PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2020

TRADE SHOW REVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 21 No. 03/20 www.petpla.net 34 Preform mould manufacturing Canadian mould manufacturer Stackteck Systems chose to take the opportunity presented by the K Show 2019 to highlight their new technologies for PET preforms and premier their PET preform mould initiative. We met: Mr Rick Unterlander, General Manager PET Mr Vincent Travaglini, President & CEO We spoke with General Manager PET Mr Rick Unterlander about the past, the future and, of course, about PET. He began with an outline of the history of Stackteck, which was estab- lished in 1998 as a merger of Trad- esco (founded in 1976) and Unique, whose history dates back to 1969. In 1991, while it was still operating under the Tradesco name, it designed, developed and manufactured the world’s first four-level stack mould. A year later, it launched another first: the Quick Product Change (QPC) stack mould. The following 22 years saw a series of worlds’ first develop- ments from StackTeck, including inno- vative mould technologies such as: five-piece collapsing core; 4x32 stack mould configurations; 2x64 unscrew- ing cap moulds; and 2x32 co-injection stack moulds. In 2013, Stackteck released its first production mould featuring Trim (Thin Recess Injection Moulding) technology. This year, 2019, sees it launch its first Fasttrack mould capa- bility, with automated design and an eight-week delivery. Other develop- ments announced in 2019 saw Stack- teck Asia established in South Korea, and the launch of its PET initiative. The company has, to date, built over 130 PET preform moulds, rang- ing from two-cavity development platforms to 144-cavity high volume production systems. Its main markets and the the majority of sales are found in North America and Asia, including Japan. At K, the company exhibited a range of its technologies, such as ISO hot runner systems; Kooltrack confor- mal cooling stack components; and Picool post mould cooling systems. With over 35 years’ experience in the industry, Stackteck’s new General Manager PET, Rick Unterlander, is a recognised expert. He has held a number of positions at several PET converter and equipment supply companies, ranging from PET Lab Technician through to PET Process Engineering Manager, R&D Engineer- ing Manager, and Owner/VP PET Operations. He holds numerous pat- ents in the industry and continues to participate in initiatives for advancing PET technology to improve perfor- mance and efficiency, and support sustainability. His focus in his new appointment at Stackteck is on PET preform projects in the Americas. He is also the liaison to Stackteck Asia in South Korea, where the company has already built a successful track record in PET preform moulds, hot runners, and post-mould cooling systems. “Our moulds, hot runners, end-of- arm-tooling and Picool, a new, pat- ented post mould cooling technology, are compatible with all major machine brands, at very competitive costs and industry leading performance”, Rick stated. “Our hot runner technolo- gies are designed to reduce pressure drop, improve cavity-to-cavity bal- ance, reduce colour changeover time, and generate lower AA levels than conventional designs, while virtually eliminating PET dust”, he added. The new moulds feature conformal cooling to improve productivity, while Picool speeds up cycle times. “We need around four to 14 weeks to fulfil an order for a mould, depend- ing on design, cavitation and back- log”, Rick added. “We are pretty well positioned in terms of sales and after sales service, with our two manufac- turing locations in Canada and South Korea plus a global support network, strategically located in regions around the world.” While different markets require different solutions, meeting and overcoming the global challenges and demands from the industry for PET moulds is based on the same foundations and qualities. Reducing scrap, improving productivity “Economic value, cost of owner- ship, performance and efficiency are key requirements that shape suc- cess,” Rick Unterlander said. Without identifying them by name, he said that he sees the top tier suppliers for two- Kay Barton met with Rick Unterlander, GM PET Preform Moulds (left), and Vince Travaglini, President & CEO (right) at the Stackteck Systems’ booth during K 2019