Conair opens extrusion lab in Michigan

Auxiliary equipment maker Conair Group has opened an 8,000-square-foot lab dedicated to extrusion development and testing, at its facility in Pinconning, Mich.

The Conair Extrusion Development & Testing Lab houses four production scale extruders and is staffed by three full-time process engineers, Conair said.

“One of the most advanced plastics extrusion laboratories in the world is now fully equipped and staffed, and process development and testing is underway,” the company said. “Built by the Conair extrusion group, in part to help in the engineering and testing of its own downstream extrusion equipment, the facility also allows Conair to help customers to push the boundaries of productivity and profitability.”

“In addition to conducting FAT (Factory Authorized Testing) to confirm that a new extrusion line (comprised of an extruder, application-specific tooling, gauging and downstream equipment) can meet performance guarantees, the lab also conducts trials for extrusion companies,” Conair said. “Customers can enlist the help of Conair’s extrusion experts in perfecting the line set-up of new products or experiment with new equipment or processing techniques to maximize productivity and profitability of existing product.”

Conair will also use the lab to develop and improve the downstream systems it manufactures. “For instance, recent work has been aimed at perfecting online gauging and adaptive control for extrusion of precision medical tubing, including cardiac and brain catheters,” the company said.
“Conair’s lab…is adapted to evaluating and maximizing the performance and productivity of the entire line, including downstream equipment and even auxiliary systems like dryers, loaders, blenders and heat-transfer equipment.”

Conair is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pa.