Local Producers Showcase R&D Gainsat Taipei Plas 2004

The 2004 Taipei International Plastics and Rubber Machinery Show (Taipei Plas 2004) wound up a successful run on March 21. The show highlighted electric injection-molding machines, and visitors were especially impressed by the progress made by local manufacturers in creating state-of-the-art machines and advanced industrial-production solutions.

Over the years Taipei Plas has grown to become one of the leading events of its kind in Asia. Although the show is a biennial event, it has not been held in the wake of the 1999 fair due to a major earthquake in 1999 and the outbreak of SARS in 2003.

This year's four-day show was held at the Taipei World Trade Center. It attracted 342 exhibitors, up 12% from the last show. The total included 281 local exhibitors and 61 foreign exhibitors, which together occupied 1, 822 booths at the showground. Four foreign industrial associations also had displays at the show.

Show co-sponsors Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) have said that the show will continue to be held on odd years after Taipei Plas 2004.

TAITRA describes the four-day show as the most value-packed venue for quality and innovative plastics and rubber machinery and the best place to make business contacts in this line. This year's event attracted 17, 172 visitors, of which 1, 863 came from abroad, mainly the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, up 11% from the previous show.


A wide range of products was on display at this year's Taipei Plas, including plastic and rubber processing machinery, injection-molding machinery, blow-molding machinery, extruders, printing machinery, engineering components, auxiliary components, semi-finished and finished products, and raw materials.

Shooting for No. 3 Spot

Taiwan was the world's No. 4 exporter of plastics and rubber machinery last year, trailing only Germany, Japan, and Italy. Y.C. Hu, convenor of TAMI's Plastic and Rubber Machinery Committee, believes Taiwan will advance past Italy this year to become the world's third-largest exporter in the field. Hu is also the president of Multiplas Enginery Co.

Hu says that Taiwan's high-quality plastic and rubber processing machines have attracted significant attention from overseas buyers. In recent years, some leading foreign producers in this line have approached domestic producers over cooperation ventures to penetrate the lucrative mainland China market.

"In recent years, Taiwan manufacturers of plastics and rubber processing machinery have made substantial progress in upgrading the functions of their machines. For example, they are turning out injection-molding machines with ever increasing speeds and developing micro-injection models able to produce microelectronic parts. Some machines are capable of rolling out electronic parts weighing only 0.04 grams. These achievements prove that Taiwan is capable of producing top-grade machines on a par with those made in Germany, Italy, and other industrially advanced countries."

Hu notes, however, that the local industry has been under pressure from rising prices for such raw materials as steel and castings. He says domestic makers are mulling over a proposal to raise the prices of domestically made plastic-injection molding machines by 10% to 15% to help them recoup their higher costs.

Taiwan produced NT$31.5 billion (US$949 million at US$1:NT$33.2) worth of plastic and rubber machines last year, up 8.2% from the previous year and 83.8% of which, or NT$26.4 billion (US$795 million), were exported. In terms of export value, Taiwan ranked fourth in the world last year, trailing only powerhouses Germany, Japan, and Italy. Hu predicts Taiwan's ranking will advance one spot to replace Italy as the world's third-largest exporter in the line this year. The U.S., France, and Switzerland are the world's other top producers.

According to TAMI, Taiwan exported US$768 million worth of plastics and rubber machinery last year, up 7.2% from the previous year. Hong Kong and mainland China accounted for 50.1% or US$391 million of the export total.

According to statistics compiled by TAMI, injection-molding machines ranked first among all Taiwan-made plastics and rubber machine categories last year in terms of production value, followed by extruders, blow-molding machines, vacuum-molding machines, heat-pressure molding machines, tire machinery, and other specialized molding machines.


Award-Winning Innovation

To encourage domestic firms to boost R&D in innovative machinery and related technologies, TAMI held an award competition activity during the exhibition. Hwa Chin Machinery Factory Co., Ltd. Won the first prize in the 'Plastic Injection Molding Machines' category, Fong Kee Iron Works Co. won the first prize in the 'Plastic Blow Molding Machines' category, and Fu Chun Shin Machinery Manufacture Co. was awarded the first prize in the 'Other Plastic Machines' category.






Hwa Chin's all-electric injection-molding machine, first-prize winner in the 'Plastic Injection Molding Machines' category, delivers 30 tons of clamping force and features a 20mm screw diameter, 250mm/sec injection speed, 260mm x 260mm distance between tie bars, all-electric servo-control system, three-axis simultaneous movement, and injection pressure. The precision of the injection and opening/closing mold positioning on this model is 0.01mm.

At the showground, Hwa Chin showcased three different machinery models. The most eye-catching model was a triple-color plastics injection molding machine able to produce one-piece triple-color cell phone cases in a single process.

With over three decades of manufacturing experience, Hwa Chin has developed a strong reputation at home and abroad. The company says its sales grew 30% last year, with shipments of dual-color injection molding machine gaining sixfold in the period.

Hwa Chin has obtained over 100 patents at home and abroad since its inception. The company has also won the 'Excellence of Products' prize awarded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Hydraulic Injection Molding

With over two decades of manufacturing experience, Nissin Top Machinery Co. (formerly Long Heng Machinery) has become the largest and most successful producers of direct hydraulic plastic injection molding machines in Southeast Asia.

Unlike many of its competitors, which produce everything from electric models to direct hydraulic models, Nissin Top has focused on its core technologies for hydraulic machines. This specialization has helped Nissin Top stand out in the market for direct injection machines. Since its founding, the company has developed seven generations of machines in this line.

Nissin Top displayed a full range of machinery with clamping forces ranging from 65 to 3, 000 tons at the Taipei Plas 2004. This year, Nissin Top introduced the NC-11, which the company describes as an easy-to-operate, multifunctional, and low-maintenance machine.

Another useful function of the NC-11 is its convenient control system, which makes it much easier to operate and maintain than rival machines. The model also features a sleek design, and outstanding functions that put it far ahead of the competition, the company says. The oil-filtration system, robust injection system, and a clamping force that directly and evenly applies pressure without risk of deformation are other advantages of the NC-11.

Due to its many attributes, the NC-11 is perfect for the manufacture of precision products like electronic parts, telecommunication products, precision toys, watches, and clocks. The superior injection capability of the NC series is ideal for high precision molding applications as the in-line cylinder design of the injection unit concentrates injecting pressure and eliminates any potential deformation that may occur during molding. Furthermore, the cylinder design of the barrel extends the service life of the screw and barrel. Yet another function of the NC series is the high performance and the rapid molding speed which can help users reduce production costs.

Nissin Top has been diversifying and upgrading its technologies through the development of injection/compression molding systems and closed-loop precision and environmental friendly electric injection molding machines.

Nissin Top export manager Vincent Tung says his company is capable of rolling out direct hydraulic plastic injection molding machines with clamping forces ranging from 10 to 3, 000 tons. The models featuring high clamping forces are suitable for making such automobile parts as bumpers, and television cases, while models with lower clamping forces are suitable for producing small precision items, such as electronic parts and devices.

"Our most popular models have clamping forces of 60 up to 500 tons, because they are extensively used in the electronics and plastics industries, " says Tung. "But the production of the 10-ton direct plastic injection molding machines models proves our strong ability in developing micro-injection machines."

Nissin Top acquired sophisticated manufacturing technologies from Nissei Corp., one of Japan's leading manufacturers of direct hydraulic plastic injection molding machines, in the early 1980s. The company has also made significant progress in developing its own technologies.

The U.S., mainland China and Southeast are Nissin Top's major export markets. The company set up a marketing office in the mainland in 1997 and began producing machines there in 2000. In August last year, the company moved its mainland production facility to Dongguan in Guangdong Province.

Nissin Top says its mainland products have the same quality as those made in Taiwan. "Our production in the mainland is supplied to Taiwanese-invested firms and foreign companies located there, while our output in Taiwan is sold domestically and exported to overseas markets, " says Tung.

Over the past five years, Nissin Top has expanded its annual sales by 10% to 20%. This year the company expects to boost sales by 30%.

High-Speed Precision Molding

Fu Chun Shin Machinery Manufacture Co., Ltd., winner of the first prize for all electric high-speed precision molding machine in the 'Other Plastic Machines' competition during Taipei Plas 2004, showcased several high-performance machines, including a high-speed close-loop hybrid injection molding machine, triple-lop fast-cycle injection molding machine, high-speed thin-wall multi-component molding machine, and all electric injection molding machine.

Founded in 1974, Fu Chun Shin is one of Taiwan's most established manufacturers of plastics injection molding machines. The company is ISO9001 and CE certified.

The company posted sales of NT$1.23 billion (US$37.04 million) last year, up 21% from the previous year. Over the past several years, the company has set up 50 after-sale service centers worldwide to expand export sales.

The company listed its shares on Taiwan's over-the-counter market on April 5, becoming the first domestic manufacturer of plastic-injection molding machines to go public.

Apex of Automation

As machines become more automated and dependant on servo-motor systems, the machinery industry has come to rely increasingly on the innovation and technical mastery of firms such as Apex Robot Systems, Inc. The company, located in central Taiwan, specializes in robotic components for the local machinery industry, especially robotic parts for injection molding machines.

Company spokesperson Jenny Chao says Apex components quickly improve production efficiency, while helping companies to lower labor costs and improve the quality of their plastic products.

Chao says that Apex's major clients include many producers of plastic injection molding machine in Asia, Europe and the U.S.

Apex says that all of its products are top-notch in terms of speed, performance, quality, and reliability. One such product is the YS series swing arm, which includes a fully interactive hand-held controller, programmable movement sequences, and bi-directional vertical speed controller. The machine also has quick start, emergency stop safeguards, quality inspection software, incomplete injection detection, and defective part rejection functions.

Apex says its intelligent electronic controller system is also user friendly due to its all-in-one design and built-in help program and diagnostics software.

Apex's SB series is a computerized numerically controlled (CNC) robot. The company also supplies a three-axis servo driven CNC robot with a tracking control program and pulse generator. Other features include multifunction programming, speed, position, and timer controls that can be changed during operation, and system and program parameters that can be set for safe operations.

Contact information on companies covered by the article:

1. Fu Chun Shin Machinery Manufacture Co.

Address: No. 121 Baytow, Baytow Village, Kwangmeow Hsiang, Tainan County, Taiwan.

Tel: 886-6-5950-688

Fax: 886-6-5951-120

E-mail: fcsco@fcs.com.tw



2. Nissin Top Machinery Co.

Address: 4th Fl.-10, 7 Wuchiuan 1st. Rd., Hsinchuang, Taipei, Hsien, Taiwan

Tel: 886-2-2298-2855

Fax: 886-2-2298-2856

E-mail: nissin.nissin@msa.hinet.net



3. Hwa Chin Machinery Factory Co.

Address: No. 238 Chungcheng S. Rd., Yungkang, Tainan Hsien, Taiwan

Tel: 886-6-253-3636

Fax: 886-6-253-4755

E-mail: hwachin@ms7.hinet.net

Website: www.hwa-chin.com



4. Apex Robot Systems, Inc.

Address: No. 5, 35th Rd., Taichung Industrial Park, Taichung, Tawian

Tel: 886-4-2359-4239

Fax: 886-4-2359-7923

E-mail: sales@apexrobot.com

Website: www.apexrobot.com