A Culture of Innovation

Since the company’s inception – and even before that – Confer Plastics and the Confer family have promoted a culture of innovation. The company is one of the leading large-part blow molders in the world due to our never-ending drive to create new products and new ways of doing things while improving upon existing technologies. Inventiveness is what inspired Ray Confer to launch his own companies and it’s inventiveness that sets us apart to this day.

Here is a look back at some of the innovations that we’ve had a hand in over the years…

The living hinge

In the 1960s, Ray Confer and his partner at AirMold, Peter Schurman, invented the living hinge that is now used on almost every tool case and tackle box the world over. Prior to that, cases such as this one needed to be molded in two parts and they had metal hinges installed between them. Because of Ray’s invention, cases now have a plastic film molded in place which acts as the hinge.

Flexible funnels

Doug Confer’s flexible funnel was patented in 1976. It replaced the metal funnels that had been used to put fuel or oil in cars, trucks, and tractors. Those metal funnels would corrode over time and metal flakes would break off and end up in the fuel tank. Doug’s indestructible funnel became the industry norm and they can be found in almost every garage. The patent expired in 1990 and production was lost to overseas competitors, but it still gives us great pride to see that invention being used as an everyday, everywhere item.

Kayaks and paddleboards

We helped to develop one of the very first blow-molded kayaks. Prior to that, kayaks were roto-molded and quite expensive. A boat that once took forty minutes to manufacture now takes only four. Because of our innovations, kayaks are now very affordable and can be enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts and families alike.

Swimming pool ladders and steps

Ray Confer invented the first all-plastics swimming pool ladder in 1975. Since then, that product line has seen countless redesigns, evolutions and expansions, all with safety and comfort in mind. Our engineer Dave Lipniarski has developed many inventions for that proprietary line, such as the model 7200 ladder shown here that uses a crafty patented tambour (like a roll-top desk) to cover the treads and prevent access to the pool by unintended users.

Blow molding machinery

To do what we do we need some of the largest machines in the world. Our biggest one – affectionately known as “the Beast” – is on the short list of real giants. Based on a combination of shot size (150 pounds) and press length (15 feet) it might rank in the Top Five globally. No one company would make a machine that gigantic for us (it exceeds 4 stories in height!), so it took a collaborative effort from our team working with companies from the USA and Taiwan to make this fascinating molding machine.

Patents Through The Years

Here are a list of patents developed at Confer Plastics and/or by the Confer family…

	Patent #	Date	Inventor(s)	Description
1	3,155,269	Nov 3, 1964	Raymond C. Confer Peter T. Schurman	Hinged closure for plastic containers
2	3,339,781	Nov 3, 1964	Raymond C. Confer Peter T. Schurman	Apparatus for blow molding hollow containers (the living hinge)
3	3,705,931	Dec 12, 1972	Raymond C. Confer Floyd F. Talmon	Method for blow molding and compression molding thermoplastic material
4	241,597	Sept 28, 1976	Raymond C. Confer Douglas C. Confer	Flexible funnel
5	243,019	Jan 11, 1977	Raymond C. Confer	Swimming pool ladder
6	4,023,647	May 17, 1977	Raymond C. Confer	Free-standing ladder
7	4,067,614	Jan 10, 1978	Raymond C. Confer Thomas F. Gosch	Footstool (The Leg Lover)
8	5,244,291	Sept 14, 1998	Raymond C. Confer	Means and method of attachment of hollow thin-walled structural members (locking wedges)
9	399,975	Oct 20, 1998	Raymond C. Confer	Swimming pool staircase (Pool Entry System)
10	401,360	Nov 17, 1998	Raymond C. Confer David J. Lipniarski	Gate (Pool Entry System)
11	6,102,156	Aug 15, 2000	David J. Lipniarski	Blow-molded articles and methods of making (Pool Entry System gate hinge)
12	6,190,600	Feb 20, 2001	David J. Lipniarski	Circular Interconnect (Whisprwave)
13	7,234,780	June 26, 2007	David J. Lipniarski	Indented female blow-molded connector and male connector (Leisure Accents furniture)
14	7,275,289	Oct 2, 2007	David J. Lipniarski	Indented female blow-molded connector and male connector (Leisure Accents furniture)
15	7,448,824	Nov 11, 2008	David J. Lipniarski	Traffic barricade having interchangeable parts
16	7,526,841	May 5, 2009	David J. Lipniarski	Indented female blow-molded connector and male connector (Leisure Accents furniture)
17	7,578,632	Aug 25, 2009	David J. Lipniarski	Secure interlocking system for plastic materials (HS2 spa step)
18	8,191,681	June 5, 2012	David J. Lipniarski	A-frame ladder with tambour gate/barrier (7200 ladders)
19	8,191,682	June 5, 2012	David J. Lipniarski	A-frame ladder with flexible gate/barrier (7200 ladders)
20	8,202,018	June 19, 2012	David J. Lipniarski	Blow-molded plastics interconnection having a receiving section and a locking section (7200 ladders)

	Confer Plastics Headquarters 97 Witmer Road North Tonawanda, NY 14120-2421
	1-800-635-3213

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