Johan Bekker readying himself to machine a large bearing on one of the vertical lathes at the company’s factory - Photo: Angus Whitty
SOUTH African thermoplastic producer VescoPlastics last month began installation of a Marufuku double-column machining centre capable of continuous milling over 6,000 mm lengths.
In July the company laid 500mm-thick concrete in the portion of the factory in which the 37 ton machine will operate, and assembled the machine in August to prepare for its commissioning in September.
Another recent purchase is a 2-axis, 2032 mm Haas CNC lathe, which will also add to the firm’s capabilities, as it will be the longest computer-numerically-controlled lathe that the company has. The lathe will be brought into production after the factory has been properly configured to accommodate the machine.
“VescoPlastics is one of the largest engineering polymer workshops in the world as a result of the number of machines housed on its premises, as well as the size range of engineering activities that it can undertake,” said Dr Jean-Patrick Leger, chairman of VescoPlastics.
The company is committed to ensuring that it expands capacity to cater for future demand.
“The Marufuku machine will add to the company’s capability and capacity, as it will allow the firm to machine large plates on its 6m bed, while the Haas lathe will reduce wastage, since it will be able to turn longer pieces of thermoplastic,” added Dr Leger.
The factory currently spans 12,000m² and is made up of various buildings that have been purchased or built during the company’s 58 years of existence.
It includes compounding, machine, extrusion, extrusion annealing, moulding, moulding annealing and construction shops, in addition to a quality-control laboratory, office, several store rooms and staff offices.
With recent machine purchases, the company’s computer-numerically-controlled two and three-axis machines have grown to a total of 55. It also has numerous extruders and injection moulding machines and ancillary equipment, as well as a wide tooling range for mouldings and extrusion.
The polymer manufacturer, which has grown organically over many decades, is also changing its layout to facilitate materials and processing flows. It has added 1,035 m2 to its factory, with the addition of a new factorythat will house its relocated moulding section, and intends to undertake renovations to ensure that the machine shop is housed under one roof.
The company makes bushings, rods and machined plates as standard stock shapes as well as high-quality finished parts for the agriculture, railways, mining, pumps, heavy transport, hydro, wind turbine, earthmoving and marine industries.
Its proprietary thermoplastics include Vesconite, Vesconite Hilube and Vesconite Superlube - which are low-friction, low-wear polymers, with different co-efficients of friction and load-bearing capacities.
The polymers are exported to more than 100 countries, where its thermoplastics components are valued for their cost-effectiveness and their longer mean times between repairs.
www.vesconite.com