Fainplast, one of the leading companies in the sector of compounds for special applications, has enlarged its plant to increase production and storage capacity as well as to improve the raw materials and finished products handling. Among the newest articles, stand out an innovative generation of compounds, that combine the characteristic lightness of expanded EVA with the grip and resistance of rubber. Specialized in the production of compounds, that is granular plastic material used in a large number of sectors, the company, founded in 1993 by Battista Faraotti and based in Ascoli Piceno, is one of the leading brands in the sector of compounds for special applications. Figures are record-breaking: the plant, today features a 85,000-square meter surface, more than 80 storage silos and 20 granulation lines, 10 thousand formulas and a current production capacity of over 95 thousand tons / year.
We met Vladimiro Fratini, commercial director of the group, who also used to be a high-level technician in this specific sector. Passionate sailor, in 2019 he won the winter offshore sailing championship in San Benedetto del Tronto: regattas can be won thanks to teamwork. “As in offshore sailing, trust in the team is everything. In the company, we strongly believe in our collaborators and I think that the combination of important investments in research and development, together with the competence and dedication of our team, will certainly bring us further success in the years to come”.
The Sales and Technical Director continued: “We registered +20% of new customers in the footwear sector; this field represents only 15% of our turnover, but that figure indicates that our light products for footwear are highly appreciated.” For the footwear sector, Fainplast offers exclusive EVA and PVC compounds that are used in the molding of soles, inter-soles, slippers and other items.
The soles are steady in size and resistant to friction thanks to EVAtech®, a cutting-edge material based on EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer), designed by the company for the molding injection of expanded and cross-linked products. These materials combine low density – therefore lightness – with excellent physical-mechanical properties – therefore resistance –, resulting in a pleasant feel to the touch. For this reason, this material can be used in the creation of innovative products: soles, inter-soles, slippers, boots, but also bags with a perfect outlook. The granules can be supplied in different hardness, density and color according to the customer’s needs. The second range of products consists in flexible PVC-based compounds, specifically designed for injection molding. Fainplast’s new SuperSoft products have been praised by the market, thus becoming Trend Leader for soles’ high-end brands. In Fratini’s opinion, that of footwear is a sector worth to be improved: “We are following the so-called “supersoft” path and we are developing a new material, a variant of EVA, which aims at ensuring greater comfort and softness. These polymers, or in general of the Ethylene Copolymers with low hardness and specific elastomeric features – have a criticality: the poor dimensional stability at high temperatures, together with the low resistance to abrasion. Known as thermo-retraction or shrinkage, this characteristic is typical of all cross-linked EVA foam materials and can be a real problem during the processing phases of the sole, exposure to the sun or in general at high temperatures for prolonged periods. The new SuperSoft compounds guarantee excellent dimensional stability performance; they are able to boost the Soft Touch effect, without compromising other characteristics. These are extra light and rubber-like materials, which combine the typical lightness of expanded EVA with the grip and resistance of rubber. In addition to the two ranges already presented at the beginning of the year – expansion 1.2 and 1.4 – a range with expansion 1.3 was also developed. The hardness of the three compounds is about 10 Shore A points lower than other materials normally used for these applications. “Our compounds, in addiction, despite being soft, also shrink less; this is a big advantage during manufacturing processes because it ensures less risks in case a lower hardness is required. We have chosen to follow this path because we understood the specific needs of customers, who have asked us for greater softness, greater quality to the touch and a rubber-like appeal.”
This success is the result of constant attention to customer needs, combined with a strong vocation for research and development aimed at innovative solutions and with a high production capacity, quality and a flexible appeal. The company is UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 14001: 2015 certified, but the success and constant growth really confirm the quality of the business processes. “We work every day alongside our customers – Fratini emphasizes – in order to understand their needs and transform their ideas into a finished product that is both beautiful and functional. We believe that effective research is the only way to offer innovative, increasingly performing and competitive products. State-of-the-art systems combined with considerable production flexibility allow us to serve our customers well, quickly and with constancy. The recent In Fratini’s opinion, that of footwear is a sector worth to be improved, that’s why Fainplast has launched important innovations in the last three years: “We are following the so-called “supersoft” path and we are developing a new material, a variant of EVA, which aims at ensuring greater comfort and softness. These polymers, or in general of the Ethylene Copolymers with low hardness and specific elastomeric features – have a criticality: the poor dimensional stability at high temperatures, together with the low resistance to abrasion. Known as thermo-retraction or shrinkage, this characteristic is typical of all cross-linked EVA foam materials and can be a real problem during the processing phases of the sole, exposure to the sun or in general at high temperatures for prolonged periods. The new SuperSoft compounds guarantee excellent dimensional stability performance; they are able to boost the Soft Touch effect, without compromising other characteristics. These are extra light and rubber-like materials, which combine the typical lightness of expanded EVA with the grip and resistance of rubber. In addition to the two ranges already presented at the beginning of the year – expansion 1.2 and 1.4 – a range with expansion 1.3 was also developed. The hardness of the three compounds is about 10 Shore A points lower than other materials normally used for these applications. “Our compounds, in addiction, despite being soft, also shrink less; this is a big advantage during manufacturing processes because it ensures less risks in case a lower hardness is required. We have chosen to follow this path because we understood the specific needs of customers, who have asked us for greater softness, greater quality to the touch and a rubber-like appeal.”
This success is the result of constant attention to customer needs, combined with a strong vocation for research and development aimed at innovative solutions and with a high production capacity, quality and a flexible appeal. The company is UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 14001: 2015 certified, but the success and constant growth really confirm the quality of the business processes. “We work every day alongside our customers – Fratini emphasizes – in order to understand their needs and transform their ideas into a finished product that is both beautiful and functional. We believe that effective research is the only way to offer innovative, increasingly performing and competitive products. State-of-the-art systems combined with considerable production flexibility allow us to serve our customers well, quickly and with constancy. The recent investments were made for the two new compound production lines.
However, Fainplast’s commitment was not limited to the development of new, increasingly performing compounds. As a matter of fact, the company has filed an PCT International Patent Application for a new injector for injection molding machines of EVA and Ethylene Copolymers in general, as well as expandable and crosslinked ones, with the aim to avoid holes or channels inside milled soles, defects that obviously compromise aesthetics and generate a certain percentage of waste. This issue brought to several discussions and disputes between material producers and sole manufacturers. According to Vladimiro Fratini “The defect was caused by some problem during the injection and not materials themselves.” Therefore, the idea of studying the injection technology in depth. “We analyzed injectors’ drawings of different machine manufacturers that brought us to the first hypotheses and solutions.” A field trial lasting over a year started and led to the creation of a new injector for injection molding machines. The experimentation showed that the formation of holes or channels in the injected polymer mass is due to problems related to the design of the old injector. This was unequivocally demonstrated, by eliminating or significantly reducing the defects. Fainplast has therefore decided to file an International Patent Application PCT for the new injector through which it consolidates its technological leadership also in the sector of Ethylene Copolymer-based compounds sold with the EVAtech brand. “We strongly believe in what we are doing and we will quickly continue along the path traced by our founder Battista – concludes Vladimiro Fratini. The market is expanding and we cannot miss the opportunity to be part of this growth.”
Vladimiro Fratini