The Perfect Mold
The latest Sorbilite technology - the green highway to prosperity
Through waste utilization technology and mold making, Sorbilite Technology has found a way to mold waste into profits.
The man is a genius. He has vision, ability and something that apply anywhere in the world using one simple concept-utilizing waste. The subject of this high praise is Hungarian born Andrew Pohl, Present of Sorbilite Inc. a manufacturer of composite molding systems and membrane presses in Virginia Beach. The speaker is fellow entrepreneur Gregg Edwards, President of Allen Pacific Ltd. of San Francisco, Who has sold a number of Sorbilite Systems to Russia and China.
What Pohl has succeeded in doing in applying mold-masking and waste utilization technology to the manufacturer of products for everyday living. Its application allows users to be in virtually any business. Commode tops, panel doors, table and desktops, floor tiles, upholstered furniture and casket parts are just a small sample. “We were the king of toilet seats in China using Sorbilite,” says Edwards. 'We could make one for $1.50, packaged and hanged, to compete with a market that sold them for $11 retail.” he says.
“Everything about Sorbilite fits with Asia. Sorbilite has a huge number of applications in China. Almost anything you can make on a press can use Sorbilite technology. It is easy to understand, set up and produce. One press could produce 1,200 toilet seats in 24 hours.”
Sorbilite GmbH was established in Germany in 1978 by chief scientists with extensive knowledge of particle board and décor panel manufacturing developed through Marshall Plan monies. The company established a branch in the U.S. in 1985 and three years later made Virginia Beach its world headquarters, where currently its 28 employees operate out of a 30,000 square foot facility.
The company’s mission is clearly environmentally based, “to create a low-cost, waterproof, three-dimensional molded product that conserves waste without creating additional hazards,” says Pohl.
Sorbilite technology consists of three major components: processing equipment, a mold-making knowledge and a technical knowledge, particularly of chemical formulas. Where Pohl has succeeded over his mostly European competitors is in his ability to grind up waste of almost every conceivable composition-agricultural and textile, sawdust, leather, even plastics and ground tires – and press it cheaply into value added molded parts and panels.
For instance, California has a problem with rice stalks. Sorbilite’s process can convert virtually all fibrous waste into usable product without the aid of industry standard hazardous and toxic chemicals. The method has a decided advantage over competitors in that 20 percent of any waste mix can be inert materials, such as ash.
SORBILITE TECHNOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL
- Processing equipment
- Mold-making process
- Technical knowledge
MACHINES SORBILITE OFFERS
- Sorbilite Composite Molding System
- Sorbilite Plastron System
- Sorbilite Pioneer Membrane Press
- Sorbiform Metal Spray System
- Major Auxiliary equipment (dispersion mixers, auger/mixer, etc.)
The Composite Molding System uses conventional binders such as formaldehydes, phenolic and polyester binder. Sorbilite also has a pressure sensitive binding system that generates its own heat during the pressing cycle, reducing production time and energy consumption.
The Plastron System processes material very high in cellulose as well as those such as rubber that do not work well with conventional binders. The resulting mechanical properties are better than plywood and those made in $120 million plants.
The Pioneer Membrane Press in a surface finishing system that exerts tremendous pressure enabling the use of thick laminates and metal foils as coverings as well as conventional laminates and veneers.
FAST FACTS
The Sorbilite Composite Molding Machine is capable of processing one ton of fibrous waste per hour.
With the Plastron System one can use unselected post-consumer plastic in a 50 percent blend with fibrous waste.
While the environmental advantages are enormous, economic benefits drive the company’s growth. “If there is no profit, there is no environmental care.” says Pohl, noting that manufacturers love the basic premise of zero cost materials and the high-quality end products. With Sorbilite’s low energy requirements, manufacturing options (such as location at the site of fibrous waste creation), speed, production efficiencies and low acquisitions costs have come higher profit margins.
Speed is a real selling point in that the mold making system combines various manufacturing steps, such as cutting, chapping and sanding into one streamlined operations, making it more than 15 times faster than the usual CNC (computer numeric controlled) machining methods now in use. It also reduces labor and production costs while generating no waste or emissions.
That fact allows producers to independently change product lines, raw materials and control the qualities needed in any selected end-product application. The short payback time of 12-30 months is a decided plus as well.
“High technology doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.” says Edwards. “Sorbilite has simplified the technology for the hands-on user.” he notes. “The MDF (medium density fiberboard) industry is large and cumbersome. Cost and input requirements are enormous. With the Sorbilite process someone can set up a plant and be manufacturing locally in six weeks versus two-to-three years.” says Edwards.
Cost for a medium density fiberboard plant today runs between $100 -120 million. A Sorbilite plant can be built for $1.5 million. Because of its design simplicity, Sorbilite technology doesn’t require huge foundations or atmospheric controls. Another reason for the disparity in investment is the system’s unique molding capabilities. It is inexpensive compared to conventional hardened steel molds and it is very versatile.
Sorbilite holds even patents for its various molding and processing systems Plastron, the latest, combines fibrous and recycled plastic waste through compression molding while completely eliminating the use of chemical binders. The result yields panel products ready for painting and lamination with no emissions. Plaston’s strength can often exceed that of wood, yet can be worked like wood without regard for grain direction or knots. It is also safe for exterior purposes and has twice the life of treated wood products, according to Pol.
Plastron has already garnered two Sequoia awards from the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings suppliers for environmental innovation. This group annually recognizes products on the leading edge of environmental awareness in the furniture and wood products industries.
To know more about Cutting-edge molding technologies and Composite Molding System, Visit at Sorbilite, Inc.
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