Latest News

Boston Matthews is pleased to announce the appointment of Graham Henstock as the new Sales Manager for the UK & Ireland.

An engineer by profession, Graham has over 20 years technical engineering sales experience and will be responsible for both the Boston Matthews range of Extruders, Downstream Equipment Ranges and Complete Turn-Key Extrusion Lines as well as the Munchy Range of Recycling Systems.

Boston Matthews Managing Director Simon Brookes stated "We are delighted to have Graham on board where he will provide the necessary technical sales support for our wide range of customers in the UK & Ireland.”

Boston Matthews is pleased to announce the launch and completion of it's new Multi-Belt Caterpillar Take-Off.

Designed to accurately and consistently pull large pipes.

Boston Matthews Extrusion Machinery has been specifically designed to meet the exacting demands of today’s global market. All machines are designed using the latest 3D Parametric Computer Design Technology together with Polymer Flow Simulation Software incorporate the very latest technologies to ensure maximum performance and efficiency is achieved.

With over 35,000 machines in daily operation in more than 70 countries worldwide, Boston Matthews remains at the forefront of the extrusion industry.

Boston Matthews continue to develop and incorporate the latest technologies into their entire range of equipment to allow the user to improve output quality and capacity whilst making substantial cost savings through maximizing efficiency in all areas: 

• AC Extruders :  Boston Matthews Extruders are fitted with the latest AC Vector Technology as standard for precision speed holding and maximum efficiency. AC motors are considerably more energy efficient than the DC alternatives.

• Direct-Drive Technology : All Boston Matthews Extruders and Co-Extruders are fitted with Direct-Drive Motor to Gearbox Technology. Maximum power transmission is achieved whilst ensuring greater accuracy and eliminating the need for a belt and pulley arrangement. A Belt and Pulley arrangement used by some alternative extruder manufacturers will stretch and therefore result in slippage causing wasted energy and inaccuracy.

• ACCUTROL Temperature Control System : Innovative design of the barrel heating and cooling used by Boston Matthews ensures only the minimum amount of energy is used to achieve fast and accurate temperature holding. Temperature heating and cooling zones do not work in isolation to one another eliminating any conflict and potential energy waste.

• Screw Design : Boston Matthews has over 50 years processing and screw design experience which maximizes the efficiency of throughput and greatly reducing the amount of heat required from the barrel heating system. This is also reduces the risk of polymer degradation and potential scrap level

• AC Vector Caterpillar Take-Off's : Boston Matthews are the originators of the Caterpillar Take-Off and the world’s leading manufacturer. Today, Boston Matthews Caterpillar Take-Off incorporate the latest AC Flux Vector Technology for precise speed holding. AC Technology is not only more energy efficient but with more precise speed holding less scrap and off-spec material waste is generated. The performance of the Caterpillar Haul-Off is critical to the overall accuracy of the entire extrusion line and should not be understated.

• Close Tolerance Accurate Cutting : Servo Technology enables a higher level of cutting accuracy to be achieved. This reduces the amount of scrap material produced and therefore in turn reduces the amount of compound material required – a further use of machine energy. The elimination of any secondary cut operation to achieve the required cut lengths further reduces the need of any additional energy consuming machinery.

  The combination of the above features should yield and an estimated energy saving of between 5 – 10%.

Boston Matthews is pleased to announce the introduction of a new extrusion line designed specifically for the production of Styrene (PS) Pipette Tubes.

Designed in co-operation with medical device manufacturers the Pipette Tube Line provides a completely versatile line capable of extruding, sizing, drying and accurately cutting the PS tubes without marking or swarf.

Designed for energy efficient operation and clean room conditions

Incorporated throughout the entire line are those elements that are required to meet with the production demands of today manufacturers including the strict regulations needed to manufacturer for the medical sector.

 Direct-drive on the extruder not only ensures a clean, brushless operation but also provides maximum transmission of power which greatly assists energy efficiency. This is further enhanced with the use of AC Vector motor technology. Maintenance is also greatly reduced using this technology and so reduces the risk of downtime and disruption to production.

All surfaces are easy to wipe down and the open plan construction allows for easy access for cleaning to all areas.

All surfaces that are in contact with water are made from high grade stainless steel to prevent any corrosion and risk of contamination.

Capable of producing a range of tube sizes

The PS Pipette Line from Boston Matthews allows for a range of pipette tube sizes to be manufactured.  Easy to change tooling and settings reduce the time taken to change from one tube size/specification to another in a relatively short space of time. The ability to change tube sizes allows the manufacturer to meet with the changing demands of their customers without incurring massive disruption to production or requiring investment in several separate items of production equipment. Typical tube sizes range from 1 ml capacity tubes to 25 ml capacity. All tubes are manufactured and cut to length in-line with an output at up to 30 tubes per minute.  This output can equate to 60 formed pipettes per minute for some sizes.

New development provides swarfless, accurate Pipette Tube cutting

Designed using 3D Parametric Computer Design Software the PS Tube Cutter represents a significant advancement in tube cutting. The ability to automatically synchronise to the line speed enables tubes to be cut accurately and consistently to close tolerances without marking, shattering, or producing any swarf. The swaffless cutting technology not only provides a cleaner production environment but greatly reduces operational costs through a significant reduction in scrap material levels.

 Boston Matthews Sales Director Simon Brookes states "Styrene is an extremely tricky material to cut without causing shattering or damage. It is essential that the tubes are accurately cut to tolerance without any imperfections or swarf as the tubes are subjected to several completely automated post-extrusion processes.

This represents a significant development in the cutting of PS Tubes and provides Pipette manufacturers with an effective solution to what has been a major production issue for a long time. Our development in cutting technology has allowed us to achieve this and ultimately increase the production capacity of pipette manufacturers.”

Complete Line Control and Product Traceability

Complete PLC control through the SMART system is also available with the PS Pipette Tube Line. The SMART colour touch-screen control system allows for simple line operation and quick start-up as well as providing essential tools for the tube manufacturer’s management. Password protection ensures line settings and production security is always controlled and maintained. Production data is fully accessible and transferable through a variety of means including Ethernet and modem. This allows for production data to be used for product quality analysis, traceability and efficiency reports. Simon Brookes states "The Smart control system provides the manufacturer with the means to control the extrusion operation as well as the ability to access a large amount of data if required.”

Boston Matthews has designed and manufactured extruders, downstream equipment and complete extrusion lines for more than 50 years and are the inventors of the Caterpillar Haul-Off. Boston Matthews has over 35,000 machines in daily operation in more than 70 countries worldwide with manufacturing facilities located in Worcester, England. This is further supported by facilities in the USA and China.

Manufacturer of plastic and rubber extrusions, Reddiplex, has recently invested in two high specification extruders from Boston Matthews Machinery, bringing the total number of extrusion lines to 37 and increasing capacity by 35 percent.

The Worcestershire-based company says the new lines are the latest in a continuous programme of investment, allowing it to develop additional capabilities following strong growth in demand for complex extrusion across several market sectors.

For example, Reddiplex now undertakes the co-extrusion of small to medium sized profiles of PP, TPE and PVC, whilst a specific line exists to produce tube and pipe up to 120mm in diameter. The rapid expansion of Reddiplex’s G2G dry joint range has also resulted in a dedicated extrusion line for this product that joins interior glass panels without the need for sealant.

"The company’s commitment to investment and expansion is exemplary,” said Reddiplex’ Technical Manager, Martyn Terry. "With the latest acquisition bringing the total to 37 extrusion lines, we’re confident that we can satisfy every eventuality where extrusion is concerned.”

Reddiplex says along with UK growth, it is also experiencing an upswing in exports, with 25 per cent of turnover coming from customers globally.

Jude Chard, Director and General Manager of Reddiplex, said that alongside the investments in its manufacturing capabilities, it has additionally invested in its people.

"As our company grows, it’s not just equipment that we must invest in,” she explained. "We’re constantly developing and empowering our specialist team so that they can provide the best possible service to our customers, however complex and intricate the project.

"Whilst extrusion technology within the plastic and rubber sector has not changed dramatically, it’s the expertise of the staff operating the machines and those in the technical department selecting materials, implementing design and planning tooling that really benefit the customer.”

Boston Matthews is pleased to announce the installation of another CNC machine into their in-house machining center.

The new machine will be added to the existing CNC machining center's at the Worcester HQ where precision component parts are manufactured for use within the company's range of Extruders, Downstream Equipment and Munchy Recycling Systems.

The company stated "We are always looking at ways to improve our manufacturing efficiencies and this latest installation represents another significant investment within our manufacturing operations."