For Immediate Release
MAGUIRE INCREASES RELIABILITY, DURABILITY, AND CONTAMINATION-RESISTANCE OF MICROBLENDER®, WORLD'S SMALLEST BLENDER
Sales of MicroBlender Reach 3,400 Units as One Manufacturer Alone Purchases Nearly 500
GUANGZHOU, June 21, 2005 - Enhancements to the Maguire® MicroBlender®, the world's most compact and widely used small-batch gravimetric blender, have made it perform even more reliably and increased its durability under aggressive working conditions, it was announced at Chinaplas 2005 by Maguire Asia (Stand C 756).
As a highlight of its exhibit at the show, Maguire Asia celebrates the latest milestone for the patented MicroBlender system, whose worldwide sales after only eight years on the market have now reached the 3,400-unit mark. The total includes nearly 500 for one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world, whose last blender in the order will be shipped by the end of 2005.
"The purchase of 490 MicroBlenders by a toy producer of global stature follows three years of side-by-side testing by that company of our machine and virtually every other small-batch gravimetric blender on the market," said B. Patrick (Pat) Smith, vice president of marketing and sales for Maguire Products, Inc., parent company of Maguire Asia.
"This customer told us that it chose the MicroBlender because of its accuracy and durability, the ease with which it accommodates material changes, and the homogeneity of the blends that it produces."
The enhanced MicroBlender incorporates these design improvements:
- Stainless steel hoppers. Now standard on MicroBlenders, stainless steel avoids the surface damage and corrosion that could occur with the previous powder-coated carbon steel hopper when subjected to rough treatment or dropped.
- Jam-proof dispensing system. Maguire has eliminated the possibility of jamming in the pneumatic vertical valves that dispense ingredients into the blender. One design enhancement is the incorporation of an elastomeric
"boot" at the bottom of the valve that enables jams to clear more readily than did other vertical valve designs.
The use of pneumatic dispensing valves instead of augers to meter minor ingredients is one of the keys to the precision of the MicroBlender, according to Hubert Nerlich, Maguire Asia's managing director.
"Our vertical valves can dispense truly tiny doses of minor
additives - as few as two or three pellets of color concentrate at a time - and achieve accuracy within +/- 0.1% for blender batches as small as 400 grams," Nerlich said.
"And because our controller is programmed to eliminate false load cell readings caused by the vibrations of the processing machine on which the MicroBlender is mounted, this accuracy is maintained even on a fast-cycling molding press."
Designed for use with small or low-throughput processing machines, the MicroBlender has a throughput capacity of up to 45 kg/hr. (100 lb./hr.). The hopper consists of four bins for as many batch
ingredients - typically, natural resin, regrind, color, and additive. The bins are removable for quick cleanout and product changeover. By locating the controller remotely and eliminating heavy motors in favor of pneumatic drives for the dispensing valves, weigh dump pan, and mixing chamber agitator, Maguire reduced the weight of the MicroBlender to only 21 kg (48 lb.). The unit is 56 cm (22 in.) high and has a footprint of 15 by 15 cm (6 by 6 in.).
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MAGUIRE PRODUCTS ASIA PTE LTD. is headquartered at 45 Kallang Pudding Road, No. 01-02 Alpha Building, Singapore 349317. Tel: 65-6848-7117. Fax: 65-6744-3370. Email:
magasia@singnet.com.sg. The company serves customers throughout South Asia and the Pacific Rim, providing sales and technical service, warehousing Maguire machinery, and supplying spare parts. Maguire Asia operates in China as MAGUIRE CHINA and maintains four offices in that country.
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. Visit the Maguire Products web site: www.maguire.com
Press Contact: Martino Communications Inc.
Robert J. Martino
Tel: 1-914-478-0754
Fax: 1-914-478-0959
Email: r.martino2@verizon.net
