LightManufacturing Inc. now offers zero-carbon, sustainable plastic molding to other businesses and brands via the firm’s Contract Molding program. The company’s Solar Rotational Molding (SRM) process has a 10-year track record of making high-quality parts for commercial and military applications – with zero use of fossil fuels in the molding process. LightManufacturing’s contract manufacturing initiative opens doors for businesses that seek lower costs, improved environmental impact, and improved sustainability.
Rotational molding is a 60-year-old process used around the globe to make durable products like water tanks, boats, furniture, coolers, storage boxes, toys, and much more. In rotomolding, a hollow mold is loaded with plastic and heated – usually by burning natural gas – while turned in two axes. The plastic melts and sticks to the inside of the mold. The mold is cooled by fans and sometimes water, hardening the plastic, at which point the mold is opened and the finished part removed. While rotomolding is a great way to make useful, long-lasting products, it has a downside: rotomolding emits over a pound of greenhouse gasses for every pound of product made. LightManufacturing's patented technology solves this problem – the firm’s SRM process uses concentrated solar heat, eliminating the expense and emissions associated with burning fossil fuels.
LightManufacturing’s patented process uses an array of heliostats – computer-controlled mirrors – to track the sun and focus its rays onto the molds. By combining heat from many heliostats the firm can achieve any temperature needed. Molding systems now in operation deliver up to 100,000 watts of energy to a target, while next-generation SRM4 machines will capture over 200,000 watts. LightManufacturing’s system reduces the carbon footprint of the molding process to zero while eliminating the cost of fossil fuel energy.
The firm’s systems differ from traditional molding in other important ways: they are built into modified shipping containers for fast deployment near customers and can be set up on bare land without infrastructure, utilities, or even a permanent building. “We can deploy high–quality molding anywhere with the good sun in about two weeks,” reports LM lead engineer Brandon Puccini, “and reduce transport costs and emissions by molding close to where products are needed.”
LightManufacturing invites firms seeking to improve the sustainability of their supply chain to reach out and explore how LM can help. The company has supplied technology and high-quality molded products to partner firms since 2014, including Fortune 500 firms, defense contractors, and many others. “We’re excited to extend the benefits of our technology more broadly”, says Puccini.
About LightManufacturing Inc.:
LightManufacturing Inc. is a pioneer in sustainable manufacturing technologies, specializing in solar-thermal rotational molding and other vertical markets. Committed to innovation and environmental responsibility, the firm offers solutions that meet the needs of a changing world.
More information can be found at https://lm.solar
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City: Central Coast
State: California
Country: United States
Website: https://lm.solar/
