Changes Aplenty Among Extruder Suppliers

Last month bought three changes of significance among equipment suppliers of extruded film and sheet.

•Gloucester Engineering Co., Gloucester Mass., announced it had acquired Future Design Inc., Mississauga, Ont. Future Design is known particularly for blown film bubble-management systems, notably its Saturn and Perfect Balance air rings. Future Design will continue to operate as a separate entity and will be free to sell its technology to other OEMs. Future Design founder Robert Krycki will remain with the
company. Gloucester focuses on complete lines for cast/blown film, sheet and foam. Gloucester president Carl Johnson says that the company is looking for additional acquisitions to expand its technology range.

•Another Canadian machine builder active in blown film is teaming up with another firm to supply systems for nanolayer films. Alpha Marathon, Woodbridge, Ont., is working with die builder BBS Corp., Spartanburg, S.C., inventor of the Modular Disc Die (MDD) and the Layer Sequence Repeater (LSR). The LSR is a module that can be inserted within the MMD to produce nanolayers in groups of 25 within a matrix of microlayers. The MMD is a scaleable die that is available in sizes for both lab (300 lb/hr) and production applications. An 18-in. production unit is rated at 800 lb/hr. On the drawing board is a larger die that can run at 2000 lb/hr.

•Extrusion Dies Industries (EDI), Chippewa Falls, Wis., purchased Premier Dies Corp., also in Chippewa Falls. Both companies are noted for flat dies for film and sheet, though Premier recently unveiled a blown film die (Processor Strategies, Sept. ’11).