Cannon USA ' s “ plus ” factor has been the capacity to develop , and maintain , in the USA the know-how for design and fabrication of equipment in full accordance with American client ' s requirements .
CN : What can you say about your most recent achievements , then ? PS : Talking of what we have designed , manufactured and installed fully in the USA , I remember , among others , some recent large contracts signed with Tier One suppliers of the Automotive sector . We have supplied less than two years ago a leading global producer of car seating and interior systems with a sophisticated moulding line able to inject tunnel covers in three different colours without any interruption between one colour and the following one , all with only one mixing head . The plant was composed by one dosing unit , three CCS ( Cannon Color Systems ) and one FPL 14 mixing head with a 4-component radial feeding , capable of handling the three colour streams in rapid sequence with a very small intermediate purging , with a dedicated stream for a non-mixable HFO blowing agent . We made an 18-station oval track , able to carry four moulds on each mould carrier , served by two robots that apply mould coating systems . We run a thorough industrial pre-production in our premises in Zelienople , near Cranberry , in Pennsylvania , where we are based , working several days on three-shift basis together with our customer and his Japanese OEM , to ine-tune the plant prior to the delivery and installation in the factory . We added to this plant , a few months later , a third chemical ' s feeding line allowing for the use of an HFO ( Hydro Fluoro Ole in ) blowing agent . Another signi icant plant was supplied in the same period to another major Tier One supplier : a 40-presses carousel able to hold eighty moulds , this unit runs at 15 m / min speed . A complex “ wet side ” provides the formulation that produces automotive seating in this plant . Temperature control was a key requirement for this customer , and we installed extra heat exchangers to the high-pressure dosing unit to provide maximum constancy of performances . A dedicated software was written in Italy to easily program the pouring robot and to keep historical records for each and every shot , to provide quality control . We also regularly supply a world leading car maker ' s US factories with robotised foaming lines to inject a foam against NVH ( noise , vibration and harshness ) in the pillars of their vehicles , directly in the assembly lines . We are specialised in this technology , providing proven solutions for both types of the trend-setting formulations : the 24:1 ratio supplied by Dow – which now has a 16:1 ratio version available – or the most recent 2:1 ratio type , based on a prepolymer . Special mixing heads must be used in these plants , due to the very tiny diameter of the injection holes drilled in the car pillars . We can supply either a TRIO7 or an LN5 model , as we did recently in a sophisticated unit installed in the assembly line of a powerful hybrid sport car . For a major supplier of lightweight interior panels we have recently supplied innovative equipment for the spray application of Polyurethane binder over a glass- ibre-wrapped honeycomb paper . We developed specialised equipment for any type of these BayPreg-like formulations , providing numerous advantages over our competitors : faster cycle time , thanks to a lower number of passes of the mixing head ; much less overspray , thanks to the perfectly triangular shape of our spray ; a clean work place , thanks to our airless spray system ; customised distribution of foam in the part , thanks to a smart control of the head . And we can prove it all in USA , in our Cranberry lab !
CN
CN : That is quite an interesting collection of automotive references . Any signi icant recent activity in other applications ? PS : As I said before , rigid foams for insulation cover at least 35 % of our sales . We – as Cannon – supply the world leading producers of white appliances . Refrigerators for domestic and commercial use are made in North America with Cannon foaming plants since decades . We just supplied four dosing units to make insulation panels for refrigerated trucks , a business that we see expanding in the USA . We recently supervised the supply to Haier of four different production units manufactured in Italy and in the USA : two major foaming plants for c a b i n e t s a n d d o o r s , a n d t w o l a r g e thermoforming machines for their plastic liners . Two custom-speci ied high-pressure metering units , servicing multiple Cannon FPL SR 18 and 14 mixing heads , have been made by Cannon USA to provide the required chemicals to the cabinet and the door foaming plants , that were made in Italy . We provided the installation service for the whole l o t o f e q u i p m e n t , i n c l u d i n g t h e l a r g e thermoformers made in Italy . One thermoforming specialist , with a vast experience in pressure forming applications , works for us in North America , cooperating daily with Cannon Ergos in Italy .
CN : Do you carry other joint projects in the USA with other Cannon companies ? PS : Many , with various levels of intervention , and not only in the USA ! Both Cannon Ergos and Cannon Viking have a number of historical customers in North America , with whom they keep a preferential line of dialogue , very much dictated by the innovative solutions they are jointly developing . That is the case for some recent con idential projects developed in the Carbon Composites ield , and for some special thermoforming jobs . In these cases we supply marketing assistance , logistic support , Service and installation aids . It ' s always a strength for Cannon to be directly present in a country , and we represent in this case a part of the solution .
Our specialists also spend time and resources abroad to support other Group Units working at projects for which we have matured speci ic skill and experience . For some special applications we developed our own technologies and equipment that we have even been able to export to China . We follow up all the transplant jobs of our US customers when they relocate their plants , in Mexico or in the Far East . Think Global , Act Local – we have not invented the slogan , we just apply it successfully since almost 40 years !
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