McIntosh. “There can
be cross-contamination problems
if there’s a lack of communication
between shifts, so plant-wide
education is needed to train people
in how to handle PLA in a PET
plant. PLA requires more control
and precision.”

Today, Fabri-Kal processes PLA on
a large scale, using high levels of
regrind. McIntosh goes so far as to
say that he believes the company
has the “highest through-put PLA
conversion line in the world.”

“Green washing” a
plague

That is all good. What McIntosh
doesn’t like is the amount of
“green washing” going on as
competitors and others strive to
clam their products are sustainable.
“At Fabri-Kal, we try to take the
high road with respect to ‘green’
claims,” he said. “There’s a
growing recognition of need for
clear, meaningful and validated
claims. The truth is gaining, partly
driven by the FTC (U.S. Federal
Trade Commission) and skeptical
consumers, but there’s no one

single definition of sustainability.”

Fabri-Kal focuses on the use of
Life Cycle Inventory, published
hard data that’s available to all
of its customers. “It’s a tool that
allows you to make objective
comparisons between options,”
said McIntosh. “Data can be used
(or abused) in different ways
and there’s no single metric for
sustainability.”

Greenware is Fabri-Kal’s brand
name for its line of drink cups and
lids, crystal clear and made from
Natureworks’ Ingeo brand of PLA.
Fabri-Kal’s marketing approach
for its products is based on hard
data with “minimal spin,” noted
McIntosh. Greenware is marketed
for its premium quality and
appearance, its homegrown roots
(“Made in the USA”) from corn
grown in Nebraska, and that it is
made of a renewable resource that
helps reduce the use of fossil fuel.

26 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

There are also disposal options
for the cups and lids. “We push
our ‘green virtues’ very hard,”
McIntosh added, and noted that,
“Marketing is a dangerous mix of

fact and fiction. Carrying a paper

cup versus a foam cup makes

you feel better, but it’s fiction

that paper is better. We believe in
selling the sizzle without trashing
the truth.”

McIntosh said that before
requiring a product to be made
from biopolymers, companies
need to assess the options and

define the needs and performance

requirements. “Compare the
options,” he said. “Some

customers just want ‘fluff’ so they

can say they’re green, and others
want to see true sustainability.”

Next, focus on direct, quantifiable
benefits, costs and performance.

Third, look at the end-of-life
claims. “There are too many
assumptions to make broad claims,
and not all provide the solutions,”
said McIntosh. “Do a case-bycase
assessment. There’s no one
material suited for all applications,
so we must look at applications
that use other materials.”

McIntosh believes that recycling
is a viable answer; however, per

capita the amount of waste is
going down, even with population
growth, and plastics recycling is
“woefully low,” he noted. He also
noted that the fossil energy content
(the amount of fossil fuel required
to make 1,000 cups) in PP and
HIPS is almost comparable to
PLA. [See graph below.]

So how does the industry dispel
the myths and misconceptions
that drive poor decision making
and regulations? First, recognize

the fact that there is no significant

biodegradation or decomposition

in landfills, and “it is not
beneficial in any way,” he stated.

“Biodegradable is not an effective
way to address the plastics issues.
Biodegradability is stupid. There,
I’ve said it! Biodegradability is
not the Holy Grail of sustainable
packaging.”

Biodegradability is a “biological
process” and “not compatible
with an industrial process,” said
McIntosh. “Manmade plastics
don’t perform like plants in nature.
Plastics won’t degrade like leaves
in a forest, which is a biological
process. Plastics are created
through an industrial process,
which means there needs to be an
industrial process to deal with the
disposal.” x

Visit Our
Website at:
www.thermoformingdivision.com
Our mission is
to facilitate the
advancement of
thermoforming
technologies
through
education,
application,
promotion and
research.
SPE National
Executive Director
Susan Oderwald
Direct Line: 203/740-5471
Fax: 203/775-8490
email: Seoderwald@4spe.org
Conference Coordinator
Gwen Mathis
6 S. Second Street, SE
Lindale, Georgia 30147
706/235-9298
Fax: 706/295-4276
email: gmathis224@aol.com
Thermoforming QUArTerLY 27

UNIVERSITy NEwS
THERMOFORMING DIVISION MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM

Dr. Peter Mooney and many industry leaders have stated that “the most important challenge we confront as an
industry is our inability to invest in our educational system to get young people interested in a career in plastics.” The
Thermoforming Division is playing a key role in rising to this challenge. By equipping today’s students with machinery
and technology required for success in plastics processing, the Division is helping to bridge the gap between theory and
practice.

The Thermoforming Division matching grant program provides funds to purchase thermoforming equipment for
accredited schools. The Division has paid $229,617 in grants to date. If you are an educator, student or professional who
would like to advance the thermoforming curriculum at your local school, please visit our website for more details: http://
www.thermoformingdivision.com/aarcgrantprograms/index.htm.

28 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

A San Jose State University San Jose CA M California State University – Chico Chico CA
B Illinois State University Normal IL N Penn State Erie Erie PA
C Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester NY O Ferris State University Big Rapids MI
D University of North Texas Denton TX P Mount Horeb Middle School Mount Horeb WI
E U Mass Lowell Lowell MA Q Central Connecticut State University New Britain CT
F Brown Deer Middle School Milwaukee WI R Eastern Washington University Cheney WA
G Northern Illinois University Dekalb IL S Gettysburg Area School District Gettysburg PA
H Morrisville State College Morrisville NY T UCLA Los Angeles CA
I Millersville University Millersville PA U Rhode Island School of Design Providence RI
J Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham AL V Appalachian State University Boone NC
K Penn. College of Technology Williamsport PA W South Dakota School of Mines & Tech. Rapid City SD
L University of Wisconsin – Platteville Platteville WI X Yale School of Architecture New Haven CT

School City State
School City State

Thermoformer of the Year 2011
The Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2011 THERMOFORMER OF THE
YEAR. Please help us by identifying worthy candidates. This prestigious honor will be awarded to

a member of our industry who has made a significant contribution to the thermoforming industry

in a technical, educational, or managerial aspect of thermoforming. Nominees will be evaluated
and voted on by the Thermoforming Board of Directors at the Winter 2011 meeting. The deadline
for submitting nominations is January 15th, 2011. Please complete the form below and include
all biographical information.

Person Nominated: ____________________________________ Title: ___________________

Firm or Institution______________________________________________________________

Street Address: ____________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________

Telephone: _______________ Fax: _________________ E-mail: ________________________

Biographical Information:

•
Nominee’s Experience in the Thermoforming Industry.
•
Nominee’s Education (include degrees, year granted, name and location of university)
•
Prior corporate or academic affiliations (include company and/or institutions, title, and
approximate dates of affiliations)
•
Professional society affiliations
•
Professional honors and awards.
•
Publications and patents (please attach list).
•
Evaluation of the effect of this individual’s achievement on technology and progress of
the plastics industry. (To support nomination, attach substantial documentation of these
achievements.)
•
Other significant accomplishments in the field of plastics.
Individual Submitting Nomination: _______________________ Title: _____________________

Firm or Institution______________________________________________________________

Street Address: ____________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________

Telephone: _______________ Fax: _________________ E-mail: ________________________

Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: ____________________

(ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SIGNED)

Please submit all nominations to: Juliet Goff,
Kal Plastics, 2050 East 48th Street,
Vernon, CA 90058-2022
Phone 323.581.6194, ext. 223 or email at: Juliet@kal-plastics.com

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 29

2011
EDITORIAL
CALENDAR

Quarterly Deadlines for
Copy and Sponsorships

ALL FINAL COPY FOR
EDITORIAL APPROVAL

15-FEB Spring 30-APR Summer
31-JUL Fall 15-NOV Winter
Conference Edition Post-Conference Edition

All artwork to be sent in .eps
or .jpg format with minimum
300dpi resolution.

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Thermoforming
Quarterly Sponsor
in 2011!

Additional sponsorship
opportunities will include
4-color, full page, and
1/2 page.

RESERVE YOUR PRIME
SPONSORSHIP
SPACE TODAY.

Questions? Call or email
Laura Pichon
Ex-Tech Plastics
847-829-8124
Lpichon@extechplastics.com

BOOK SPACE
IN 2011!

SAVE THE DATE!
October 16 thru October 19, 2011
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
Atlanta, Georgia
30 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Executive
Committee

2010 – 2012

CHAIR

Ken Griep
Portage Casting & Mold
2901 Portage Road
Portage, WI 53901
(608) 742-7137
Fax (608) 742-2199
ken@pcmwi.com

CHAIR ELECT

Phil Barhouse
Spartech Packaging Technologies
100 Creative Way, PO Box 128
Ripon, WI 54971
(920) 748-1119
Fax (920) 748-9466
phil.barhouse@spartech.com

TREASURER

James Alongi
MAAC Machinery
590 Tower Blvd.
Carol Stream, IL 60188
(630) 665-1700
Fax (630) 665-7799
jalongi@maacmachinery.com

SECRETARY

Mike Sirotnak
Solar Products
228 Wanaque Avenue
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
(973) 248-9370
Fax (973) 835-7856
msirotnak@solarproducts.com

COUNCILOR WITH TERM
ENDING ANTEC 2010

Roger Kipp
McClarin Plastics
P. O. Box 486, 15 Industrial Drive
Hanover, PA 17331
(717) 637-2241 x4003
Fax (717) 637-4811
rkipp@mcclarinplastics.com

PRIOR CHAIR

Brian Ray
Ray Products
1700 Chablis Avenue
Ontario, CA 91761
(909) 390-9906, Ext. 216
Fax (909) 390-9984
brianr@rayplastics.com

2010 – 2012 THERMOFORMING DIVISION ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Chair
Ken Griep
Chair Elect
Phil Barhouse
Finance
Bob Porsche
Technical Committees
Materials
Roger Jean
Machinery
Don Kruschke
Secretary
Mike Sirotnak
Nominating
Clarissa Schroeder
Publications /
Advertising
Laura Pichon
Newsletter / Technical
Editor
Conor Carlin
OPCOM
Phil Barhouse
Treasurer
James Alongi
AARC
Rich Freeman
Student Programs
Brian winton
Councilor
Roger Kipp
Prior Chair
Brian Ray
2011 Conference
Schaumburg, IL
James Alongi
Antec
Brian winton
Membership
Haydn Forward
Marketing
Don Kruschke
Recognition
Juliet Goff
web Site
Rich Freeman
Green Committee
Steve Hasselbach
2012 Conference
Grand Rapids, MI
Haydn Forward &
Lola Carere
Conference Coordinator
Consultant
Gwen Mathis
Processing
Haydn Forward
Thermoforming QUArTerLY 31

2010 Thermoforming Conference
milwaukee, Wisconsin
Prior Thermoformers of the Year in attendance (l-r): Stan
Rosen – 1991; Dr. James L. Throne – 2000; Roger Kipp –
2010; Stephen Sweig – 2002; Paul Alongi – 2006; and Steve
Hasselbach – 2004.
Plastics Pioneers: Frank Nissel, CEO, Welex, and Ian
Strachan, Global Thermoforming Technologies.
Mytex Polymers – Exhibitor
Zed Industries – Exhibitor
Innovation Briefs Session
2010 Thermoforming Conference
milwaukee, Wisconsin
Prior Thermoformers of the Year in attendance (l-r): Stan
Rosen – 1991; Dr. James L. Throne – 2000; Roger Kipp –
2010; Stephen Sweig – 2002; Paul Alongi – 2006; and Steve
Hasselbach – 2004.
Plastics Pioneers: Frank Nissel, CEO, Welex, and Ian
Strachan, Global Thermoforming Technologies.
Mytex Polymers – Exhibitor
Zed Industries – Exhibitor
Innovation Briefs Session
32 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 33

From the Editor

Juliet Oehler Goff, President/
If you are an educator, studewe want to hear from you! Tworking with academic partprograms, the division seeks
Thermoforming Quarterly is
business of thermoforming:
• New materials dev• New applications
• Innovative technol• Industry partnershi• New or expanding
• Endowments
We are also interested in heyour school or institution has
content. We publish press rwould like to arrange an inteelopment
ogies
ps
CEO, Kal Plastics
nt or advisor in a college or university with a plastics program,
he SPE Thermoforming Division has a long and rich tradition of
ners. From scholarships and grants to workforce development
to promote a stronger bond between industry and academia.
proud to publish news and stories related to the science and
laboratory facilities
aring from our members and colleagues around the world. If
an international partner, please invite them to submit relevant
eleases, student essays, photos and technical papers. If you
rview, please contact Ken Griep, Academic Programs, at:
ken@pcmwi.com or 608.742.7137

ISO 9001:2000
REDUCE! REUSE!
RECYCLE!
REDUCE! REUSE!
RECYCLE!

34 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

Thermoforming QUArTerLY 35
Board of Directors
MACHINERY
COMMITTEE
James Alongi
MAAC Machinery
590 Tower Blvd.
Carol Stream, IL 60188
T: 630.665.1700
F: 630.665.7799
jalongi@maacmachinery.com
Roger Fox
The Foxmor Group
373 S. Country Farm Road
Suite 202
Wheaton, IL 60187
T: 630.653.2200
F: 630.653.1474
rfox@foxmor.com
Hal Gilham
Productive Plastics, Inc.
103 West Park Drive
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08045
T: 856.778.4300
F: 856.234.3310
halg@productiveplastics.com
Bill Kent
Brown Machine
330 North Ross Street
Beaverton, MI 48612
T: 989.435.7741
F: 989.435.2821
bill.kent@brown-machine.com
Don Kruschke (Chair)
TME
31875 Solon Road
Solon, OH 44139
T: 440.498.4000
F: 440.498.4001
donk@allthingsthermoforming.com
Brian Winton
Modern Machinery
PO Box 423
Beaverton, MI 48612
T: 989.435.9071
F: 989.435.3940
bwinton@modernmachineinc.com
MATERIALS
COMMITTEE
Jim Armor
Armor & Associates
16181 Santa Barbara Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
T: 714.846.7000
F: 714.846.7001
jimarmor@aol.com
Phil Barhouse
Spartech Packaging
Technologies
100 Creative Way
PO Box 128
Ripon, WI 54971
T: 920.748.1119
F: 920.748.9466
phil.barhouse@spartech.com
Juliet Goff
Kal Plastics, Inc.
2050 East 48th Street
Vernon, CA 90058-2022
T: 323.581.6194
Juliet@kal-plastics.com
Donald Hylton
McConnell Company
646 Holyfield Highway
Fairburn, GA 30213
T: 678.772.5008
don@thermoformingmc.com
Roger P. Jean (Chair)
Rowmark/PMC
PO Box 1605
2040 Industrial Drive
Findlay, OH 45840
T: 567.208.9758
rjean@rowmark.com
Dennis Northrop
Soliant LLC
1872 Highway 9 Bypass
Lancaster, SC 29720
T: 803.287.5535
dnorthrop@paintfilm.com
Laura Pichon
Ex-Tech Plastics
PO Box 576
11413 Burlington Road
Richmond, IL 60071
T: 847.829.8124
F: 815.678.4248
lpichon@extechplastics.com
Clarissa Schroeder
Invista S.A.R.L
1551 Sha Lane
Spartanburg, SC 29307
T: 864.579.5047
F: 864.579.5288
Clarissa.Schroeder@invista.com
Robert G. Porsche
General Plastics
2609 West Mill Road
Milwaukee, WI 53209
T: 414.351.1000
F: 414.351.1284
bob@genplas.com
Walt Speck (Chair)
Speck Plastics, Inc.
PO Box 421
Nazareth, PA 18064
T: 610.759.1807
F: 610.759.3916
wspeck@speckplastics.com
Mark Strachan
Global Thermoforming
Technologies
1550 SW 24th Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312
T: 754.224.7513
globalmarks@hotmail.com
Jay Waddell
Plastics Concepts & Innovations
1127 Queensborough Road
Suite 102
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
T: 843.971.7833
F: 843.216.6151
jwaddell@plasticoncepts.com
Eric Short
Mytex Polymers
1403 Port Road
Jeffersonville, IN 47130-8411
T: 248.705.2830
F: 248.328.8073
eric_short@mytexpolymers.com
PROCESSING
COMMITTEE
Lola Carere
Thermopro
1600 Cross Point Way
Suite D
Duluth, GA 30097
T: 678.957.3220
F: 678.475.1747
lcarere@thermopro.com
Haydn Forward
Specialty Manufacturing Co.
6790 Nancy Ridge Road
San Diego, CA 92121
T: 858.450.1591
F: 858.450.0400
hforward@smi-mfg.com
Richard Freeman
Freetech Plastics
2211 Warm Springs Court
Fremont, CA 94539
T: 510.651.9996
F: 510.651.9917
rfree@freetechplastics.com
Ken Griep
Portage Casting & Mold
2901 Portage Road
Portage, WI 53901
T: 608.742.7137
F: 608.742.2199
ken@pcmwi.com
Steve Hasselbach
CMI Plastics
222 Pepsi Way
Ayden, NC 28416
T: 252.746.2171
F: 252.746.2172
steve@cmiplastics.com
Bret Joslyn
Joslyn Manufacturing
9400 Valley View Road
Macedonia, OH 44056
T: 330.467.8111
F: 330.467.6574
bret@joslyn-mfg.com
Stephen Murrill
Profile Plastics
65 S. Waukegan
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
T: 847.604.5100 x29
F: 847.604.8030
smurrill@thermoform.com
Thermoforming QUArTerLY 35
Board of Directors
MACHINERY
COMMITTEE
James Alongi
MAAC Machinery
590 Tower Blvd.
Carol Stream, IL 60188
T: 630.665.1700
F: 630.665.7799
jalongi@maacmachinery.com
Roger Fox
The Foxmor Group
373 S. Country Farm Road
Suite 202
Wheaton, IL 60187
T: 630.653.2200
F: 630.653.1474
rfox@foxmor.com
Hal Gilham
Productive Plastics, Inc.
103 West Park Drive
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08045
T: 856.778.4300
F: 856.234.3310
halg@productiveplastics.com
Bill Kent
Brown Machine
330 North Ross Street
Beaverton, MI 48612
T: 989.435.7741
F: 989.435.2821
bill.kent@brown-machine.com
Don Kruschke (Chair)
TME
31875 Solon Road
Solon, OH 44139
T: 440.498.4000
F: 440.498.4001
donk@allthingsthermoforming.com
Brian Winton
Modern Machinery
PO Box 423
Beaverton, MI 48612
T: 989.435.9071
F: 989.435.3940
bwinton@modernmachineinc.com
MATERIALS
COMMITTEE
Jim Armor
Armor & Associates
16181 Santa Barbara Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
T: 714.846.7000
F: 714.846.7001
jimarmor@aol.com
Phil Barhouse
Spartech Packaging
Technologies
100 Creative Way
PO Box 128
Ripon, WI 54971
T: 920.748.1119
F: 920.748.9466
phil.barhouse@spartech.com
Juliet Goff
Kal Plastics, Inc.
2050 East 48th Street
Vernon, CA 90058-2022
T: 323.581.6194
Juliet@kal-plastics.com
Donald Hylton
McConnell Company
646 Holyfield Highway
Fairburn, GA 30213
T: 678.772.5008
don@thermoformingmc.com
Roger P. Jean (Chair)
Rowmark/PMC
PO Box 1605
2040 Industrial Drive
Findlay, OH 45840
T: 567.208.9758
rjean@rowmark.com
Dennis Northrop
Soliant LLC
1872 Highway 9 Bypass
Lancaster, SC 29720
T: 803.287.5535
dnorthrop@paintfilm.com
Laura Pichon
Ex-Tech Plastics
PO Box 576
11413 Burlington Road
Richmond, IL 60071
T: 847.829.8124
F: 815.678.4248
lpichon@extechplastics.com
Clarissa Schroeder
Invista S.A.R.L
1551 Sha Lane
Spartanburg, SC 29307
T: 864.579.5047
F: 864.579.5288
Clarissa.Schroeder@invista.com
Robert G. Porsche
General Plastics
2609 West Mill Road
Milwaukee, WI 53209
T: 414.351.1000
F: 414.351.1284
bob@genplas.com
Walt Speck (Chair)
Speck Plastics, Inc.
PO Box 421
Nazareth, PA 18064
T: 610.759.1807
F: 610.759.3916
wspeck@speckplastics.com
Mark Strachan
Global Thermoforming
Technologies
1550 SW 24th Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312
T: 754.224.7513
globalmarks@hotmail.com
Jay Waddell
Plastics Concepts & Innovations
1127 Queensborough Road
Suite 102
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
T: 843.971.7833
F: 843.216.6151
jwaddell@plasticoncepts.com
Eric Short
Mytex Polymers
1403 Port Road
Jeffersonville, IN 47130-8411
T: 248.705.2830
F: 248.328.8073
eric_short@mytexpolymers.com
PROCESSING
COMMITTEE
Lola Carere
Thermopro
1600 Cross Point Way
Suite D
Duluth, GA 30097
T: 678.957.3220
F: 678.475.1747
lcarere@thermopro.com
Haydn Forward
Specialty Manufacturing Co.
6790 Nancy Ridge Road
San Diego, CA 92121
T: 858.450.1591
F: 858.450.0400
hforward@smi-mfg.com
Richard Freeman
Freetech Plastics
2211 Warm Springs Court
Fremont, CA 94539
T: 510.651.9996
F: 510.651.9917
rfree@freetechplastics.com
Ken Griep
Portage Casting & Mold
2901 Portage Road
Portage, WI 53901
T: 608.742.7137
F: 608.742.2199
ken@pcmwi.com
Steve Hasselbach
CMI Plastics
222 Pepsi Way
Ayden, NC 28416
T: 252.746.2171
F: 252.746.2172
steve@cmiplastics.com
Bret Joslyn
Joslyn Manufacturing
9400 Valley View Road
Macedonia, OH 44056
T: 330.467.8111
F: 330.467.6574
bret@joslyn-mfg.com
Stephen Murrill
Profile Plastics
65 S. Waukegan
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
T: 847.604.5100 x29
F: 847.604.8030
smurrill@thermoform.com

nAccess to industry knowledge from one central location: www.thermoformingdivision.com.
nSubscription to Thermoforming Quarterly, voted “Publication of the Year” by SPE National.
nExposure to new ideas and trends from across the globe
nNew and innovative part design at the Parts Competition.
nOpen dialogue with the entire industry at the annual conference.
nDiscounts, discounts, discounts on books, seminars and conferences.
nFor managers: workshops and presentations tailored specifically to the needs of your operators.
nFor operators: workshops and presentations that will send you home with new tools to improve your performance, make your job easier and help the
company’s bottom line.
Join D25 toDay!
nAccess to industry knowledge from one central location: www.thermoformingdivision.com.
nSubscription to Thermoforming Quarterly, voted “Publication of the Year” by SPE National.
nExposure to new ideas and trends from across the globe
nNew and innovative part design at the Parts Competition.
nOpen dialogue with the entire industry at the annual conference.
nDiscounts, discounts, discounts on books, seminars and conferences.
nFor managers: workshops and presentations tailored specifically to the needs of your operators.
nFor operators: workshops and presentations that will send you home with new tools to improve your performance, make your job easier and help the
company’s bottom line.
Join D25 toDay!
Thermoforming
Quarterly®
FOURTH QUARTER 2010
VOLUME 29 n NUMBER 4
Sponsor Index These sponsors enable us to publish Thermoforming Quarterly
n Allen ……………………………34
n ANTEC 2011 ………………….33
n Brown Machine ……………….32
n CMT Materials ………………..22
n CMG ……………………………34
n GN Plastics ……………………15
n GPEC 2011 ……………………30
n Kiefel …………………………..34
n KMT …………………………….30
n Kydex ………Inside Front Cover
n MAAC Machinery ……………..30
n McClarin Plastics ……………..15
n Nova Chemicals ……Back Cover
n PCI ……………………………..31
n PMC ………… Inside Back Cover
n Portage Casting & Mold ……..15
n Primex Plastics ……………….22
n Productive Plastics …………..34
n Profile Plastics Corp. ………..34
n PTi ………………………………22
n Ray Products ………………….34
n Solar Products ………………..15
n Tempco ………………………..36
n Thermoforming Machinery &

Equipment Inc. …………….31
n Thermwood……………………11
n TPS …………………………….11
n Zed Industries ………………..34

Thermoforming Division Membership Benefits

36 Thermoforming QUArTerLY

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