THERMOFORMING - Kintz Plastics

Kintz Plastics, Inc. of Howes Cave, New York reduced its utility costs by 40% and increased productivity by retrofitting eight of their twin sheet, pressure and vacuum forming machines from electric to catalytic heating. The switch to the Vulcan Catalytic Systems units also resulted in better overall part quality and fewer rejects.

"Electrical costs all over New York are high," said Wyn Kintz, President of Kintz Plastics. "In some cases, we were unable to compete with out-of-state thermoformers simply because of our excessive utility expenses. We needed a heating system that would help us remain cost competitive, and continue to produce the high quality parts we're known for."

Kintz Plastics provides custom thermoforming services to the biomedical cal, electronics, transportation, and   medical industries, including heart monitors and blood analysis units requiring high levels of accuracy and precision.

After careful consideration, Kintz decided to retrofit with Vulcan catalytic heaters in eight of the company's machines, including both single-station and rotary-station systems. They have saved thousands of dollars annually on electricity costs.

"We were one of the first thermoformers to convert to Vulcan's systems and the resulting advantages have made us more competitive."

In addition to cost savings, Kintz Plastics have seen noticeable improvement in part consistency and quality. Vulcan catalytic heaters provide more uniform dispersal of thermal energy than electric heaters, yielding higher quality aesthetics, even with difficult plastics such as clear polycarbonate.

"Since switching to Vulcan systems, quality has improved across the board," noted Kintz. "The electrical heat sources seemed to heat only the two skins of material, but the longwave infrared energy of the catalytic heaters penetrates the core of the plastic."

"We have eight conversions running on propane, with excellent part quality from simple zone control. Our thermoforming manager is much more relaxed these days!"

"We're very impressed with the impact Vulcan catalytic heaters have had on our operation," concluded Kintz. "Not only have we controlled spiraling costs, but we now offer a consistently higher quality part than before while achieving an even higher level of customer satisfaction."

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