Weber, Ryka announce partnership (December 01, 2001)

An agreement to make nickel-shell stretch blow molds was announced at the K Show by blow mold manufacturer Ryka Blow Molds Ltd. (Mississauga, ON) and Weber Manufacturing (Midland, ON), a producer of nickel-shell molds for the plastics industry.

Under the agreement Ryka will make the tooling mandrels and Weber will produce nickel-shell inserts (cavity and cavity components) using its proprietary nickel vapor deposition process. The initial focus will be on two-stage stretch blow molds for the packaging industry.

According to Jerry Smith, Weber’s manager of sales and marketing, the technology provides significant production and delivery advantages and was well received at the show.

“This process enables us to produce cavity inserts from a set of mandrel masters,” says Smith. “We can produce almost an unlimited number in a given time, and the shells come ready to use, no polishing or finishing needed.”

Smith says the process can reduce mold delivery time by at least 30 percent. An additional benefit to the technology is that it produces molds that can be air cooled, an important gain in countries with a scarce or poor-quality water supply.

Mike Ryan, president of Ryka, says several of the nickel-insert tooling systems are under evaluation at customer facilities.

“The technology was extremely well-accepted by many of the major potential end-users in North America and Europe at the show,” says Ryan. Several customers, he reports, ordered prototypes at the show for trial.

Ryka Blow Molds Ltd., 905-670-1450

Weber Mfg. 705-526-7896