Innovative Thinking Yields Cost-Effective "Green" Results for MCS Industries
When MCS Industries, North America’s leading supplier of picture frames and wall décor, needed a unique, in-house compounding solution, they looked to Davis-Standard. Through an innovative co-engineering effort, Davis-Standard delivered a single screw compounding extruder that enables MCS to reprocess materials typically requiring more expensive twin-screw technology. The extruder, installed in April 2012, has enabled MCS to compound 1.5 million pounds of recycled plastic materials each month. This has strengthened MCS’ internal processing efficiency while adding capabilities for converting post-consumer scrap into high-quality products that are sold by big box retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“We’re always looking for ways to make our operation more environmentally focused,” said Dallas Kohler, director of engineering for MCS. “We’ve done a lot of work with Davis-Standard in the areas of sheet, profile, recycling and now compounding. We tasked them with developing technology that would allow us to achieve a high level of mixing in a cost-efficient manner. Collectively with our MCS engineering team and technology partners, Davis-Standard developed a single screw design that has achieved what many felt only a twin screw machine could accomplish. This machine provides us greater economic value and is operator friendly.”
In a timeframe of approximately six months from start to finish, Davis-Standard worked with MCS to develop, build, test and install the extruder. Unique to this machine is a sophisticated weight-scale feeding system. This enables multiple scrap streams to feed into the extruder achieving material weight accuracy within one tenth of one percent. Davis-Standard’s R&D capabilities were critical to the effort, enabling MCS to prove the technology prior to installation. The machine has been successful in reprocessing materials ranging from large printer cartridges and expanded polystyrene foam packaging to every piece of scrap from MCS’ manufacturing floor. MCS contracts with major recycling centers throughout North America to reclaim materials that would otherwise occupy landfills.
“We use everything; nothing goes to waste,” said Dave Lutz, MCS director of manufacturing. “From an engineering and manufacturing perspective, Davis-Standard’s expertise was instrumental in helping us develop a brand-new process that is making us a better company in terms of both cost-savings and protecting the environment. This type of innovation makes our customers happy while providing their customer with a high quality product.”
For more information about MCS Industries, visit www.mcsframes.com. For more information about this project, contact Larry Giammarco at lgiammarco@davis-standard.com. For more information about Davis-Standard, visit www.davis-standard.com.
About Davis-Standard, LLC
Davis-Standard (www.davis-standard.com), headquartered in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, is a global leader in the design, development and distribution of extrusion and converting technology. Davis-Standard systems encompass over 10 product lines to support manufacturing applications and customers within every major industry. This includes the agriculture, automotive, construction, healthcare, energy, electronics, food and beverage packaging, and retail industries, among others. With more than 950 employees worldwide and a network of independent sales agents and suppliers in nearly every country, Davis-Standard is committed to engineering equipment that is cost effective, environmentally friendly, and offers a high return on investment. The company has three manufacturing and technical facilities in the United States, as well as subsidiaries with facilities in China, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Contact:
Sandy Whewell
Marketing Coordinator
860-599-6215
swhewell@davis-standard.com
www.davis-standard.com
