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Diversified Plastics Inc. (DPI; Minneapolis) recently installed six all-electric vertical injection molding presses, giving the custom molder 27 total machines, including eight vertical systems targeting over-molding and insert-molding. CEO Kevin Hogan told Plastics Technology that the capacity addition was in support of Covid-19 related ´óÏó´«Ã½.

“The primary Covid-related project was for a customer that produces pulse oximeters,” Hogan said. “Demand for these skyrocketed as people learned that measuring blood oxygen was a good diagnostic for the virus.”

The company said the addition of these presses tripled its vertical-press capacity. A new Sumitomo all-electric 50-ton vertical clamp was added to manufacture a complicated over-molded part. The company sold what it described as an underutilized 500-ton horizontal hydraulic press, freeing up room for three of its new Niigata 85-ton vertical presses. DPI noted that by re-utilizing the space formerly occupied by the single horizontal machine with three verticals, the annual production value for that floorspace could go from $157,000 to a potential of nearly $1.7 million. Three years ago the company committed to only purchasing all-electric machines.