Oak, IL— Winners of the Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) International’s Annual Rotomolded Product Competition were announced during ARM’s 30th Annual Fall Meeting, held September 20, 2005 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Hotel, Rosemont, Illinois. Two rotationally molded products shared top honors as winners of the 2005 Product of the Year: a Johnson Diversey Cleaning Cart, used in chain stores and molded by Dutchland Plastics Corp. (Oostburg, Wis.), and a sandblast housing unit, used in the jewelry industry and molded by Formed Plastics, Inc., Carle Place, N.Y. who is Custom Plastic Injection Molding company offers plastic injection molded products, injection blow molding and rotationa molding parts,
In production since February 2005, the Johnson Diversey Cleaning Cart utilizes rotomolding and blow molding. The rotomolded cleaning cart is produced using a six-piece mold and is extremely robust. Its individual pockets are designed specifically for Johnson Diversey products and container sizes. Dutchland Plastics achieved adequate material flow for front and rear handle areas, which took the place of extruded tubes that would have been used for handles. All component parts are purchased by Dutchland Plastics and assembled at the company; the cart is then drop shipped to their customer’s distribution center or to a designated store.
The 12-inch x 12-inch x 15-inch sandblast housing unit, which also took top honors in the Recycled category, was converted from sheet metal to rotationally molded polyethylene. The use of 100% black reprocessed material was a factor in making the part cost-competitive with sheet metal, and led Formed Plastics’ customer to convert the part to rotational molding. The product has been in production since early this year, and according to the company, sales have been good.
Winners were also announced in the following categories: Conversion, Innovative State-of-the-Art, Large Product, and PVC. Following are brief descriptions of the winners in each category.
Bonar Plastics, Inc. (Ridgefield, Wash.) took first place in the Conversion category for its Gen-Eye™ Junior product. The four-piece rotomolded assembly creates a portable video inspection unit with 200 feet of cable, LED display, camera, and battery power unit. Products in this category had to be converted from some other material or process to rotational molding.
Significant improvements were made to the system to reduce the overall size and weight. Because it is smaller than the original multi-pieced unit, the finished unit has greatly reduced shipping costs. The rotomolded unit is also reported to be more durable and less prone to show any damage than the previous unit. The product is currently in production and, based on early sales volumes, is being well received in the market.
The Boatin’ Bud, a tackle storage system for aluminum boats that was rotomolded by M.B.C. RotoMould Inc. (Newmarket, Ontario, Canada) took top honors in the Innovative State-of-the-Art category. Designed to fit in a 14-16-foot runabout aluminum boat, the rotationally molded unit features a rod, net and beverage holder, tackle compartments, and personal storage area. It mounts on the side and houses all fishing gear, personal belongings, and safety gear. In the Innovative State-of-the-Art category, judges looked for products that demonstrated a significant departure from established rotomolding practice and displayed examples of craftsmanship and quality.
In the Large Product category, the winner was the Polar Box 57, also submitted by Bonar Plastics. In production since August 2005, the double-walled, foam-filled container for food distribution is a redesign of a previous model. Improvements were made after feedback from customers and production personnel. The product is designed for refrigeration/frozen food distribution in non-refrigerated trucks. Because the product is used in a harsh frozen environment and is in contact with –120º F dry ice, it was designed to withstand impacts at these extreme temperatures. The new custom extrusion holds Velcro to the rotomolded part without adhesives. Products in this category were required to include one minimum continuous dimension of 72 inches.
Today molds of American companies are looking for plastic mould maker to make the molds and molding parts for the business to save the cost.
Another product rotomolded by Dutchland Plastics—the Travelocity Roaming Gnome—took top honors in the PVC category. The gnome, a new advertising piece for Travelocity, was rotomolded with rigid PVC, then filled with urethane foam and hand decorated. The production for this piece began in Spring 2005 with an initial run of 100. Products in this category had to display versatility and uniqueness of polyvinyl chloride to the application.