In a £130,000 investment, vacuum forming and injection moulding specialist MHP Industries has installed two new fully automatic thermoforming machines from London-based manufacturer Ridat.
The machines installed were the model 2420AFCS Automatic Form-Cut-stack machine and the model 6040AVF Automatic Vacuum Forming Machine with duplex Heaters.
“The availability of the two fully automatic thermoforming machines from one UK manufacturer at a very affordable price enabled us to upgrade our facilities even in this tight financial climate,” says High Wycombe-based MHP Industries MD Mark Hipgrave.
“We were particularly pleased that the Ridat machines include, as standard, most of the features associated with equipment from much more expensive West European manufacturers.”
The standard Ridat model 2420AFCS Automatic Form-Cut-stack machine – with a two-pitch pre-heat station incorporating moving top and bottom platens for both forming and trimming stations – was fitted with an additional piercing press to enable MHP to produce components without the need for post-operation of punching euro-slots.
The Ridat model 6040AVF Automatic Vacuum Forming Machine features as standard a forming area 1500mm x 1000mm, duplex heaters with closed-loop digital heating controls to ensure accurate zone with PID control for temperature regulation and clamping system for materials up to 12mm thick.
Ridat says other features that will become standard in future production examples of this model include automatic sag control; a photo-electric safety curtain; fast cooling of the formed product; bubble facility; quick mould changing; and a user-friendly micro-processor system for fault identification, if needed.
“Ridat have taken our suggestions into their design and manufacturing thinking, with the result that the new machine will be of great help to us in further expanding product throughput,” says Hipgrave.
“We particularly like the fact that with Ridat it is relatively easy to modify, adapt and upgrade the machines using standard parts.”
Ridat AFCS series thermoforming, cut and stack system
