ADJUSTABLE CLAMPFRAME SPEEDS CHANGEOVERS

The new Series 2000 Quick Change Clamp Frame is said to offer a "truly one-size-fits-all" clamp frame. Used to hold material on cut-sheet thermoforming machines, these clamp frames are designed for speed and flexibility: two of their four sides are fully adjustable and reportedly accommodate any size of sheet.

The ability to vary clamp lengths without having to add or remove and clamp frame from the machine makes this system the "fastest and most efficient way to hold different widths of material" MAAC Machinery asserts. The adjustable feature eliminates the need for buying, storing, and replacing different short frames for every sheet width.

Made of durable, heat-dissipating aluminum, the new clamp frames have easy setup times that measure in minutes, not hours, with no tools required for any part of the adjustment, according to MAAC. They are compatible with most thermoforming machines and can be retrofitted to any machine, the company says.

MAAC notes the following additional benefits:

• The product uses MAAC's standard clamp frame components
• The sheet is gripped on a single plane, with no offset corners;
• The position of the clamp frames can be noted for each job, and can be easily returned to an exact position for the next production run.

-Plastics Engineering/April 2001