ACS Group Opens New Technology Center

ACS Group held a grand opening ceremony for its newest site on Nov. 15, noting the facility will provide space for research and development, as well as a showroom for its technology and technology from product partners. Paul Grekowicz, VP marketing and product development, told Plastics Technology that eventually the leased, 53,000-sq-ft building will also have office space to house some administrative functions for ACS. ACS, has 259 total employees in New Berlin, took possession of the building in September.

Attendees for the event included ACS Group employees, manufacturer’s sales representatives, trade press, and vendors. Equipment displays included new products for the company and its brands—AEC, Cumberland, Sterling—as well as an all-electric 165-yon Zhafir Venus 1500 injection molding machine supplied by Absolute Haitian Corp., the North American distributor for Haitian machinery.

Among the new technologies on display in the building's 12,500-sq-ft showroom were the redesigned T500 series of central granulators. In addition to a tangential design suited for processing bulkier scrap, additional enhancements include greater safety through a zero-speed sensor in the door and a rotor lock function. There are three sizes in the new series, which Grekowicz noted topped expected throughputs in lab work by 20%.

ACS company Cumberland displayed its U Series Feedroll system intended to run inline with thermoforming systems to process scrap—both skeletal web and parts—as it’s produced. Grekowicz said the technology, which has a 56-inch-wide feed and 12-inch crusher, is of particular interest for thermoformers at startup.

The company also showcased its adiabatic cooling system, which applies adiabatic heat-transfer principles to provide more efficient water and energy usage compared to a cooling tower. In addition to lowering the risk of water borne bacteria like Legionnella, ACS said adiabatic systems are a good option in areas where water and power are scarce, expensive. 

At this time, the company has approximately 20 new products in development, according to ACS, with plans to keep the new technology center busy, going forward.