News

Recent News

ER-WE-PA GmbH Achieves ISO 14001 Certification
Continuing with company-wide sustainability efforts, Davis-Standard’s subsidiary in Germany, ER-WE-PA GmbH, recently attained ISO 14001 certification. This certification illustrates a
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“The Quest for Medical Product Perfection” Interview with John Christiano and Medical Plastics News
Medical product manufacturing is a tough job; persistent timelines, exacting quality standards, equipment performance, tighter margins, and staffing shortages are
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Stonington Celebrates Earth & Arbor Day All Year Long
Stongington, CT government website posted the below news brief on behalf of the Beautification Committee of Stongington. Earth Day was
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Interview with CEO and Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing Magazine; “Giovanni Spitale took an unorthodox path to plastics”
As the head of Davis-Standard, Giovanni Spitale has an unusual background. Unlike many executives who work their way up in
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Past News

Blown film die coating considerations and options – Packaging South Asia Magazine
Read in the magazine here. For more information on Davis-Standard's blown film machinery, visit here.  
“Former Davis-Standard head reflects on decades-long career” – Interview with Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and Jim Murphy
James Murphy is making the transition from president and CEO to vice chairman of the board of directors. To view the article via PMM website, visit here.  
Mike Brown Appointed Vice President for Davis-Standard’s Canadian Operations
Davis-Standard is pleased to announce that Mike Brown has been appointed Vice President of Operations – GTA for the company’s Canadian businesses. In his new role, Brown will be responsible for executing the business operating plan, strategy and performance initiatives for Davis-Standard’s Toronto-based subsidiaries. “Mike joins Davis-Standard with over 25 years of progressive experience in engineering, product management, and global operating roles with equipment and processing companies,” said Dan Guthrie, Davis-Standard’s Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to him leading our Brampton Engineering, Deacro, and Gamma companies to reach our strategic growth goals synchronized with the Surpass global operating principles and our Davis-Standard vision statement.” Brown comes to Davis-Standard from Gillette/Procter & Gamble, where he was operations manager for their injection and extrusion operations. Having also worked at Edwards Vacuum, Avox Systems, Milacron and Quality Metalcraft, he has extensive experience in transforming businesses in terms of profitability, safety, aftermarket services, lean manufacturing, and footprint utilization. Brown holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science in manufacturing engineering from Worchester Polytechnic Institute, and a Master in Business Administration from Babson College.   For more information about Brampton Engineering, visit: https://be-ca.com/ For more information about Deacro, visit: https://www.deacro.com/ For more information about Gamma Machinery, visit: http://www.gamma-machinery.com/ If you have questions, inquiries, or need to speak with Mike Brown, contact us here!
Go Digital, Work Better | Plastics Engineering Magazine
SPE Publication, May Issue Article written by Nancy D. Lamontagne (SPE)  
Davis-Standard Patents Advanced Web Transfer Device
Davis-Standard is pleased to announce the U.S. patent for a new web transfer device that eliminates waste while simplifying web transfers. This unique design reflects the collaborative efforts of Michael Hitsman, Brian Ouderkirk and Lawrence Fraser. It is available on Davis-Standard multiple turret winders used in continuous web processes where the web delivery and core transfer assembly have one or more core receiving structures. “Zero speed transfers are challenging due to many types of sensitive webs run on this type of line,” explained Lawrence Fraser, Senior Mechanical Project Engineer. “The new device grips the tail of the old roll and the tail of the new, while cutting the web, pasting it, and ironing it onto the prepared core. Essentially, we’ve used a bump-paste concept to improve the web cutting and transferring process from a full core to a new core. Not only does this design reduce expensive material waste, but it produces uniform leading and trailing edges to improve web quality.” The transfer device features a web transfer assembly configured to receive a web from the web delivery assembly while also communicating with the core transfer assembly. The web transfer assembly includes a frame and lay-on roll as well as a vacuum hood, each adjustable relative to the frame. The vacuum hood has a cutting device mounted inside with one or more force-holding surfaces configured to releasably hold a portion of the web. These surfaces move relative to the frame and core receiving structures while making contact with the core receiving structures to transfer the web. The versatility of this device makes it possible for processors to manage webs consisting of paper, paperboard and non-paper products, such as film and polyethylene. “Creativity and innovation are at the heart of Davis-Standard’s business endeavors and a lifeblood of our organization,” said Richard Pastor, Vice President of Operations for Davis-Standard’s N.Y. facility. “This patent is a visible and tangible representation of how we continually seek solutions that improve customer processes and profitability. I would like to congratulate our team on this achievement.” Contact us for more information about Davis-Standard’s new web transfer device. For more information about Davis-Standard’s winding capabilities, visit us here. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://davis-standard.com/DS_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DS-Web-Transfer-Technology_YouTube.mp4"][/video]        
Davis-Standard Introduces Next-Generation Gear Reducer
Davis-Standard is pleased to introduce its next-generation gear reducer. This sleek new design represents a commitment to customer feedback, field experience, and technical engineering while building upon the robust performance synonymous with Davis-Standard gear reducers. The new reducer fulfills a variety of extrusion requirements, including those with high and low torque, speeds and extrusion pressures. It can also accommodate the DS Activ-Checksystem, Davis-Standard’s Industry 4.0 platform for continuous monitoring, preventative maintenance and mobile alerts. “Our next-generation reducer represents strategic engineering and the application of cumulative knowledge to deliver greater functionality without compromising performance,” said Gary Peacock, Davis-Standard’s director of engineering. “We’ve improved all major components and packaged them in a redesigned housing. We already have hundreds of extruders fitted with the new reducer in the field. Customers across all Davis-Standard applications are pleased with the results.” The new gear reducer is available in five different dimensions and capacities for extruders ranging from 2 inches (50mm) to 6.5 inches (165mm) in size. Following is a summary of advantages:   Horizontal and vertical orientations – The horizontal orientation is a good fit for belt-driven machines and/or low centerlines. This allows for a range of belt drives, versatile feedscrew timing, and adaptability to direct-coupled drives. The vertical housing arrangement is designed for direct-coupled and narrow footprint machines. It allows for tight positioning of extruders used in multilayer processes. Cooling and lubrication – There are two cooling and lubrication options based on housing style and customer requirements. These include oil bath lubrication and partial immersion/forced lubrication. Gears and roller bearings – Case-hardened precision ground helical gearing is available in a wide range of gear reduction ratios to suit process requirements. New to this reducer series are spherical roller thrust bearings which absorb the axial process load and provide a self-centering, compact design with superior low-friction characteristics. Radial shaft seals – All reducers are fitted with high-quality, spring-loaded radial shaft seals to contain lubrication oil and exclude contaminants. Felt excluder – A felt ring excluder has been added to the front output shaft to protect the shaft and seal from abrasion and extend seal life. Housing design – Durable cast iron construction provides quiet operation and minimal vibration. Large inspection ports simplify viewing of gear tooth condition, and a non-vented, bullet-type oil sight check eliminates the potential for leakage. Large oil fill ports allow for easier filling, while a low point drain port enables complete draining. A front thrust shaft cover completely encloses the reducer housing, allowing for more precision seal-to-shaft alignment. Retrofitting to older machines – There are many opportunities to retrofit the Next Gen gearcase to older extruders. Please contact Davis-Standard’s Aftermarket team to see if this applies to your existing machines. For more information about the new gear reducer, contact marketing or visit our contact us page to submit your inquiry.    
Markus Lehmann Appointed Area Sales Manager
Davis-Standard is pleased to announce that Markus Lehmann has been appointed area sales manager, representing Davis-Standard’s German subsidiary ER-WE-PA GmbH. In his new role, Markus will be responsible for capital equipment and converting machinery sales in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as the Benelux, Middle Eastern and Scandinavian regions. Markus brings more than 28 years of experience to this position, having worked at Reinhardt Technik GmbH, Atlas Converting, Kampf, Nordson, Stepah Technology BV and EMG Automation GmbH, among others. He has extensive technical knowledge in supporting customers with solutions-based technology that promotes efficiency, high outputs, and sustainability goals. Markus has a degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from the University of applied science in Cologne, Germany. For more information about Davis-Standard’s converting machinery capabilities visit here.
Davis-Standard to Promote Coating & Slitter Rewinder Expertise at Converter’s Expo
[caption id="attachment_4899" align="alignnone" width="525"] Superior technology for optically clear window film from Davis-Standard.[/caption]   Davis-Standard will promote the company’s liquid and extrusion coating machinery at booth #111 during Converter’s Expo, April 26 – 27, at Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay, Wisc. The complementary portfolio of Deacro Industries, a Davis-Standard Company, will be featured at booth #112. Davis-Standard will highlight standard and tailored liquid coating lines for window and paint protection, specialty products, PSA and silicone release liners, and inline and offline unwind and winding options for diverse applications. With more than 50 standard and custom liquid coating machinery options, Davis-Standard assists customers with achieving desired output and quality characteristics for their products. Applications include tapes and labels, silicone-coating products, paint protection films (PPF), and specialty coating markets. Davis-Standard can address low to high-speed applications, narrow and wide applications, simple lines with a dedicated coater, as well as complex coating lines with multiple cartridge coaters. In addition, equipment audits are available to upgrade existing machine configurations for processing a range of materials used in film and flexible packaging, construction, automotive, and medical applications. In the growing area of PPF, Davis-Standard offers a complete system with both extrusion and solution coating components. This system utilizes Davis-Standard’s versatile Series 4000 cartridge coater with advanced drying and laminating technology, and winding and unwinding capabilities for producing high-quality PPF films. Other system advantages include: a dual-direction turret unwind/splicer; turret stripper winder; coater enclosure; dual-direction turret winder and roll changer; and Integrator PRO supervisory control. For extrusion coating and laminating processes, Davis-Standard engineers laboratory-size systems for R&D all the way up to five-meter-wide systems for diverse applications. Each is designed to address precision gauge control, splice speed, simplified changeovers, better adhesion properties, high-speed transfer, and operator safety. All equipment, including extruders, controls, coaters and laminators, winders and unwinders, is engineered for reliability, minimal waste and consistent performance. Expertise in automatic profile control (APC), deckle and die design, multi-coating, web handling, transfer unwinds and winders supports customer profitability. To accommodate an existing carriage or platform structure, Davis-Standard’s CHP extruder provides a smaller footprint and lighter weight machine option. Customers benefit from a space-saving retrofit or coextrusion addition in order to boost outputs and line speed. This includes efficient mixing capabilities for a low melt temperature and output rates that are 80 to 100 percent higher than current alternatives. Deacro’s slitter rewinder machinery is widely used for applications in food packaging, medical packaging, industrial products, pressure-sensitive labels, and others. This includes salvage rewinders, slitter rewinders, turret slitters, and core cutters. Unique to Deacro are roll lock differential air shafts, closed-loop rewind tension control and auto core placement to improve processing efficiency. Deacro also excels in automation to reduce set-up times, minimizing roll loading times between finished sets, simplify maintenance, and streamline roll packaging. Existing manual slitter rewinders can be upgraded with automated technology to improve performance. One of Davis-Standard’s most exciting developments is the launch of its DS Activ-Checksystem. DS Activ-Check™ is an Industry 4.0 platform for continuous monitoring, preventative maintenance, and mobile alerts. DS Activ-Check uses analytical tools based on long-term cloud data storage, along with process and equipment technology algorithms, to help management and production teams identify and improve product quality and line productivity. Click here for more information about extrusion and liquid coating equipment options prior to the show. For Deacro Industries, visit https://www.deacro.com/.  
Davis-Standard at WAI Operations Summit and Wire Expo
Davis-Standard is pleased to exhibit at the WAI Operations Summit and Wire Expo at booth #704, June 7-8, in Dallas, Texas. The company will highlight wire and cable solutions that support applications in the aerospace, automotive, power cable, construction, and communication industries. This includes aerial cable, building wire, coaxial and composite cable, video pair cable, CATV, THHN and THWN products. Davis-Standard’s wire and cable industry leadership spans more than seven decades. Wire and cable equipment is engineered according to customer specifications, including extruders, payoffs and take-ups, accumulators, cooling systems, and capstans. This includes complete machinery solutions for high-temperature aerospace wire, low-voltage automotive cables, fiber optic cables and ducts that improve connectivity, and high-output applications involving multi-layer constructions such as nylon over PVC, among others. Requirements for line speed, conductor type, insulating materials, wall thickness range, and outside diameter are addressed with technical expertise and consistent results. Feedscrew and control technology, extruder efficiency, single reel shaftless payoffs, dual flyer payoffs, multi-pass and belt wrap capstans, and dual reel take-ups are a few examples of how Davis-Standard supports customer profitability. These capabilities are further augmented by the extensive equipment portfolio offered by Maillefer, a Davis-Standard company. One of Davis-Standard’s latest developments is the launch of its DS Activ-Checksystem. DS Activ-Check™ is an Industry 4.0 platform for continuous monitoring, preventative maintenance, and mobile alerts. DS Activ-Check uses analytical tools based on long-term cloud data storage, along with process and equipment technology algorithms, to help management and production teams identify and improve product quality and line productivity. The use of digital transformation to strengthen operations has shown significant potential in the extrusion sector, including wire and cable processes.

For information prior to the show

Lou Piffer to Present at TAPPI 2022 Flex-Pack Conference
Lou Piffer of Davis-Standard will present two papers during the TAPPI 2022 International Flexible Packaging and Extrusion Division Conference, April 10 – 13, in Austin, Texas. Piffer, a senior sales engineer and specialist in cast film and extrusion coating, will present during sessions 9 and 10 during the conference. Piffer’s presentation during session 9 on Tuesday, April 12, is entitled “Polymers: Films and Extrusion Coating Lines.” This paper encompasses the work of industry expert Dragan Djordjevic from the 1990s and is part of the session’s focus on timeless technical insights. The presentation will cover standard rheology variables such as melt index, molecular weight distribution, density, and side-chain branching. The variables will be reviewed not only as an academic quality, but from the perspective of how a unique combination permits viable processing on a cast film or extrusion coating line. This includes a discussion on determining important end-use properties in the melt and solid-state of the resin.   His presentation during session 10 on Wednesday, April 13, is entitled “Extrusion Coating versus Adhesive Lamination – A Comparison Study.” This paper builds upon Piffer’s earlier work entitled “Extrusion Coating in an Adhesive Lamination World,” to further examine the advantages and disadvantages of both processes for specific structures. He will outline various requirements for an acceptable structure and discuss how those features can be maintained when running an adhesive lamination structure using the extrusion coating process. To see the full conference agenda, visit https://events.tappiflexible.org/program/technical-program/  
Davis-Standard to Showcase Catheter Tube and 3-D Filament Line at MD&M West 2022
Davis-Standard, LLC will exhibit production of two-lumen “Double D” thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) catheter tubing at booth 4024 during MD&M West in Anaheim, Calif., April 12-14, 2022. The line will also demonstrate 1.75mm filament made of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer, which will be used in a 3-D printer operating at the booth. Davis-Standard will exhibit the line’s capabilities in conjunction with technology partners Conair Group and Zumbach Electronics. “This line is an excellent example of a space-saving system that can be used for both medical and industrial tubing. We also have numerous larger scale lines like this one in the field, capable of running in excess of 800 feet per minute,” said Kevin Dipollino, Davis-Standard’s Senior Product Manager of Pipe, Profile and Tubing Systems. The line features a Davis-Standard 1-inch MEDD Series (Medical Extruder Direct Drive) extruder. The extruder’s key features include interchangeable barrel assemblies and replaceable feed-section liners for multiple materials and applications. Easy-to-clean stainless-steel surfaces, a direct drive motor, simplified maintenance, and operator accessibility are other key advantages for medical cleanroom environments.     The MEDD extruder will be equipped with a DS-eVUE process control featuring a 19-inch (480mm) high-resolution touch-screen. This Windows®-based controller is designed for mid-range processes with advanced supervisory functions such as event logging, customized reports, SQC, historical trending, troubleshooting and pressure set-up. Operators benefit from a complete line overview, detailed extruder data, recipe creation and storage, and multi-level security to protect settings and accessibility. DS-eVUE can interface with the majority of existing PLC controls and includes Davis-Standard’s ReACT (Remote Access Technology) support program for real-time, remote service and troubleshooting. On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 12 and 13, the line will exhibit processing of PLA. The melt from the extruder will pass through a cross-head filament extrusion die and a non-contact calibrator into the Conair HTMP multi-pass vacuum sizing/cooling tank. This tank is a space-saving innovation that enables the extrudate to follow a Z-shaped path in a compact 12-foot design with the same cooling equivalent as a 30-foot tank. Other advantages include Zumbach OD gauge control, a Conair Medline® puller and Conair ATC series colier set up with multiple spools on the coiling shaft. A floor-mounted ultrasonic loop sensor monitors the incoming product, automatically adjusting coil speed and traverse motion to wind product smoothly. On Thursday, April 14, the line will shift production over to the dual-lumen “Double D” TPE catheter tubing. In addition to the MEDD extruder and Conair upstream and downstream equipment, the line will include a Zumbach ultrasonic wall-thickness gauge. This line will showcase components for efficient processing from start to finish, including the advantages of Zumbach gauges in monitoring and reporting changes in wall thickness on the control screen as the tubing cools. This also provides data used to regulate the puller speed and cooling tank vacuum to maintain critical tubing dimensions over a production run. Davis-Standard representatives at the show will include Kevin Dipollino, Joe Wnuk, and Jason Baird. For more information about the show, visit www.mdmwest.com. Schedule an appointment at the show - click here.  

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Davis-Standard Lab-Line Advances R&D for Thai Polyethylene Co., Ltd.
SCG Chemicals, the parent company of Thai Polyethylene, is one of Thailand's largest integrated petrochemical companies. The company offers products ranging from upstream production of olefins to downstream production of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. The installation of the Davis-Standard lab line at their facility in Rayong, Thailand, aligns with the company’s commitment to developing new technology that creates high value-added products (HVA) and service solutions for customers worldwide. [caption id="attachment_6748" align="alignleft" width="200"] Mr. Niwat Athiwattananont, Technology & Product Development Director, Polyolefins and Vinyl Business of SCG Chemicals[/caption] Niwat noted that Covid restrictions and measures made commissioning a challenge. But through a lot of hard work, communication and feedback, Davis-Standard collaborated with them to get it done. “Our teams did an excellent job of working through various Covid-related issues and changes during the process. Davis-Standard’s on-site service teams were professional and experts in their field.” Davis-Standard offers one of the industry’s largest and most versatile extrusion coating and laminating platforms, including customization based on customer requirements. ER-WE-PA GmbH, specializes in technology for aseptic packaging film and worked with Thai Polyethylene on this project. “The innovation being delivered on this new line is significant for Thai Polyethylene’s customer base,” said Daniel Schiller, area sales and project manager for Davis-Standard. “Working alongside their team has been rewarding. We look forward to supporting them as they expand their product offering.”         For more information about Thai Polyethylene and SCG Chemicals, visit www.scgchemicals.com. For more information about Davis-Standard’s converting and extrusion coating solutions, click here. Have questions or want to inquire about a product or service? Contact us!