Pressing manufacturers details

[pcylfe]

Hi there,

First post on here so go easy...

Anyway I am making a table of vinyl record press manufacturers (new and old).
I need info on what type of pressers each company made i.e manual, semi automatic and automatic.

The definition I am using for manual is: operative has to load 1st label, then PVC biscuit from extruder, then 2nd label, then press, then remove record and place on trimmer.

Semi Automatic: Extruder places PVC biscuit into press and labels inserted automatically, finished vinyl record removed by operative and placed on trimmer, record placed in dosco sleeve by operative.
N.B: I need clarity about this as I am unsure if this is the correct definition, bit of guesswork here on my part. Apologies in advance

Automatic: Extruder places PVC biscuit into press, labels inserted automatically, pressed record removed and placed on trimmer automatically, finished record placed in disco sleeve/ in basket automatically.

List is attached (New and Old)

Please let me know of any companies I have missed, mistakes I have made with definitions or in the list and anything else you think I should include

I'd also like to find out rough estimates of prices of second hand equipment and refurbishment costs.

Anyway thank you in advance for any help

[pcylfe]

List of old press manufacturers:
Alpha Toolex
Fabeldis SA
Philips
EMI Ltd
Southern Machine & Tool company (SMT)
Miller
FineBilt Manufacturing
Hamilton
Lened Inc
Werner & Pfeiderer
Tannus Ton Teknik (TTT)
TCS

[Aussie0zborn]

Wow. I made the above list when correcting an entry in Wikipedia more than ten years ago and while some numb nut has deleted that from the Wikipedia topic, it's been copied and pasted so many times that it still appears.

Your definitions of manual, semi-automatic and automatic are not correct.

I deleted your spreadsheet "new manufacturers" so as to prevent the spreading of incorrect information. All the companies listed in that spreadsheet are NEW companies and they have no affiliation with the companies you claim they were previously known as. In other words, it is not correct to say "ABC Company, (formerly XYZ Company)" when they have no connection with XYZ Company. You could only say this if ABC Company changed it name to XYZ Company. If you correct it and send me a link I will put it back in your post.

Why do you want this information?

[pcylfe]

Wow. I made the above list when correcting an entry in Wikipedia more than ten years ago and while some numb nut has deleted that from the Wikipedia topic, it's been copied and pasted so many times that it still appears.

Haha what a coincidence, I found the majority of the info here: http://www.alphavinylrecordpressinginc.com/index.php/album-manufacturing-machines/ and then added some other parts.

Your definitions of manual, semi-automatic and automatic are not correct.

I didn't think they were 100% tbh. I've tried looking online and speaking to some people (New Bilt UK rep & a Toolex Alpha refurbisher UK) but I've struggled to come up with solid definitions perhaps due to different machines performing processes in different ways, therefore a universal definition is difficult. Can you help me with some more accurate definitions?

All the companies listed in that spreadsheet are NEW companies and they have no affiliation with the companies you claim they were previously known as. In other words, it is not correct to say "ABC Company, (formerly XYZ Company)" when they have no connection with XYZ Company.

My mistake, I'm not sure why I thought New Bilt was related to Fine Bilt. I blame tiredness and this unbearable hot weather in the UK right now However, with regards to the Toolex Alpha and Alpha Pheenix I assumed that this was true from reading this article: https://www.analogplanet.com/content/start-presses-pheenix-alpha-rises-toolex-alphas-ashes
Am I incorrect in thinking that Pheenix Alpha wasn't formerly known as Toolex Alpha?

Why do you want this information?

I am currently writing my MSc thesis on the subject of the record industry and record pressing plants within the UK.

Thanks for your interest Aussie0zborn

[Aussie0zborn]

Am I incorrect in thinking that Pheenix Alpha wasn't formerly known as Toolex Alpha?

Yes, I have already said that. Toolex Alpha merged (or reverse-merged) with its smaller competitor ODME and later went broke. The company was wound up - finished - kaput.

To answer some questions....

A manual press required the operator to activate the heating, the closing of the press, the cooling, the opening of the press all by hand. The operator had to guess that he had heated the moulds to the correct temperature before closing the press. He further had to estimate that the moulding cycle was complete before initiating the cooling process and again had to estimate the temperature of the moulds before opening the press to remove the record.

A timer based control unit was added to a manual press to make it "semi-automatic". This means the same manual machine now opens and closes by itself all without any guesswork required by the operator. Ofcourse the press was still loaded and unloaded by hand.

This technological breakthrough of the electronic controller meant that there were no more "manual" presses - they all became "semi-automatic". When fully automatic presses were introduced in the 60s, these semi-automatic presses became known as manual presses because they required an operator to load an unload the press for each pressing.

An automatic press allows you to start pressing and walk away to make your coffee, have lunch and answer emails before it needs your attention again. So a semi-automatic press is a manual press that will do everything except load the materials and unload the finished pressing - for these functions, a dedicated operator is required.

[The_House_Records]

Third Man Records, in Detroit is manual .

[The_House_Records]

Sorry for my stupid reply. I was really tired.

[peorag]

Toolex Alpha was listed on Nasdaq and later acquired ODME of the Netherlands and the new company was called Toolex International and was listed both on Nasdaq and Amsterdam. Head office was relocated to Eindhoven, Netherlands. Toolex International went bankrupt in 2001. The Swedish part (former Toolex Alpha) was bought back by former owner Salvatore Grimaldi and renamed Alpha Sweden . This company also went bankrupt in 2006 . A new company was formed buying all assets, machines, parts, IP etc. , of the old Toolex Alpha/ Alpha Sweden . This new company is the present Pheenix Alpha which obviously is the old Toolex Alpha rising fresh from the ashes. And the original AD12 press is again produced but in a slightly modernized version. I will attend the Making Vinyl conference in Detroit and I hope to see you there. Best regards Per-Olof Ragnerius