BINGHAMTON — Eck Plastic Arts, of Binghamton, announced it has purchased a new machine to enhance its capacity for injection molding, the firm’s fastest-growing market segment.

Eck Plastic Arts acquired a 1,012-ton Mars II S injection-molding machine from Absolute Haitian in June, according to a company news release. It didn’t say how much the machine cost.

Absolute Haitian is the Worcester, Massachusetts–based sales and service partner in the U.S. and Canada for Haitian International based in Ningbo, China. Ningbo Haitian Machinery Co., Ltd. is the world’s largest supplier of plastics injection-molding machinery, shipping more than 32,000 machines in 2019.

Eck Plastic Arts, located at 87 Prospect Ave. in Binghamton, produces plastic parts for original-equipment manufacturers, including vacuum forming, injection molding, and fabrication of sheet plastic. The company says it caters to industrial-equipment manufacturers for markets including medical and defense-equipment suppliers.

The new MA 9000 II S machine is four times larger than Eck Plastic Arts’ next- largest press. 

“When looking to grow our business, we realized it is not hard to find work for a molding machine this size,” Brett Pennefeather, president of Eck Plastic Arts, said in the release. “At the time the machine was ordered, we had one project lined up for the 1,012-ton Mars. Now, we have five other projects lined up right behind that.”

This is the first Haitian press that Eck Plastic Arts has purchased. Asked why the firm selected the MA II S, Pennefeather noted the machine’s easy-to-use tie-bar puller. “Our ceilings top out at 11 feet and machines this size are about 9 feet high. The only way to install or change out a mold is to load the mold from the side,” he noted. “We ordered the MA II S with an automatic tie bar puller that was on the preferred side of the machine and operated with a push of a button.”

The coronavirus pandemic added another challenge for Eck Plastic Arts as it prepared for delivery of the machine. A new concrete floor had to be poured and new electrical and plumbing services had to be installed while keeping employees and contractors safe. Delivery of the large-tonnage machine was equally challenging as the riggers, Rogers Service Group, had to navigate several tight intersections and a narrow delivery dock. “The clamp alone weighed some 50,000 pounds and was assembled outside and then rolled into the building,” said Pennefeather.

The first product Eck Plastic Arts is manufacturing on the MA II S is a souvenir drinking cup shaped as a baseball bat and sold at major-league and minor-league baseball stadiums. “The delay in opening professional baseball ended up working in our favor as it took the fire drill out of starting up the machine,” Pennefeather conceded. “It gave us more time to make sure everything was assembled properly, and auxiliaries were hooked up correctly as we familiarize our team with this new machine make.”

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Eck Plastic Arts has partnered with a local nonprofit, the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE) to manufacture thousands of face shields. AVRE has contracts with federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assemble the face shields from components produced by Eck Plastic Arts. “AVRE has been able to distribute the shields not only to federal agencies but also to several local hospitals,” explained Pennefeather. “We provide the parts at cost, keeping our shop active, enabling AVRE to provide contract work for its visually impaired clients and lower the price of the face shields for entities that badly need them.”           

SYRACUSE — Five startup firms at the Syracuse Tech Garden are using funding that CenterState CEO awarded to help pay for projects each company is working on.

The money comes from CenterState CEO’s new “Fund of Funds” program, the organization announced on July 13. It created the program by streamlining resources from multiple pools of funding and existing programs managed by the Tech Garden, CenterState CEO’s business incubator.

“We know that access to funding continues to be a challenge for startups, especially in Central New York,” Rick Clonan, VP of innovation and entrepreneurship at CenterState CEO, said in a statement. “This pressure is even greater given the current economic climate, as investors are more risk averse. The program’s incremental support structure provides these high-potential companies with staged funding as they continue on the path to commercialization, ultimately gaining an opportunity for follow-on investment with less risk.”

The startups recently awarded funding are at different stages in the development of their business. Through the “Fund of Funds” program, “Ideation” stage companies can apply for up to $10,000 Ignition grants. “Acceleration” stage companies can apply for funding through programs like GENIUS NY or the Clean Tech Center, or for up to $25,000 in pre-seed funding. “Incubation” stage companies can apply for seed funding, which typically takes the form of a convertible debt note between $25,000 and $100,000. “Expansion” stage companies are provided matching funding opportunities to help incentivize investors by offering a match on their investment in return for equity or convertible debt up to $100,000. 

The Tech Garden’s “Roadmap” provides members with a “blueprint for progress along their entrepreneurial journey,” CenterState CEO said. 

Startups within the incubator are eligible to apply for funding related to their stage of growth. The “Roadmap” guides members from concept to commercialization through four stages: ideation, acceleration, incubation, and expansion. 

This “intentional alignment” of funding to growth stage helps startups accomplish projects such as customer discovery, product development, validation, and manufacturing that “ultimately supports each startup’s ability to go to market.”

Fund of Fund awardees

The firm Promptous secured $40,000 as it works to create a “disruptive software solution” using blockchain technology to address major issues currently found in the health-care insurance industry with its initial focus in the dental industry. The company will use the funds to launch a pilot program along with OneGroup and support surveying research. OneGroup is a risk management, insurance brokerage and employee-benefits firm located at 706 N. Clinton St. in Syracuse. 

Ducted Wind Turbines was awarded $25,000. It designs, sells, and produces small wind turbines for both commercial and industrial markets. The firm has built a first-generation working prototype, which has been in operation on the roof of Clarkson University since April 2019. Ducted Wind Turbines is using its funding award for a prototype design for their generation two product.

CenterState CEO also awarded three firms $10,000 Ignition grants. They include Blurpop, Inc., which is a mobile app for “influencers that want to monetize their videos.” It allows users to watch videos and tap to expose additional content. Blurpop is using the funds to continue working on customer discovery and patents.

“This funding has been instrumental in establishing Blurpop Inc. We have used the funds to help with customer discovery, patenting legal fees, and market strategy,” said Josh Jensen, CEO of Blurpop. “The Tech Garden staff have been invaluable in their knowledge base and willingness to help. We continue to look forward to working with them as our business develops and grows.” 

The firm Cocoon Construct offers a “rapid deployment high-efficiency” retrofit platform to “significantly transform” the long-term energy performance of low-rise buildings. The startup is currently enrolled in the Clean Tech Center, funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). It is using the money for market research, product development, and market strategy.

CenterState CEO awarded the third Ignition grant to Liberation Lactation, a firm that is working to design a “discrete and silent” breast pump that women can wear while in public to enable them to fully participate in work, school, and life while pumping. The funds are being used for prototype design, customer discovery, and company entity formation.