PTi Opens Technology Development Center (TDC) at Aurora, Ill. Headquarters

Processing Technologies International LLC (PTi), a leading global manufacturer of high-performance sheet extrusion machinery, has announced the opening of its Technology Development Center (TDC), a demonstration center that is dedicated to product development and process trials for customers on production-scale systems. The TDC showcases the company’s most innovative sheet extrusion lines and directly assists customers with their product development efforts. PTi will discuss the TDC’s capabilities at the upcoming NPE2018 May 7-11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. (Booth #W6744).
“We’re not only excited that our state-of-the-art facility features the latest sheet extrusion technology to help our customers in all phases of product development, we are also thrilled that we have been able incorporate this equipment into PTi University’s various training programs for our customers’ operators, process engineers, and maintenance personnel,” said Matt Banach, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for PTi. These training programs offer PTi customers’ new employees the opportunity to familiarize themselves with operations through hands-on experience, while providing continuous education regarding the importance of safety, maintenance, and maximizing efficiency of equipment and processes for those already familiar with the extrusion processes. The company plans to present the TDC capabilities and functions, and further expand on PTi University training programs and benefits, during an official ribbon cutting ceremony in the near future.
The 15,000-sq-ft development center houses two demonstration sheet extrusion systems including PTi’s High Vacuum Twin-Screw Extruder (HVTSE®) sheet extrusion system, featuring Bandera’s patented dryerless technology which allows PET to be processed without the need for raw material drying and crystallizing. The second line features PTi’s SUPER-G® HighSPEED Extruder, a high-speed solution that delivers improved melt quality as a result of SUPER-G® Lobe screw technology and is offered integrated with all of PTi’s advanced G-SERIES® Configurable roll stand configurations.
The TDC emphasizes the overall customer experience, offering a view of the machinery and technology development from an expanded and improved vantage point. The multi-component features of blending, silicone coating, and winding (multiple-up), along with high outputs ranging from 2300pph (HVTSE dryer-less system) to 3000pph (HighSPEED), means that this production scale machinery allows trials and training to be conducted at typical production rates. PTi has already hosted numerous customers for demonstration trials and has held several training sessions that have proven beneficial to the clients’ manufacturing process.
The new facility is an integral part of PTi’s recent $10 million plant expansion at the Aurora headquarters. The expansion was in response to growing demand for sheet extrusion equipment. The company increased overall plant capacity by 50% and added 40,000 square feet of primary manufacturing and office space and up to 40 new jobs.
PTi has experienced strong growth in the packaging, industrial, and automotive industries and has established itself as the leader in dryer-less PET systems in North America. The company notes that customers are retiring older equipment for higher-capacity efficient systems. Other positive macro-economic factors include capital equipment purchase incentives, low interest rates, and accelerated depreciation benefits based on the sweeping new changes in the U.S. tax code.

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