Industries · Packaging & processing
Custom plastic components for packaging & processing equipment
Timing screws, star wheels, change parts and wear parts for fillers, cappers, labelers, cartoners and the conveyors between them. Made to your drawing, or from the worn part.
- Tolerances
- ±0.002"–±0.005" on critical dimensions
- Depending on the plastic
- Machining
- CNC milling and turning, including complex geometry
- One part to production runs
Parts by machine
Pick the machine, find the part
Machines are listed in line order, from infeed to the conveyors that link them.
Unscramblers & infeed
Bottle unscramblers, infeed conveyors and the timing screws that space containers.
What wears
Timing screw flights, star wheel pockets and the guide rails containers rub against.
We also machine
Timing screws and unscrambler guides.
Fillers
Rotary, piston and inline fillers.
What wears
Star wheel pockets and center guides, plus plungers and wear rings on piston fillers.
We also machine
Timing screws, center guides and bottle plates.
Cappers
Chuck, spindle and snap cappers.
What wears
Star wheels, guide rails and the rails that feed caps to the heads.
We also machine
Timing screws and cap chute rails.
Labelers & coders
Rotary and inline labelers, coders and printers.
What wears
Star wheels, centering bells and bottle plates that hold each container while the label goes on.
We also machine
Timing screws, centering bells and bottle plates.
Cartoners & case packers
Carton erectors, loaders, case packers and closers.
What wears
Dividers, guides and rollers where product and cartons slide.
We also machine
Machine guards and covers.
Tray handling & sorting
Tray denesters, sorters, diverters and accumulation tables.
What wears
Lane dividers, turn blocks and the plates that transfer product between lanes.
We also machine
Transfer plates and diverters.
Conveyors between machines
Tabletop chain, belt and roller conveyors.
What wears
Chain guides, wear strips, sprockets and idler rollers.
Change parts
Change parts for every format
Each container format runs on its own set of change parts, also called format parts. We machine complete sets, single replacement parts, or the piece missing from a set.
- Timing screw Spaces containers to the pitch of the star wheel.
- Infeed star wheel Carries each container into the machine.
- Center guide Holds containers in the star wheel pockets.
- Discharge star wheel Carries each container out again.
- Guide rails Keep containers in line on the way in and out.
- Bottle plates Support each container under the head.
Three ways to order
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Replace a worn set
Send the set or the worn parts, and we machine new ones to match.
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Add a spare set
For a second line, or one ready at changeover. Made from the drawings or the set you run now.
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A new container or format
Machined from your drawings for the new set.
Round, square, oval or odd-shaped containers, for any format your machine runs.
Plastics
Plastics for high-speed packaging machinery
If the drawing specifies a plastic, we machine to it. If not, we’ll suggest one with your quote.
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Light to swap
Change parts come off and go on at every changeover. Plastic sets weigh a fraction of steel ones.
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Kind to containers
Plastic star wheels and guides are less likely to scuff glass, cans or labels than metal ones.
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No grease
UHMW and acetal slide without added lubricant, so nothing gets on labels or product.
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Holds its size
Acetal and PET stay dimensionally stable through long shifts, so pockets and pitches stay in step.
- UHMW UHMW-PE Wear strips, chain guides, guide rails, star wheels and chute liners.
- Acetal Delrin, POM Timing screws, star wheels, gears and bottle handling rails.
- Nylon Nylatron, cast nylon Gears, rollers, bushings and product diverters.
- PET PET-P, Ertalyte Guide blocks, precision rails and close-tolerance parts.
- HDPE High-density polyethylene Star wheels and change parts on lighter-duty lines, plus covers.
- Polycarbonate PC, Lexan Clear machine guards and covers that take impacts.
- Metal-detectable UHMW Detectable grades Wear parts in HACCP-regulated packaging areas.
Applications
Packaging lines we machine for
Food and drink, and the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and household lines that run the same machines.
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Beverage bottling & labeling
Rinsers, fillers, cappers and labelers.
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Pharmaceutical packaging
Bottle unscramblers, tablet counters, cappers and labelers.
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Dairy filling & sealing
Cup and carton fillers, and sealers.
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Tray handling & sorting
Tray denesters, sorters and accumulation tables.
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Snack & confectionery packaging
Flow wrappers, baggers and cartoners.
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High-speed cartoning
Carton erectors, loaders and closers.
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Cosmetics & personal care
Tube fillers, pump and trigger cappers, and labelers.
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Labeling, coding & marking
Labelers, coders and inspection stations.
How we make them
Our services
- CNC milling Star wheels, guide rails, timing plates and change parts, including complex multi-sided parts.
- CNC turning Rollers, bushings, spacers and other round parts.
- Reverse engineering Worn or obsolete OEM parts, copied from the part itself.
- Assembly Machined parts fitted with their hardware, ready to install.
Why CDS
Why packaging teams work with CDS
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Since 1986
Decades machining parts for packaging and processing equipment.
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For machine builders
Prototype parts for a new machine, then repeat production runs from the same drawings.
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In-house in Aurora
All machining and inspection done in-house in Aurora, Illinois, with full traceability.
Evaluating a supplier? See the shop and how we check the work.
Getting a quote
Send the worn part, the set or the drawing
Or photos of the part and the machine it runs on. Our experienced team takes it from there.