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Product category: Plastics and Rubber Moulding Subcontracting Services
News Release from: Toolcraft Plastics (Swindon) | Subject: Vacuum forming and blow moulding
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 16 September 2003

Moulding investment helps meet EU
directives

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Toolcraft has invested considerable design effort and manufacturing capacity into vacuum forming and blow moulding to help clients' meet the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.

Toolcraft has invested considerable design effort and manufacturing capacity into vacuum forming and blow moulding to help clients' packaging and storage meet the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive New higher targets for the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC) add pressures to industry for continuing improvements in environmental performance, with most of the cost placed on manufacturing industry itself

Having achieved 42% packaging waste recycling, and 48% recovery rates by June 2001, substantially higher targets are set by more recent EC proposals.

UK parliament now expects 60% recovery and 55% recycling by December 2008.

Toolcraft Plastics, of Swindon, who have already invested considerable design effort and manufacturing capacity into vacuum forming and blow moulding in response to clients' packaging and storage needs, have helped many to address these targets and save expense at the same time.

The overall solution will probably come from several rather than one answer, but for example, using reusable trays rather than individual packing and the judicious use of biodegradable plastics will help.

Using trays between assembly operations, especially different sites, has been shown to save cost on both individual packaging and in cutting handling times.

Toolcraft's initiative of marking the trays "reusable" so that shop floor operatives are aware has, improved usage, reduced re-order rates and hence reduced client costs.

Additionally the use of trays of different colours make parts on the shop floor more easily recognisable, with stocking, stock checks and storage quicker and more simple.

To increase the range of trays available to all, Toolcraft will, in many cases, pay 50% of the tooling costs on customer special compartmented trays, where the client will allow the tray to be added to the standard range.

A new range of vacuum formed trays from Toolcraft Plastics fit industry standard tote boxes.

Many customised trays have compartments shaped for parts orientation, the 'snug' fit cutting carrying damage, and easing work at assembly stations particularly at "pick ' n ' place" stations where assembly/parts orientation is essential.

When not in use, for space efficiency, trays stack, but when containing parts they are designed to locate into position but not fully down thus protecting the parts.

The wide range of standard trays, including those fitting industry standard Tote boxes, can be seen on Toolcraft's web site.

Toolcraft Plastics (Swindon): contact details and other news
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