Polymermedics Ltd assists fellow Cornish business, Circular & Co, based in Perranporth.
Company founder Dan Dicker, formerly a designer with Dyson, had designed the revolutionary Circular Cup, a reusable coffee cup made from used paper coffee cups and plastic lids. Production had been based in China but, with the assistance of Wittmann Battenfeld UK, both Cornish businesses decided to also start up production in the UK.
In the course of the project Polymermedics was supplied with a Wittmann Battenfeld SmartPower 240/1000 injection moulding machine, a Wittmann Primus 16/Z2000/Y1200/X620 robot; a guarded cell, a conveyor and also five days of training with the equipment and the overall system.
The facility runs 24 machines, ranging from 5 to 240 tonnes, 24/7. This means that customers can be provided with an end-to-end total plastic injection moulding service,
Recent investment in new projects such as the Circular Cup has enabled Polymermedics Ltd to increase the output per head at the company. The technical advances now including new full hot runner tooling in order to increase effectiveness levels even higher. Such efficiencies lead to even shorter lead times, thus creating capacity for new projects coming online.
Polymermedics Operations Director Neil Skyba said: “We liked the project as it was something a little different for us, and also the concept of using recycled coffee cups and plastics to make a reusable product was something we really wanted to get involved in. It’s great to be also be involved in a local project that has a great background story.”
Adrian Walters, WIBA UK area sales manager said: “From the get-go it was a delight to work with this project and with Polymermedics. Plastic materials has had such an unfair and bad press for so long that it was very satisfying to help create a positive environmental success story – and one that also backs Britain as well.”