Sector's best at showcase
More than 200 companies packed into Telford International Centre to showcase the very best of the plastics industry.
The Plastics, Design and Moulding conference attracted thousands of people keen to see the latest innovations in polymers, injection moulding, and product design.
As well as prototype robotics, laser arms and machine optimisation workshops, delegates also had the chance to see a £23,000 giant jelly baby, created for the artist Mauro Perucchetti by Kidderminster firm Bentley Chemicals Ltd. Peter Bentley Turnock, from Bentley Chemicals is seen with the jelly baby
Swanstone Ltd, of Halesfield, used PDM to launch its Friul programming arm, after being awarded the sole distributor rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland by the Italian manufacturer.
Company director Colin Pitchford said the arm was a cost-effective offline programming solution which helped customers maximise machine production time.
The portable arm scans the surface of an object of any shape, size or material to give complete 3D measurements to create a mould.
"You can take one of these scanning arms, and scan the product and it will automatically create the programme while your machine is running and you are offline."
Also at the event was Apley-based Maxell Moulding Services, a company created in 2002 as a division of Maxell Europe, better known by the public for its video and audio tapes.
But MMS is growing steadily and business development executive Geoff Gamage said the company had secured contracts for the automotive, medical and pest-control industries.
"We can offer precision injection moulding, engineering moulding and other services with more than 35 moulding machines. We also have 'cleanroom' manufacture capability to provide products which need a dust-free, sterile, manufacturing environment."
MMS now creates products used by the NHS, like drip stands and hooks, which have been especially treated to guard against MRSA.
PDM also hosted Telford-based First Polymer Training, the leading organisation in plastics training and qualifications, which attracted full houses to their workshops and Telford's leading toolmaker Spring Tool and Die which was hoping to consolidate its customer base as well as attract new clients.
The next PDM conference will be held at the TIC on April15-17 2008.
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