In 1950 we started working thermoplastic materials . We worked together with the Montecatini company in the set up of the moulding resins, especially regarding the polystyrene. Later we worked with the Polymethacrylate (PMMA) and Polyamides (Rhodiatoce company).
In 1958, DuPont de Nemour company entrusted Garzanti with the distribution of Polyoxymethylene (POM) which, together with the polyamides, composed the first core materials for technical use (techno-polymers). Professor Natta from the Polytechnic University of Milan invented the polypropylene.
By the end of 1958, the company moved from Poliziano road in Milan to its current seat in Baranzate, where the first factory in Italy, specifically designed for plastic materials transformation, was built. The transfer to the new seat was an opportunity to increase the equipment for the mould building workshop and of the thermoplastic department. This new seat also allowed the adoption of the firm canteen as well as an improvement in the services.
The 60s were the years of the great expansion in the use of plastic materials: the punching screw machine appeared (it allowed a more accurate and reliable transformation), the range of materials was widened and, consequently, the applications in the light mechanics (typewriters, calculating and sewing machines), in electrical household and of the electronic industry, which was rising.
There were also some news in the thermosetting department, with the introduction of the radio frequency ovens that considerably improved the quality of the moulded materials.
Olivetti company became our customer and we were the first and, for some years, their only plastic components suppliers.
We entered the automobile sector with the making, for the Bendix company, of some difficult parts of the braking system (after more than 30 years, Bendix, currently Bosch Sistemi Frenanti, is still one of our most important customer).
In 1973, the company, from sole trader became a Limited Liability Company. The 80s were the rationalization and modernization process years as the mature plastic materials transformation industry required. Gradually, the compression/transfer moulding machines of the thermo-settings were replaced with 8 punching screw machines, properly modified by us, for the “servo brakes pistons” moulding.
These 8 machines produced 200,000 of these pieces per month for about 20 years and they were sent, as well as in Italy, to France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Argentine and Turkey. In this period, the internal moulds construction was gradually abandoned due to the costs, while the mechanical workshop remained the cornerstone of our activity. The design of the moulds was increased founding an external company. Standards and moulds standardization were defined, and these standards were applied to all the existing moulds. It has been a huge work, that is still bearing fruit: we are currently still producing some of the same moulds of 30-40 years ago.
In the 90s, the rationalization and modernization of the thermo-plastic department, of the moulds maintenance workshop ,of the warehouses with the total use of microprocessor systems were continued. The rationalization work led us to design and build peripheral devices to the moulding presses and optimize the production process. These peripherals provide an excellent treatment and recovery of the raw material and of the processing waste and they provide the means of operating the mould and evacuating the pieces.
In 2000 everybody recognizes we are in a technological advantage position and we are determined to keep it in the future. Currently we are committed to a change of technology again. The presses, completely driven by electric motors, persuaded us that the technological limit of our process can still be raised, in fact combined with the use of super-polymers, we can truly join fields unthinkable for us a decade ago.
