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2006-09-19 INNOVATIVE MOLDING TECHNOLOGIES UPDATE
Location : RocTool Headquarters, Le Bourget du Lac, FRANCE

For the first time, RocTool has organized an event to showcase its evolution in the composites industry. Held at the RocTool headquarters in France, major companies and partners of RocTool (machine providers, material providers, converters) presented on different application developments currently running with the RocTool Cage System® technology using induction heating. Featured guest-speakers include decision-makers from Azdel, Krauss-Maffei and Lankhorst Indutech. Following the presentations and a cocktail lunch, several demonstrations were performed at the RocTool Demonstration Platform with “live” commentary.

If you missed this event or if you want to see again the presentations you can download them here :

2006-06-15 Marubeni-Intex and Roctool Sign License Agreement

RocTool has granted a non-exclusive development license for Japan to Marubeni Intex, a subsidiary of the trade company, Marubeni Corporation Textile Group.

This one-year development licence is a way for Marubeni to evaluate the potential of the Cage System, RocTool’s inductive heating process, for the composite industry in Japan. Marubeni-Intex is said to consider the Cage System as a very promising processing technology for different markets in Japan, especially in carbon fibre applications. Cycle time and surface quality are the two main characteristics that Marubeni-Intex is targeting.

This is the first time that the innovative French firm signed an agreement with a Japanese company and its CEO, Alex Guichard, highlighted: “We are convinced that Marubeni-Intex will be a very good partner during this development, knowing their experience and expertise on the Japanese market.” A few of Marubeni’s partner companies are part of the evaluation process and will communicate results the first quarter of 2007.

2006-03-28 RocTool at JEC 2006

RocTool presented a live demonstration of the Cage System® every hour during JEC 2006, in Paris. The demonstration tool was supplied by Cogemoule, a quality tool maker specialised in injection and thermocompression tools and the induction generator by EFD induction, one of the leading induction generator supplier worldwide.

2006-03-13 RocTool and Krauss-Maffei start a collaboration

Krauss-Maffei is currently exploring the RocTool Cage System® technology as a new innovative moulding technology. The German injection machine provider and the innovative French firm are adapting a new process combination which should reduce cycle time and increase surface quality for LFI parts. The Krauss-Maffei patented LFI (long-fibre injection) process is a cost-effective method of manufacturing light-weight, glass-fibre reinforced PU parts and the Cage System® is a RocTool patented process which heats only the tool surface in order to achieve a fast cycle time. RocTool and Krauss-Maffei will present the results of this collaboration mid 2006 with a full scale demonstration.

2005-05-02 AZDEL, Inc. explores potential of new Cage System (R) molding technology for producing Class A thermoplastic composites

AZDEL Inc., a 50/50 joint venture of GE Advanced Materials (NYSE: GE) and PPG Industries, based in Lynchburg, Va., has announced that it is currently evaluating the potential advantages of the Cage System (R), an innovative, high-speed composite molding technology developed by the RocTool Company of France, for use with its own AZDEL* composite materials. According to Ken Forden, president AZDEL, Inc: "We are working in conjunction with RocTool to investigate the use of the Cage System for the production of composites with a class A surface finish." Read more.

2005-04-01 RocTool Grants Exclusive License to Novation

RocTool has signed an exclusive agreement with sports manufacturer Novation, specialist in providing composite sports shoes and accessories. Details of the collaboration were presented earlier this week at the JEC show in Paris, with RocTool also picking up another JEC Innovation Award in the Energy and Industry Category. One year after the creation of the RocTool Cage System, the "ultra quick composite transformation process using inductive heating", RocTool have signed a new accord with Novation (formally Bauer- Italia), one of the leading manufacturers of sport shoes (soccer, cycling, ice hockey, ski…) and sports accessories made with composites. Novation (formally Bauer- Italia which also used to be part of the Nike Group) are already in the composites business, making thermoset sports shoe parts. The company however, now see a big future in the use of thermoplastics, and discovered RocTool's cage system as a viable system for developing new thermoplastic parts for growing markets such as Asia. Read more.

2005-03-01 German Premium Car Manufacturer and RocTool Company Begin Collaboration

RocTool and BMW collaborate to adapt the Cage System for the automotive market. In January 2005, the German car manufacturer BMW Group and RocTool, a French start-up company, have launched a development to adapt the Cage System to the moulding process of some composite parts. The Cage System is the brand name of the RocTool technology for the rapid transformation of composite parts using an inductive heating system. This process permits the heating of the tooling surface only, thus eliminating the need to heat the entire tool. “This first development with BMW Group is a further step towards the automotive market” says Matt Boulanger, Business Development Manager for RocTool, “and highlights RocTool’s desire to intensify developments with major companies on quality parts”. Read more