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Thermal News March 2012

In this issue of Durex Thermal News, we highlight the upcoming NPE Show, newly improved cartridge heaters, and much more.

NPE 2012 AND DUREX MOVE TO ORLANDO, FLORIDA

The National Plastics Exposition (NPE 2012) is a major event that occurs once every three years in North America, and Durex Industries will once again be a proud exhibitor. This year, for the first time, NPE will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, April 2 to 5. The new Orlando venue, combined with changing technology and demographics, promises to make this year's exhibit a special event.

During the past 3 years, Durex has introduced several new products and product line extensions that will offer potential thermal and process solutions for injection molding, extruder, thermoforming and blow molding equipment. Some of the new products that you will see at Durex's NPE exhibit (Booth 5349) will include DFX cast circulation heaters, radiant heater panels, Magnum™ cartridge heaters, injection mold sensor assemblies, and temperature controls.

Durex recently asked molders and machine maintenance personnel to identify their largest thermal challenges. Most agreed that they need suppliers who can design more robust heater assemblies with longer life while quickly delivering the heaters at a competitive price.

DUREX INTRODUCES THE NEW MAGNUM™ CARTRIDGE HEATER

Swaged cartridge heater technology has been one of the standard heating technologies used in the plastics industry since before the movie "The Graduate." By 2011, growth in Durex' cartridge heater business necessitated expansion and leaning of their production lines. Since Durex was investing in new processes and equipment, this project also presented an opportunity to improve on traditional cartridge heater technology and performance.

With the goal of designing a superior cartridge heater at a lower cost than most competitors, Durex' Magnum™ cartridge heater project had two parallel paths. The first was to create an industry leading "lean" manufacturing process that would reduce cost while maintaining the integrity of the heater performance.
The second was to design a core heater technology that would maximize the robustness of the heater, watt density, and dielectric characteristics. Both goals were accomplished, but as all "lean" experts will say, the journey of improvement is a company mindset and continues beyond the scope of the original project.
Durex' Magnum™ cartridge heaters are now available in standard diameters ranging from ¼" to 1.0" and 6.5mm to 20mm. They are also available with industry standard lead wires, lead exits, connectors, mounting flanges, integral thermocouples and other features.

THERMAL IS NOT JUST ABOUT HEATING

Many thermal applications require a combination of heating and cooling to achieve optimum process performance. Many companies are good at designing a heating or cooling assembly, but designing solutions that will provide excellent heating and cooling requires a combination of expertise. Dating back to the early 1980's, Durex developed a core competency in heat/ cool applications not commonly found in companies that primarily focus on heating and cooling applications.

Durex starts by working with customers to understand their application requirements. We then use advanced finite element analysis (FEA) tools to model the operation under nominal operation and extreme operational parameters. Whether the application is for heat/cool extruder in the plastics industry or plasma etch application in the semiconductor industry, FEA reduces design cost and time. With over 30 years of manufacturing experience, Durex can provide customers with the best heating and cooling solutions in the industry.

SALES ENGINEERS MEET IN CARY IL

In February 2012, our field and internal sales engineers met at Durex for two days of product and sales training. This was a great opportunity to learn about new products and capabilities. We were also able to meet with the Durex staff and see how investments are creating new opportunities to provide value to customers.
Everyone learns or realizes something new when they visit a company, so, we asked the Durex sales engineers what their major takeaway was during the training, tours, and social times. The common theme from each person was that Durex Industries is a unique company in North America because of the breadth of their thermal expertise and integrated vertical capabilities. While many competitors are outsourcing capabilities to other parts of the world, Durex continues to invest in our Cary, Illinois-based business. As a result, Durex provides world class custom thermal solutions faster and at a lower cost than competitors.


Contact Durex Industries for all your thermal loop product and system requirements.

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