Pittsfield Plastics Engineering, LLC, a custom molder in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has enhanced its large part molding capability with the addition of a two-platen, 1,204-ton injection molding machine with a shot size capacity of 155.6 ounces. The Haitian Jupiter III (JU10800 III) is equipped with a CW15-2000 servo robot from sister company Absolute Robot. Pittsfield Plastics Engineering was featured in the January 19 edition of the local newspaper, the Berkshire Eagle, as well as in the March issue of Plastics Technology magazine.
As a result of the energy savings from the servo-hydraulic, two-platen JUIII, Pittsfield Plastics Engineering applied for and received a rebate in excess of $25,000 from their energy provider, Eversource Energy.
The initial project for the JUIII is to mold kayak seating, but CEO/CFO Bruce Dixon has additional projects lined up, including electrical component enclosures used in commercial real estate development. “Our current utilization on the JUIII is at about 50 percent so we have custom molding availability which we plan to grow,” said Dixon.
The decision to differentiate Pittsfield Plastics Engineering from competitors with large-tonnage molding capability was in part based on Dixon’s realization that if their own 730-ton machine went down, there wasn’t a nearby molder they could outsource the work to. “There just aren’t many large machines in the New England area and we saw this as an opportunity,” said Dixon.
One challenge was to bring the large-tonnage machine online quickly to meet their customer’s timing. “Delivery was a critical factor. We began looking at Absolute Haitian’s stock machine availability, which would have worked. But their lead time on a machine built to our specifications and needs was so aggressive, we were able to place the order from China. It was nice to have that choice,” noted Dixon.
Installation took about four days and was overseen by Absolute Haitian’s service engineering team. “The service engineers worked closely with our maintenance supervisor throughout installation, so we became very familiar with the JUIII during start-up. Like the product, the customer service from Absolute Haitian has been excellent,” said Dixon.
“Not only is our capability increased, the JUIII is more robust and runs at a more efficient pace. This acquisition puts us in a nice position for 2020,” Dixon concluded.