Mark Burn of WD Hearn, the machine supplier, and Gareth Castle, GM of Cullin Africa in Brackenfell, with the new 140-ton NPC machines

All the hydraulic and water connections are effi cient and easy to use

Cullin Africa operator Clinton Manuel finds setting the NPC controls straightforward and logical

Cullin Africa installs small machines from NPC

CULLIN Africa, a manufacturer of components for the highvoltage sector, has installed three new NPC injection moulding machines in a project that ticked numerous boxes, including small floor space, energy-conservative performance, good support backup, and availability.

Limited space was available at the premises in Brackenfell, Cape Town, with the new machines replacing the older machines that were being phased out earlier this year. The plant also functions as the toolroom for the Johannesburg-based Cullin Africa group, with toolroom manager Shadley Dreyden overseeing the toolroom operations.

Machine supplier WD Hearn, which had been supplying CNC and metal cutting equipment to Cullin for an extended period, could supply the NPC units at short notice, and the commissioning earlier this year went off smoothly.

The NPC machines are little-known locally but pack a powerful punch in the small- to medium-size machine application market.

Operating out of Ningbo in China, NPC was established as recently as 2009, manufacturing machines up to 110 to 1300 tons for mainly technical applications, including thin-wall products and preforms as well as large crates and containers.

Although NPC is a relative newcomer, experience in South Africa has shown that this has proved to be advantageous to the machine manufacturer, and their machine designers are able to rapidly introduce best-practice technology.

The three 140-ton machines at Cullin are being used to produce electrical components using moulds manufactured in the on-site toolroom managed by Cullin GM Gareth Castle. Bimetallic screws and barrels are fitted, and the units make extensive use of servo motors. Commissioning was on a virtual plug-and-play basis, and Castle is pleased with the result.

The machines’ EST control is simple and user-friendly, so Cullin’s setters have barely missed a beat.

Mark Burn, the Cape company’s sales manager, has said that the NPC machines are a logical add-on for WD Hearn. WDH is one of the leading machine tool suppliers in South Africa and supplies CNC and other machine tools to Cullin Africa, and the companies enjoy a good relationship.

Mark also provided other developments within the company, including the addition of Brett Shelley, who has many years of experience in the plastics industry. Brett has joined the WDH Technical Team, focusing on machine installations and aftersales service. This, Mark noted, will give customers greater confi dence, knowing that their machines will be fully supported and backed up.