MACK, based in Altenmarkt on the river Triesting, Lower Austria, has been supplying high-grade plastic parts and assemblies to a wide range of different industries for decades. One of the company’s latest products is a COVID 19 face shield which protects the eyes, nose and mouth. Injection molding machines from Wittmann Battenfeld are used to make the frames and straps for this product.
MACK is a family-run business with a long tradition. The company was purchased in 1988 by the father of today’s owner-manager, Stefanie Bettel. Production has been carried out at the present location in Altenmarkt since 1998. The portfolio of products and services ranges from in-house mold-making and injection molding to down-stream finishing, final assembly and packaging of the products.
Apart from the high quality of its products, the company’s customers appreciate above all its great flexibility. To make its plastic products, MACK uses a total of 18 injection molding machines ranging from 220 to 1800 kN in clamping force, of which 15 are from Wittmann Battenfeld. Materials processed are high-grade engineering plastics including thermosensitive and biodegradable varieties.
MACK supplies its products to many different industries, primarily in Austria, but also beyond the national borders, such as garden technology firms, for example with parts for lawn mowers and power saws, the furniture and building industries, the wholesale and retail trade, as well as a wide range of medical technology sectors.
Among other items, the company produces a face shield to protect the eyes, nose and mouth of its wearer, which is suitable for all applications with a short safety distance. With this face shield, MACK is making a substantial contribution to the fight against COVID 19. The COVID 19 face shield stands out by its high wearing comfort, partly due to its light weight of only 68 grams. From May of this year onwards, the COVID 19 face shields can also be individually labeled. The masks are not only sold to Austrian customers, but distributed worldwide. In German-speaking countries, the face shields can also be ordered via a web portal specially created by MACK for this purpose, www.mack-gesichtsschutz.at. At MACK, the high demand for these face shields is very welcome, since the company is well able to meet it following a recent expansion of its capacity.
The COVID 19 masks consist of a frame with straps and a transparent shield. The frame and straps are manufactured on injection molding machines from Wittmann Battenfeld. The straps are produced with a hydraulic machine from the HM series. A machine from the servo-hydraulic SmartPower series with 600 kN clamping force, equipped with a WP80 sprue picker from WITTMANN, is used to make the frame. The machines from the SmartPower series excel by their small footprint, cleanness, low noise level, minimal energy consumption thanks to an ultra-modern servo-hydraulic system, and extremely high repeatability.
The cooperation between Wittmann Battenfeld and MACK has now existed for more than 25 years. In addition to machines, Wittmann Battenfeld also supplies auxiliary equipment to MACK. Apart from the quality of the machines, MACK’s main consideration is long-term after-sales service. Patrick Scheibenreiter, Technical Director and Authorized Signatory at MACK, favors the machines from the SmartPower series for attributes such as high energy efficiency and compactness: “We must economize on production area. Therefore the small footprint of the SmartPower machines is a great advantage for us”.
