RAMPF merges with Cleveland Polymer Technologies and starts mineral casting production in the US

RAMPF Group, Inc. has started the manufacture of EPUMENT mineral casting at its head office in Wixom, MI. The epoxy resin-bonded material boasts unbeatable static, dynamic, thermal, and acoustic properties and is used for the construction of ultra-precise machine beds and machine bed components in various industries, including electronics, medical equipment, semi-conductor, metrology, and packaging.

“When mineral casting technology was introduced in the early 1980s in Europe, it was way ahead of its time. But there have always been technologies and companies that are one step ahead – and in the end, these are always the most successful”, says Panos Angelopoulos, Division Manager at RAMPF Group, Inc.

He should know, being a true pioneer of mineral casting (polymer concrete) in the US and having worked in the industry for over 20 years. From the outset he recognized the enormous potential of the epoxy resin-bonded material for machine bed construction – “Disruptive technologies take time to penetrate the market. That explains why the majority of machine tool builders still construct their machine beds with steel or iron, despite the numerous advantages offered by this high-performance, vibration-damping material. But I strongly believe that this is set to change.”

Mineral casting technology set for breakthrough:

The company Panos Angelopoulos founded in 2003, Cleveland Polymer Technologies, a manufacturer of high-precision mineral castings, was recently integrated into RAMPF Group, Inc., the North American subsidiary of the international RAMPF Group, which has been developing and producing mineral casting under the EPUMENT brand since 1996.

Now, a production facility for EPUMENT has been set up at the head office of RAMPF Group, Inc. in Wixom, MI. “I strongly believe that in this new constellation we can establish this first-class mineral casting material as the technology of the future in the NAFTA markets”, Panos Angelopoulos emphasizes.

Indeed, the prerequisites are promising for the mineral casting to make further inroads into the markets, as modern production technology must fulfil ever-increasing demands on dynamics, precision, and cost-effectiveness – “Due to its superior damping compared to metal materials, the dynamic stability of the machine bed structure is significantly improved when using EPUMENT mineral casting. And because of its high thermal inertia, the machines beds also offer much greater thermal stability – and all this while only weighing about a third of cast iron and still exhibiting an excellent mass/rigidity ratio.”

Flawless ecological credentials:

Furthermore, as the US is also becoming more environmentally conscious and responsive towards energy costs and various regulations, EPUMENT’s flawless ecological credentials – resource-saving manufacture and environmentally sound disposal and recycling options – are becoming more relevant.

“As most of the steel and iron production has already moved from the US to countries like China, Korea, and South America, RAMPF is making a future-oriented investment by prioritizing mineral casting machine bed production in North America”, Panos Angelopoulos points out.

Panos Angelopoulos is an accomplished expert for mineral casting with over 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing, engineering, and manufacturing. Having begun his career in the machinery industry in 1997 at an Ohio-based mineral casting manufacturer, he has since held several managerial positions and conducted highly successful business expansions. Under his direction, the mineral casting technology expanded to the semiconductor, medical, and metrology industries while the competition was still focused primarily on machine tools.

In 2003, Panos founded Cleveland Polymer Technologies, a manufacturer of high-precision mineral castings for a wide variety of industries and applications for the US and foreign markets. After initial contact with RAMPF in the same year, Panos Angelopoulos kept in close contact with company founder Rudolf Rampf, CEO Michael Rampf, and Dr. Utz-Volker Jackisch, the former Managing Director of RAMPF Machine Systems, a leading system supplier of machine bed solutions and machine systems based in Germany.

In 2017, Michael Rampf and Panos Angelopoulos decided to integrate Cleveland Polymer Technologies into RAMPF Group, Inc. The two companies had a successful working relationship for several years and have similar values and philosophies for doing business that focus on long-term customer relations grounded in honesty and integrity. The production facility, production equipment, and processes of Cleveland Polymer Technologies in Albany, NY, are modeled after RAMPF’s German site.

RAMPF Group, Inc., based in Wixom, Michigan, is the North American subsidiary of the international RAMPF Group.

The product portfolio of RAMPF Group, Inc. is comprised of:

> mixing and dispensing systems for the reliable processing of polymers
> two-component polymer (or synthetic) systems based on polyurethane, epoxy, and silicone
> modeling and mold engineering materials, in particular for the automotive, marine, and aviation industries
> machine bases, machine frames, and other structural components made from mineral casting (polymer concrete)

49037 Wixom Tech Drive

Wixom, MI 48393, USA

This release was published on openPR.