AS SHIPMENTS OF MAGUIRE® BLENDER APPROACH 30,000-UNIT FIGURE, INNOVATION AND NEW MARKETS DRIVE RAPID GROWTH OF BLENDER SALES

DÜSSELDORF, October 20, 2004 - The world's leading gravimetric raw-material dosing system for plastics processors is 15 years old as K 2004 opens, but sales of the Maguire® Weigh Scale Blender (WSB) are still booming, according to Maguire Products, Inc. (Hall 4, Stand 4C05). Further innovation is expanding the applicability of the WSB. Processors are discovering the automation capabilities of this system and its advantages over more costly and cumbersome equipment such as loss-in-weight and volumetric blenders. And vast new markets for the WSB are opening in regions of burgeoning plastics activity, particularly Asia.

The Maguire blender is selling at the rate of 250-300 units per month, the 27,000th WSB has just been shipped, and the milestone figure of 30,000 units is less than a year away, according to marketing and sales vice president B. Patrick (Pat) Smith. 

"After extensive adoption of the Maguire blender by processors in the U.S., growth is now very rapid in Europe and Asia," said Smith. "Processors worldwide are turning to the WSB as a key to the automation they need to stay competitive. A small investment, the WSB quickly pays for itself by maintaining material consumption within tight tolerances and ensuring product consistency. Processors who once used expensive pre-colored resins, for example, now employ Maguire WSBs for precise blending of virgin resin and masterbatch. And the WSB makes it possible to incorporate regrind with greater confidence because it yields a homogeneous blend of regrind with virgin resin and additives."

In addition, Smith noted, many molders who operate specialized, small-throughput production lines or manufacture technical components have adopted the Maguire WSB because of its precision and the wealth of data that it yields for quality management and documentation. 
Maguire is expanding the applicability of the WSB through innovations involving:

• Advanced monitoring and control. Because it tracks consumption with great precision, the WSB also serves as the controlling device in extrusion yield control, machine networking, 
  and raw material management systems. Most recent in a series of software innovations by Maguire is LineMaster™ AC yield control, a high-speed system for extrusion lines with frequent ramp-up/ramp-down cycles or for coextrusion (see accompanying news release). 
• Plastics/wood composites. New software enables the WSB to control color and additive levels in these complex formulations of wood fibers, resin, and regrind; a new WSB model can deliver up to 3,625 kg (8,000 lb.) per hour of composite compound. [See accompanying news release on this larger-size blender.] 
• Long glass fiber masterbatch. Extra-large (14 to 20 mm) long-fiber concentrate pellets 
  flow more inconsistently than standard pellets. New software from Maguire enables the WSB to compensate for this inconsistency and maintain batch accuracy.
      
  Other factors contributing to the growth of the Maguire WSB, Smith said, include the company's five-year warranty on the system and its specialized approach to product development. "Instead of attempting to supply the broadest range of auxiliary equipment, Maguire has focused on continuous improvement of a select group of products for which it possesses unique technology." 

Simple and Inexpensive WSB Continues to Replace More Elaborate and Costly Systems
"Among the reasons for the surge in growth for the Maguire WSB,"" Smith said, "is that it has taken time for some processors to appreciate that a system so low in cost, simple in design, and easy to use can work well in complex or high-volume operations where more costly and elaborate dosing equipment has been the norm." Smith cited these examples:

• Vibration control in injection molding. When conventional blending devices are mounted atop injection molding machines, their accuracy may be compromised by the vibration of the press as it goes through its cycle, Smith noted. "Maguire has long employed technology for vibration and shock management that enables the WSB to verify batch weight readings at high speed, even during the shortest molding cycles," Smith said. "This has resulted in widespread use of the WSB by molders in the U.S., and today a shift from volumetric to simpler, less costly gravimetric dosing systems is in full swing among European molders.
• Extrusion yield control. The total cost of Maguire's new blender-based LineMaster™ yield control system (including software and additional hardware) ranges from USD $5,000 to 8,500, depending on the level of control. By comparison, according to Smith, conventional yield control systems are priced in the range of $12,000 to more than $50,000.
• Compounding. "Compounders have discovered that they do not need a blender costing 
  USD $50,000 or more to achieve accuracy, and they are converting from cumbersome loss-in-
  weight systems to gravimetric blenders at a fraction of the cost," Smith said.

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MAGUIRE PRODUCTS, INC., headquartered in Aston, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., is the world's largest supplier of gravimetric blenders and liquid color pumps and also manufactures loading systems, granulators, dryers, auger feeders, and related equipment and software. Its customers include injection, blow, and rotational molders, extrusion processors, and compounders. Founded in 1977, Maguire operates five manufacturing facilities in Aston and Smithfield, Rhode Island, U.S.A. The company maintains a network of distributors in the Americas and overseas and has two sales and service subsidiaries: Maguire Europe, which supports customers throughout Europe and operates a distribution center in Tamworth, Staffordshire, United Kingdom; and Singapore-based Maguire Asia, serves customers throughout South Asia and the Pacific Rim. Visit the Maguire Products web site: www.maguire.com