Category Archives: About AIN Plastics

TKMNA Talent Program Team Takes on New Challenges

As the Song Goes…Guess Who’s Back, Back Again…

What an incredible experience! As of May 28th, I have completed ThyssenKrupp Materials
NA Sales Talent Development Program. Woohoo! I’m very thankful for this opportunity to gain experience in not only sales, but other departments such as operations, purchasing, and finance. My journey through the program was from AIN Plastics, to Copper and Brass, Class II of the Sales Talent Development Program included Left to right Louis Szilagyi, Chris Porritt, Jon Lown, and Front Becca Reidythen onto ThyssenKrupp Industrial Services, next up was ThyssenKrupp Aerospace and I also spent a week at KenMac Metals. Through the rotations, I had the opportunity to go on sales calls and see the applications of our materials for TKMNA. I saw everything from cranial baby helmets being produced to seeing the F-150 stamping plant and touring the Boeing facility that could fit 75 NFL football fields inside it to riding along on the BMW test track!

Pictured to the right is Class II of the Sales Talent Development Program which included (left to right) Louis Szilagyi, Chris Porritt, Jon Lown, (and front) Becca Reidy

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Pictured Above: Jon Lown Chris Porritt, Louis Szilagyi, Becca Reidy, and Talent Program Director Heather Clark of TKMNA, NA.

 

image002-1I am happy to say, since completing the program, I began my Inside Sales position at AIN Plastics on July 1st. First, I’m heading down to our Kennesaw Branch to learn as much as I can from our team about the machine shop at Kennesaw, GA and all the value-added services. February 1st, I will be off to Dallas to join our team and settle in. I’m looking forward to applying all my skills that I have developed over this past year and seeing the results. I know it’s not going to be easy. Sales can be tough; you win some and lose some. It’s a lot like sports. You dedicate a lot of time and effort toward an account and sometimes you come out with a loss. Sometimes you get in ruts, but with the support of your team and a good sense of work ethic you break the bad streak. And all that hard work will be worth the results.

I want to send out a big thank you for everyone who has made my journey along the way a great experience and I’m excited to start working with my AIN team. If anyone has any questions on my journey or the other divisions I visited feel free to contact me. I would love to discuss my journey in more detail.

 

Becca Reidy

Inside Sales
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

rebecca.reidy@thyssenkrupp.com

To read more about Becca and the journey of the Sales Talent Development Team Visit these other posts.

Chris Porritt Talks AIN Plastics and Talent Development Program

AIN Acquires New Talent Through TKMNA Program

DuPont Vespel for Aerospace, There Is No Substitute

There Simply Is No Substitute

Every time there is an accident in the air, the tragedy flashes across the news wires in a matter of minutes.  Most recently, a Blackhawk Helicopter exploded and we lost 11 of our Marine and Army troops. Most certainly we can all list a number of other incidents in the past year where many more lives have been lost. The cause of each and every incident is studied to the greatest possible lengths in order to improve safety and overall, air travel is extremely safe. I personally fly thousands of miles each year to visit customers and my wife is a former flight attendant who recently retired after a long career. But, no matter how safe flying is, it never lessens the loss when tragedy occurs.

Knowing the aerospace industry as I do I cannot help but think just how many people today are full of worry over every detail of a downed aircraft like the Blackhawk Helicopter, or the plane that slide off the runway in New York. What was the cause, was it a part failure, weather? Teams will do their absolute best to find out.

My work with engineering plastic materials at AIN Plastics, and DuPont™ Vespel® in particular, takes me to many aerospace facilities. Recently I was visiting a facility that makes the transmission and drive train components that are used in many of today’s military helicopters.  Every time I visit one of these facilities I must say I am amazed and impressed at the amount of testing and technology that goes into each and every one of these components.

For good reason, plastics like DuPont™ Vespel® have become a common component in many aerospace applications.  They help with weight reduction, reduce the need for lubrication, and increase the efficiency of the systems.  In some cases engineering plastics outperform traditional metals.

Make Sure It’s the Real Deal
Every time I hear a news report about an incident with an aircraft I truly hope that the failure was not caused by somebody taking a specification from an aircraft or aerospace customer and deciding to substitute a less expensive material that seems to be equivalent in place of the OEM specified material.  Throughout my years in the plastics industry I have seen this happen. Sometimes it may be done innocently enough with the thought they are getting something equivalent but saving a few dollars. However substitutions occur if an OEM specification is not met it can become a huge issue for the machine shop that made the part if or when part failure occurs.

Even recently there have been reported instances of DuPont™ Vespel® shapes being machined into smaller diameter counterfeit rod from larger diameter rod by unauthorized resellers.  In these instances, the unauthorized resellers attempt to sell the product as Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® shapes to unsuspecting machine shops.  They even go as far as altering the original Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to reference the smaller diameter.  These altered CoCs do not contain the correct lot number information intended to match product size and composition for traceability purposes. The bad news in all of this is that these ground rods don’t meet the ASTM D 6456-99, MIL-R-46198 or the OEM specifications. It may not seem like a big difference, but the fact is the characteristics of these ground rods do differ from rod made by DuPont’s proprietary isostatic molding process.

Please, make sure that when DuPont™ Vespel® is specified on a print by an OEM that you validate that your supplier is selling you Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® material.  Time and again places have found it is worth working with an authorized distributor like AIN Plastics to ensure they get the real deal.  I am very proud to say that AIN Plastics has a long history of being an Authorized Distributor and we stock only authentic DuPont™ Vespel®.

Photo---Paul-Hanson---ThumbnailPaul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

A Plastics Guy in the Glass Industry

One of the most fascinating things about the Engineering Plastics Industry is that these materials are used in every industry, at least every industry I’ve come across so far, and that’s a lot! So when I recently visited a glass manufacturing plant I wasn’t entirely surprised to find they had a need for plastics.

As Old as Humans 
Glass was discovered by stone-age hunters in the form of obsidian long before it was first manufactured in any form. The first manufactured glass that we know of dates to Mesopotamia in the 16th century BC. In this day and age it’s hard to imagine a world without our automated glass manufacturing techniques. All you have to do is look at skyscrapers in any city. The beautiful glass that you see on the outside is engineered and produced to some amazing standards.  The same is true of the safety glass in every automobile on the road.  Without automated lines that take the sand, sodium carbonate, and calcium carbonate (soda ash and lime) through the process, cars would not be the same. Modern glass has improved safety, part life, and given designers a freedom to create a virtually endless array of shapes.

Modern-Day Glass Factories
Where do plastics enter into the modern-day glass factory? Inside glass plants, technology has led to many innovations that keep prices down and the design capabilities endless.  Automation allows glass to be consistently formed, tinted, laminated, and packaged, and all at high speeds compared to earlier methods. In this process the conveyors rather than humans handle the glass from furnace to delivery on the factory floor.  To keep the lines moving, glass is sent across conveyor lines while it is still at extremely high temperatures. This has created some challenges on the manufacturing side to be able to move the glass in a way that is gentle enough that the fresh material is not scratched, marred or broken. This is where Engineering Plastics offer benefits to the glass manufacturer as it can minimize these issues.

Glass Stops
Illustrations---Glass-HandlingOver the years glass plants have made stops, a small piece that acts as a ‘bumper’ of sorts. Glass hits the stop which helps to cushion and redirect hot glass as it moves along conveyor lines. Some plants have used phenolics or other plastics to make glass stops. Although these materials work, customers tell us they need to be replaced often as the high temperature of the glass degrades the plastic stops. DuPont™ Vespel® is a unique family of polyimide materials that many glass manufactures have moved to  because of their ability to withstand the high temperatures and impact of hot glass.  As one of the highest performing materials for high temperature environments, engineers have designed rollers, stops, fingers, and wear strips out of DuPont™ Vespel®.  In addition to performing well under extreme heat DuPont™ Vespel® has been noted for its ability to handle the constant impact of glass without deformation or causing marring, scratching, or breakage of the glass. While this material is not inexpensive, customers continue to specify DuPont™ Vespel® due to benefits that include  –

  • Reduced downtime of lines to replace stops
  • Reduced furnace downtime to cool and reheat while production lines are down
  • Minimize product loss due to scratches or other damage
  • Decrease downtime to clean up after product breakage occurs

In a recent application in an auto glass factory, we replaced a graphite based material used to make glass stops with DuPont™ Vespel® SCP-5050.  The customer reported the service life of the stops improved over 5000%! It’s a great reminder to me as we look at engineering plastics that it’s not all about the initial cost of the material, it’s about the savings and improvements to your manufacturing process that can happen when you choose the right engineering plastic for the job. So, feel free to call up your local plastics professional when you are looking for improvements. We may or may not be the right fit, but if we are, you’ll be glad you made the call.

Photo---Paul-Hanson---ThumbnailPaul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

For more information about Engineering Plastics for Glass Stops download a pdf here Flyer – Glass Handling w Vespel 01-15

For more information about AIN Plastics please visit our website at ainplastics.com

Chris Porritt Talks AIN Plastics and TKMNA Talent Program

As a participant in the ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Sales Talent Development Program I am in my third rotation of working at different TKMNA Divisions. My current home is at Copper and Brass sales. I was hired by ThyssenKrupp out of Central Michigan University, where I majored in Law and Economics (Econ. Degree). I learned about ThyssenKrupp through my professional sales and marketing fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. Representatives from ThyssenKrupp Materials NA came to one of our networking nights and I got to speak face to face with Heather Clark, Director of the talent program and Evan Van Buhler about the STDP and the different MBU’s of TKMNA. I was interested in ThyssenKrupp because I knew that it was a huge company where I could grow and develop in-depth knowledge of different industries and have a wide variety of experiences.

The TMX Aerospace Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA hired me straight out of CMU and I spent almost three months in Seattle this summer learning about their business. I really enjoyed my time with TMX this summer, and I look forward to heading back to Seattle, once my time in the Talent Program is done, to start my new role with them. For the past two months I have been with the AIN Plastics Division which is based in Madison Heights, Michigan. My experiences with AIN Plastics have been wide-ranging and I have really enjoyed my time working with the team at AIN. During my three months my I spent time with the Inside Sales team, Outside Sales teams at several branches, the Business Development team in Kennesaw, as well as time in the warehouse in Madison Heights and the machine shop in Kennesaw, Georgia. During my rotation with AIN, I have also had various projects that were assigned to me. These include reports on: productivity, consignment, CRM tools, and long-term projects involving the other members of the STDP and our mentor projects. These projects have been invaluable to me, in terms of working on my time-management skills and increasing my knowledge of AIN’s business processes. They have helped me to build skills that I will carry into my new position once I return to TMX Aerospace. Additionally my rotations are giving me a better understanding of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA as a whole company.

Lastly, during my AIN rotation I was fortunate to be invited to take part in their National Sales Meetings and President’s club Awards Banquet where AIN team members are honored for achievements over the past year. It was an amazing experience. I attended Branch Manager meetings where I got to see some of the metrics that are used to gauge AIN Plastics performance each year. From there we all attended breakout sessions where we brainstormed idea’s to save money and increase revenue. I learned a lot from spending time with people who have been with AIN Plastics and in the plastics industry in general for many years. The rest of the time at the National Sales Meeting was spent with representatives from some of our suppliers and then we had the presentations for The President’s Club Awards. I really enjoyed my time at the National Sales Meetings. It was a time where I formed some great relationships with various AIN employees that I know will last into my future years with ThyssenKrupp. (See more about the AIN Plastics NSM and President’s Club Awards)

My time with AIN Plastics has been a wonderfully positivel experience and I can’t say enough about the AIN Plastics team. I could really feel the family atmosphere at the different branches I visited and that is something that you do not see often at companies the size of AIN Plastics. It has been an honor to work with the AIN Plastics team and I look forward to continuing working with AIN and the rest of TKMNA.

 

Photo---Chris-PorrittChris Porritt
Sales Trainee
TKMNA Sales Talent Program

www.tkmna.com

AIN Plastics Culture of Safety Is Something to Be Thankful For

As AIN Plastics begins a new year for their business, yes October is our New Year, we find ourselves doing what many people and businesses do this time of year. We take a look back and reflect on our successes and our challenges, be thankful for all of our teammates, suppliers, and last but not least, our customers. It is also a time when we celebrate our achievements.

Part of that celebration for AIN Plastics is the annual President’s Club Awards Banquet where various achievements by branches and individuals are recognized. Each year the very first awards given are the Gold Safety Awards.  It’s another way in which AIN Plastics puts safety first in all ways. These awards are given to branches who have gone one year or more with no safety incidents. As Operation Manager, I am honored to preside over these awards and this year I was happy to be handing out a large number of plaques. Out of 12 branches 11 received the Gold Safety Award.

AIN Plastics and ThyssenKrupp as a whole are highly dedicated to providing the safest possible work environment for everyone. People from each Division make up a team that has dedicated themselves to building not just procedures and processes, but rather a culture of safety, and this year’s awards for AIN Plastics are showing that our Culture of Safety is going strong.

Our newest AIN Plastics locations in St. Louis and Dallas are on the list with two years each and others are climbing, but one location stands out above all others. The AIN Plastics Madison Heights Branch now has 16 years with no incidents. Jeff Garden, Branch Manager says he could not do it without having a great team in place. That includes everyone at their branch as well as the ThyssenKrupp Divisional members involved in making safety a number one priority for everyone throughout ThyssenKrupp. “It’s something we live each and every day,” says Jeff Garden.

You might also notice a round circle on one of the plaques on the Madison Heights wall. That plaque is from 2010 and in that year the entire AIN Plastics Division had 0 incidents! So, as we mark these milestones it’s a great time to be thankful for a lot of things here at AIN Plastics. As William Rogers, Warehouse Supervisor for AIN Plastics Virginia Beach put it, “We sell plastics, but we give service.” That includes service to each other in the form of building a culture of safety.

Theresa Gestewitz

Operations Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division

Photo---Theresa-Gestewitz

 

About Theresa Gestewitz –
Ms. Gestewitz began her career with ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division 20 years ago. Her first role was Buyer at AIN Plastics Lancaster, PA facility. She has also held additional positions as Office Manager, Corporate Buyer, and Plant Manager. She assumed her Safety Leadership role in 2010.

AIN Plastics Here Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

In the search for Engineering Plastics there are numerous online places and several good size distributors. AIN Plastics is one of those distributors and they have recently been growing and adding locations around the United States. Here we take a brief look at AIN Plastics yesterday, today and tomorrow, and we see good things ahead!

Initially AIN Plastics began as a One Stop Shop Plastics distributor based in Mt. Vernon New York. AIN serviced the local area and provided a large print catalog as well as a special school catalog helping to make machinable plastics a part of shop classes.

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Back in the Day

The original AIN Plastics was a partnership between three gentleman, hence the name AIN. The remaining member of the original partners, Alex Gabay still resides in New York. Since his days with AIN Plastics he has enjoyed a quiet country life outside the city, but in a chat with him at a New York event last year, Alex talked about how he still loves to be able to visit New York City. He talked about how New York is a place that just gets into your blood. The “I” goes to a gentleman by the name of Irving. Unfortunately Irving passed away before things got underway, but the remaining partners kept the AIN name. Last but not least, Norman Drucker, the “N” in AIN continued on with Alex and was the hands on guy “in the pit”. In an early blog post about Mr. Drucker, it was noted by long time associate John Colleluori Norman “was right in there making it happen.” See more in our earlier post.

Since AIN Plastics became a part of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA in 1996 the company has seen an expansion into the western US. AIN Plastics President John Shepherd has seen the company through several new branch openings including the most recent locations, St. Louis, Missouri and Dallas Texas. In keeping with AIN Plastics focus on customer service each branch is staffed with branch managers, inside and outside sales staff that have a background in the plastics industry. Each branch is also able to offer custom cut to size on orders and customized inventory solutions. Additionally AIN is able to assist our customer with fabrication and other services.

In this day and age of online shopping where selecting a material is left to the customer to seek it out by way of google searches and shopping cart searches, AIN Plastics experienced staff is able to assist customers with the sometimes time consuming and tedious task of figuring out not only what is the best material, but what is the most cost effective material for a job. A little like Santa in “Miracle on Thirty Fourth Street” AIN sales people look to be partners in a customer’s business and that may mean selling a material that is not the necessarily the most expensive, but rather the one that fits the application at hand. As Engineering Plastics and High Performance Materials are more often used to replace metal parts and as machinable plastics become a part of today’s increasingly high tech world many factors in material selection are involved. For a more in depth look at this issue see our blog post on Engineering Plastics and the Plastics Pyramid.

Where can you find AIN Plastics Today?

AIN currently has 14 offices and 13 stocking locations in the US. Additionally we stock materials at ThyssenKrupp facilities in California for our West Coast customers. Thanks to ThyssenKrupp Logistics AIN is able to ship anywhere in the US even if no branch is present. For sales support AIN also has a Business Development Team that works across the US in specific markets assisting customers with material selection for specific applications.

Map---AIN-Locations

AIN Plastics Locations

Florida
8143 Eagle Palm Drive
Riverview, FL 33578
Georgia
1980 Shiloh Road
Building 7 Suite 150
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Illinois
300 County Line Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
Indiana
8129 Zionsville Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Massachusetts
110 Shawmut Road
Canton, MA 02021
Michigan
1750 E Heights Drive
Madison Heights, MI 48071
Missouri
13732 Rider Trail North
Earth City, MO 63045
New York
60 Fullerton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10704
Ohio
1360 Boltonfield Street
Columbus, OH 43228
Pennsylvania
499 Running Pump Road
Suite 16
Lancaster, PA 17601
Texas
3001 Alouette Drive
Suite 100
Grand Prairie, TX 75052
Virgina
1347 Diamond Springs Road
Suite 100
Virginia Beach, VA 23455

What Is AIN Plastics Tomorrow Looking Like?

AIN Plastics focus remains the same as it has in years past. There is still one number to call and that number automatically puts you in contact with the branch nearest you. 877.246.7700. We look to being our customer’s partner for the long term. That means continuing to offer you, our customer,  more services. For those times you just need to place that quick order an online shopping solution is on its way! We are also continuing our educational efforts through our blog, social media and email blast from Constant Contact. We want our customers to be the most informed and educated users of Engineering Plastics and High Performance Materials out there because we know that means success with the materials you use, efficiency, and cost savings. All of those things combine to help all of us to keep our businesses growing and thriving from New York to, Florida, to St. Louis, and Dallas.

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

_N1C1196-Edit-cropAbout Lisa Anderson
Ms. Anderson has been ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division for over 2 years. She brings 20+ years of advertising, award winning graphic design, social media and marketing. She has worked in book publishing, advertising agencies, printing, manufacturing, and the apartment industry. Ms. Anderson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

To learn more about AIN Plastics visit us at tkmna.com

Keep up with AIN Plastics on your favorite social media

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For more information on ThyssenKrupp Materials see a recent article on their history and growth 

AIN Plastics “Get Framed” Event

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The Gabarron Center for the Arts in Manhattan was the site for the AIN Plastics “Get Framed” event.

Gabarron Carriage House Center for the Arts in Manhattan is not the place you might typically think of to go to when you want to find out about plastics, but on June 6, 2013 this Manhattan Art Gallery hosted the unveiling of a very special piece of acrylic at the AIN Plastics “Get Framed Event.”
Evonik ACRYLITE® OP3 with UV protection in a 101 x 150 inch 1/4 inch thick sheet is the largest UV sheet manufactured in the U.S. and it is the perfect material for large pieces of art or items in need of preservation and display. The AIN team has fondly named it “The Monster Sheet.” John Colleluori, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics Yonkers stated this ACRYLITE® material is available exclusively from AIN Plastics, and it is so special that we felt it deserved a true New York Gallery unveiling. AIN Plastics will stock these sheets for easy delivery to museums, galleries and preservation specialists. AIN Plastics President, John Shepherd noted, “Our unique product offering combined with the high service requirements of this industry makes it an attractive and profitable market for AIN’s distribution model.”
Over 80 people from the New York gallery, framing, and museum industry gathered at Gabarron Carriage House Center for the Arts and enjoyed an evening of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Evonik brought in key specialists and provided educational demonstrations for guests. Werner Mashig, Evonik Product Manager for Lighting demonstrated ACRYLITE® LED material, an innovative way to illuminate art and photos with the use of ACRYLITE® LED. Using a simple channel frame with a single strip of LEDs placed at the edge of ACRYLITE® LED, images measuring up to 39″ can be uniformly illuminated. Evonik’s Bud Frega – was demonstrating the advantages of ACRYLITE® Optical mar resistant acrylic which is also chemical resistant so it can be cleaned with common household cleaners such as Windex®. Also at his table was ACRYLITE® non-glare (P99) which minimizes glare and reflection at any angle and ACRYLITE® framing grade (FF3) which is our premier acrylic glazing product guaranteed to be defect free. Evonik Adhesive specialist Andy Baumler was on hand demonstrating ACRYLITE® UV filtering (OP3) to show how ACRYLITE® provides the highest protection against damaging UV light as compared to other UV acrylics. Using a blacklight and two identical photos, the non ACRYLITE® photo was brighter indicating saturation of harmful UV rays while the ACRYLITE® side remained dark, showing a higher level of UV protection. Andy also spoke about ACRIFIX® Specialty Bonding Agents including solvent and reactive cements. In addition he was speaking about ACRIFIX® AC1010 which is a specially formulated cleaner that eliminates static charge.
John Collelouri noted the entire “Get Framed Event” was a collaboration brought about by the strategic partnership between AIN Plastics and Evonik CYRO. “We could not have created such a fantastic and successful event without the support of the entire branch staff, our marketing department and without our strategic partners at Evonik CYRO.” Antoinette Spages, Laura Torsiello and Kanika Mohal helped with finding the venue and lining up the presenters while Lisa Anderson developed marketing materials and promoted the event on our social media. Carolyn Hayduk assisted with gifts for event attendees. The entire Yonkers team dedicated themselves to delivering personal invitations created in Evonik CYRO acrylic Blue P-95 just for the event.
The evening provided an excellent opportunity for building new and stronger relationships with customers by providing education and a first hand look at the materials in use as well as the opportunity to ask questions and talk with industry professionals. It also provided a great opportunity to build a stronger relationship with an already strong strategic partner, Evonik CYRO.

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See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

To learn more about all the ACRYLITE® materials available through AIN Plastics visit the Sheet Plastics section of our website. You can also talk to someone directly by calling 877.246.7700.

www.tkmna.com

AIN Plastics Expands – New Branch in St. Louis, MO

After a year or more of research and hard work to expand, AIN Plastics is pleased to announce the opening of a new AIN Plastics Distributor Branch in the St. Louis Missouri area.

New Business Locations Don’t Happen Overnight

This week I had the opportunity to talk with Chris Urban, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics new St. Louis Area Distribution Facility. I asked him what it took to get a new branch opened up. Chris said they started with finding the right location, which turned out to be in the same building as the St. Louis area ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Facility (AIN Plastics parent company since 1993). Then came finding the right equipment which includes a brand new saw for custom cutting orders and finding just the right people with both customer service and previous plastics experience. Chris noted they wanted to hit the ground running from their first day of business. He went on to say:

“We have worked hard in preparation over the past year prior to our opening and we are very excited to see our hard work pay off. ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, AIN Plastics Division did a great deal of research regarding this project. St. Louis is an ideal location to further extend our distribution. From this branch we will be able to provide customer service and quick turn around on orders to Missouri and surrounding states.”

Chris also said he wanted to thank all the AIN people that came to St. Louis from other branches to support his team for the first few days. “Having the support of the entire AIN Plastics company has made starting the new branch a great experience for everyone. We feel truly supported and connected to everyone in the company.”

AIN Offers More than Materials – It’s about Value Added Services

I asked Chris about the services they will be offering. Chris says the new AIN Plastics distribution branch offers a comprehensive list of value added services including:

  • Close tolerance custom cutting of orders
  • Customized Inventory and stocking programs including just in time delivery solutions
  • A vast inventory of sheet and rod materials, some of them highly specialized
  • Professional team with years of plastics industry experience
  • ThyssenKrupp Nationwide Logistics for the best possible delivery

More Manufacturers are Choosing Plastic Due to it’s Many Benefits

Chris talked about how the selection of plastics is changing rapidly due to its value as a lightweight component in manufacturing, it’s ability to be reused and recycled, and it’s cost. Plastics are often an affordable material compared to more traditional resources such as metal, wood, or glass, and they often outlast and outperform those materials. Researchers are always developing even better plastics. “We have a team in place that can help customers sort through and not just find a plastic that will work, but rather the right plastic for their application.”

GPO, Materials for O&P, TeflonPlastics, Plastics, and More!

When it comes to what plastics the St. Louis AIN Plastics branch will stock, Chris gave me a short rundown and said this doesn’t come close to covering all the materials we have:

  • Industrial Plastics
  • High Pressure Laminates
  • Engineering Plastics including
    • ABS
    • Acetal
    • Cast Acrylic
    • Polycarbonate
    • Radel R
    • Semitron
    • Techtron
  • Composite Tooling products
    • RAMPF Styling, Modeling, and Tooling Boards
    • RAMPF Close Contour Paste and Casting Materials
    • Thermoform Materials
    • Epoxy Casting and Laminating Resins
    • Foundry and Pattern Materials
  • Plastic Tubing including Medical and Food Grade
  • FDA compliant plastics for medical and food service industries
  • Silicone
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • DuPont TM Vespel® (AIN Plastics is the Authorized Distributor)

Well, you get the idea, it’s a long list and that’s just the beginning. Chris says the best way to learn more is by visiting the website ainplastics.com or better yet by giving them a call at 877.246.7700.
The AIN Plastics Distribution Facility is located next to the ThyssenKrupp Materials NA facility:

59 Interstate Drive
Wentzville, MO 63385

Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

For more information regarding the new AIN Plastics St. Louis Area Branch

CONTACT: Christopher Urban

TEL: 877.246.7700

DIRECT: 636-698-6295

FAX: 636-327-4369

EMAIL: christopher.urban@thyssenkrupp.com

That’s it for this week’s news. Look for our other posts where we look not at ourselves, but at the world of plastics. What’s new, what works, why certain plastics are good in specific applications and more. IF you do want to learn more about AIN Plastics and our history check out the “About Us” page on our site.

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.ainplastics.com

 

39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP)

AIN Plastics Dick Cubero and Phil Andriano are on hand at this year’s 39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for the AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists).

O&P expert, Dick Cubero noted, “The Annual Meeting and Symposium of AAOP has become an important annual event for AIN Plastics. We get to sit down with orthotists and prosthetists from all over the country and focus on their needs and concerns for several days. It’s a great time to get to know each other better and to do some real problem solving.”

New Customer Service Features from AIN Plastics

Screen Shots of ainplastics.com new O&P sectionThis year AIN Plastics will be unveiling several new enhancements to their services for orthotists and prosthetists. One we are very happy to announce are updates to our website ainplastics.com. We have always had a section dedicated to our orthotic and prosthetic materials and now we’ve made enhancements that will help make finding material information even easier.

New Tables – For a quick reference, take a look at the tables, sorted by general material types: Polyolefin, Clear Plastics, Rigid Plastics, Flexible Plastics, and Metals. Each table contains a short description, typical applications, and basic test data for Flexural Modulus and Forming Temperature.

More In Depth O&P Material Information – For more in depth information on a material, we’ve added a “Learn More” which takes website users to downloadable .pdfs of technical data, MSDSs and other information currently available. New and improved materials can greatly benefit the professional orthotist and prosthetist as well as the end user of the product developed just for them. But the number of new advances can also be a daunting thing to stay on top of. Our goal is to continue to update the new O&P section of our website as we obtain new information so you always have one easy place to access it all.

New O&P Material Labeling

Label---OandP-2x4Coinciding with the website enhancements are new material labels featuring QR codes! These popular codes work similar to a barcode except you can scan them from a smart phone. The new QR codes will take users directly to the ainplastics,com site and to the particular material they are looking at. If you don’t currently use a QR code scanner on your smart phone, you can easily add one for free by going to your phone’s app store and searching QR. We think this will make access to technical data, MSDSs and more faster and easier.

New Print Guide to Materials for Orthotics and Prosthetics AIN Plastics also revised O&P Material Selection Guidetheir Guide to Materials for Orthotics and Prosthetics. This handy print reference has been a great desk reference for our customers for quite a few years but it was time for a refresh. We took a look and thought – Hey! what if this could also be a handy poster that could hang on the wall so it’s there for you even when your hands are full of plastics! Dick Cubero and Phil Andriano will be handing out these free guides throughout the show along with some shop aprons, and other goodies we think everyone will find useful.

 

Camie 100 Spray Lubricant and Camie 300 Spray Adhesive

Camie 100 and 300 Spray adhesive and Spray on lubricant

Last but not least, Dick Cubero wanted to let people know about a product that many of his customers have had excellent results with. Results have been so good that AIN is sending out free samples for O&P professionals to try. “Camie 300 Spray Adhesive and Camie 100 Spray Lubricant have quickly become the product of choice for many of the orthotists and prosthetists I work with. The adhesive can be used to temporarily position materials, but it also works well as a permanent adhesive in O&P applications like scoliosis jackets.” Dick also said, “The spray on lubricant has really helped to make working with materials easier in all sorts of O&P applications including reducing or eliminating glove marks often left while plastics are being worked and toughened.” He added many users like to spray Camie 100 on the blades of their scissors because it keeps glue from building up and sticking. For more detailed information on Camie 100 and 300 download a pdf of technical data here –  TDS – Camie 100-300 02-13

If you are at the Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium for AAOP I hope you made it to the AIN Plastics booth (#421). But if you are seeing this blog post after the show, it’s no problem. Our website is always available for your use 24/7 at ainplastics.com. The new guide is available as a .pdf download, but you can also contact Dick Cubero or Phil Andriano directly and they can get an original copy sent to you directly along with samples you might need. Of course they are also on hand to answer your O&P material questions whether it pertains to thermoforming, material selection or other related items.

email: dick.cubero@thyssenkrupp.com

email: phil.andriano@thyssenkrupp.com

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.ainplastics.com

See our photo Gallery of the show –

 

New Video – How to Machine DuPont™ Vespel®

Avoid Costly Machining Mistakes!

AIN Plastics new video based version of the DuPont™ Vespel® Machining Guide For Vespel Polyimide Parts is now available for viewing! Just a few minutes of your time can give you helpful tips and tricks so you successfully machine DuPont™ Vespel® parts each and every time.

DuPont™ Vespel® is an investment in high quality polyimide material so you want to be sure you know all the ins and outs of working with it. This informative video is designed to help you obtain the best possible results when machining parts from authentic DuPont™ Vespel® stock shapes. In a few minutes this video will take you through all the basics from what tools to use, to machining techniques, to finishing and polishing your DuPont™ Vespel® parts.

Please click the link below to view the new video right now…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll5MGUzEkI8

ABOUT AIN Plastics and DuPont™ Vespel®… 

The AIN Plastics Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA is the exclusive distributor of authentic DuPont™ Vespel® shapes in the Eastern United States and Canada.  As such, we stock an extensive inventory of authentic Vespel® shapes including rod, bar and disks manufactured in the proprietary DuPont™ isostatic molding process.  We also stock all grades of Vespel® plaque and can provide our customers with custom gauges and cut-to-size blanks.  AIN Plastics also stocks Vespel® balls in a variety of diameters and can offer custom sizes upon request.

 

Companion Guide to the video Available for Download:

Get all the details of machining DuPont™ Vespel® including drawings of how to customize drill bits, informational table on feed speeds and more in the downloadable print guide.

Click here.

 

 

For more information or questions about how to work with DuPont™ Vespel® please feel free to contact me directly.

Shawn Lynam

ThyssenKrupp Materials, AIN Plastics Division
Director of Business Development

shawn.lynam@thyssenkrupp.com

ph: 412.352.2789

www.ainplastics.com

More DuPont™ Vespel® Literature Available for download:

DuPont Vespel® Motion Solutions

DuPont Vespel® Motion Solutions

DuPont Vespel® SCP Parts

DuPont Vespel® SCP Parts

Insulator Solutions

DuPont Vespel® Insulator Solutions

DuPont Vespel® Sealing Solutions

DuPont Vespel® Sealing Solutions