Zotefoams announces licensing agreement with Censco for manufacture of microcellular foaming equipment
Zotefoams maintains focus on ReZorce® mono-material barrier packaging while benefitting from Censco’s ability to increase capacity and reduce lead times for critical equipment.
Zotefoams, a world leader in cellular materials technology, has announced an agreement where Censco LLC will manufacture under licence the proprietary gas injection equipment marketed by Zotefoams under the MuCell® brand.
Previously produced in-house by Zotefoams’ MuCell Extrusion LLC business unit based in Woburn, Massachusetts, the equipment is installed on plastic extrusion lines to inject atmospheric gases during the melt phase. Over the past five years, Zotefoams has harnessed MuCell technology to create ReZorce, its disruptive mono-material barrier packaging range, and this agreement will allow it to further focus efforts on the significant opportunities that ReZorce offers in replacing difficult-to-recycle composite materials.
“Partnering with Censco to manufacture MuCell equipment at this point makes absolute sense,” comments Neil Court-Johnston, President of MuCell Extrusion.
“Censco has the resources and know-how to scale the manufacture of MuCell equipment very effectively and to reduce lead times significantly. We have a shared vision for the future of this technology and its potential to reduce plastic usage and costs for manufacturers.”
Headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts and with additional facilities in Mexico and Colombia, Censco has been offering a full range of services engineering, manufacturing and aftermarket for over 20 years and has an established roster of customers worldwide. The two companies are now engaged in a technology transfer exercise and expect Censco to assume production in the fourth quarter of this year.
Juan Cardona, President and CEO at Censco, says,
“Partnering with Zotefoams after 10 years of close collaboration is the next logical step to strengthen our capabilities and focus on manufacturing and implementing new MuCell-capable extrusion equipment. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to helping deliver the benefits of this innovative polymer reduction technology more widely.”