The TMP Inc. division of French has designed a heavy-duty slab side automatic hydraulic vacuum press for cold pot transfer molding parts.
David Sledz—vice president, Hydraulic Division at French—said while the technology is not new, it is new for many customers who do compression molding. The cold pot transfer allows customers to do multiple segments or cure cycles without loading the material back into the machine. He said customers can expect to get approximately 10 to 12 cycles.
"Cold pot transfer is going to save them cycle time, labor and things like that," Sledz said. "It's only applicable for certain types of material."
The machine is being manufactured at French's factory in Piqua, Ohio. In some instances, Sledz said that the company has filled up customers' entire plants.
"We're a custom builder, and we've had customers request this ability," Sledz said. "We've taken their tooling and their technology and taken it to a different level. We equip our press with vacuums; we equip our press with cooling ports. We can configure it cycle- and control-wise to work with that type of tooling."
The 250-ton press is fitted with 20 inch by 20 inch steel platens with heating elements divided into multiple zones for enhanced temperature uniformity. The platens are insulated to restrict heat transfer into press components.
The company said the press can be customized with different size specifications and additional press features.