MFG Tray lightens the load on the manufacturing floor with new ULTRA LITE totes and containers

Posted on February 28, 2020

Back in 2012, a group of German scientists accidentally created what was then the world’s lightest material, acrographite. Well, engineers at Molded Fiber Glass Tray in the U.S. don’t do much by accident.

But when customer demand indicated the need for a substantially lighter container that could still stand up to industrial use, MFG Tray’s engineers do admit to a bit of trial and error.

The result of their efforts, however – MFG Tray’s new line of ULTRA-LITE products – could be the ideal solution for manufacturers who use industrial containers.

According to MFG Tray’s engineers, customers cited two challenges that set the project in motion: lighter, more ergonomic loads on the shop floor to save worker’s backs and reduced weight per container to potentially lower shipping costs and weight.

“Our engineers’ goal was ambitious – remove 40% of the weight in MFG Tray’s highly durable and long-lasting composite fiberglass products,” said Burt Hovis, MFG Tray material handling product line manager. “With ULTRA-LITE we got it right and still retained the trusted strength and durability of our well-known MFG Tray brand.”

And while ULTRA LITE, unlike the German scientists’ acrographite, is not lighter than air, it does possess qualities that are quite valuable to manufacturers around the world.

Consider that ULTRA-LITE will be stronger than standard thermoplastic. That it can withstand temperatures from –60 to 250 F. Or that ULTRA-LITE is impervious to cutting oils, detergents, mild acids, and alkaline solutions. And will provide years of heavy-duty service.

It seems that claim of being the ideal solution for industrial containers has quite a bit of merit.

So what about the bit of trial and error MFG Tray’s engineers admitted to? Just how did they come up with this almost-perfect container solution? Well, it seems that’s somewhat of a secret.

“Creating a container solution like this certainly is not an exact science,” explained Hovis. “But amid our more than 65 years of production, our engineers have developed a number of highly proprietary blends of fiberglass reinforced composite. At the MFG Research Center, they test extensively – until they get just the right blend.”

According to Hovis, once the company’s engineers felt that they had the fiberglass composite blend right, they then put ULTRA-LITE through the paces to see how it performed under regular use in the harshest manufacturing environments.
“You’d be surprised at what we put ULTRA-LITE totes and containers through to be ready for market,” said Hovis. “We had to be sure that they stack securely. That they won’t crush under heavy loading. ULTRA-LITE products can’t rust, corrode or rot under any conditions. And they even must withstand irradiation procedures. Let’s just say our testing machines won more than once.”

Given the testing that MFG Tray’s new line of ULTRA-LITE products endured, what isn’t surprising is the benefits the product offers manufacturers.

Like the company’s MFG Tray brand products, ULTRA-LITE totes and containers are ideal for machine integration and robotic applications. That’s due to their consistent structural dimensions. Plus, ULTRA-LITE products are smooth inside and out with no sharp corners. And with their strength and durability, ULTRA-LITE totes and containers will deliver a high return on the initial investment, lasting many years.

Lighter. Stronger. Better. It’s no accident that MFG Tray’s new line of ULTRA-LITE products are set to lighten the load on manufacturing floors around the world.