Milacron unveiled a fully revamped Mosaic extrusion controller at K 2025.
The Mosaicx boast both new hardware and software and is fully retrofittable with Milacron extruders using previous Mosaic generations. It builds on the successful Mosaic platform in operation for over 20 years.
The new controller offers a host of modernized features, designed to maximize the performance and efficiency of Milacron’s extrusion machinery, while meeting the evolving demands of the manufacturing sector.
“We continue to take that successful original platform and then evolve it into more features,” Mike Puhalla, director extrusion machinery and systems at Milacron, told Sustainable Plastics on the show floor. “The Mosaicx has a responsive touch screen. One of the things we focused on is minimizing the number of clicks to get you where you want to go. Another goal was to not make it look like a machine controller but more like a phone. This controller has a cleaner, refreshed look.”
Milacron heavily focused the new product’s development on customer feedback on the previous versions. A beta version has run at one of its customer’s sites for a year and a half. Despite only making its market debut at K, Milacron already sold four units to US-based clients.
At the heart of the Mosaicx is its user-friendly interface on a 21.5 inches HD screen. The intuitive design ensures that operators, even those with minimal technical experience, can navigate complex processes with ease.
The Mosaicx can display over 500 operational parameters in real time, with graphical representations that show minimum, maximum, and average values to ensure continuous optimal performance throughout the extrusion process. The software’s language can also be changed at the click of a button.
The system uses an open communication platform called Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT). Developed by Germany-based Beckhoff Automation, EtherCAT is an open, real-time Ethernet protocol. It processes data “on the fly” as a single frame travels through the network, allowing for short cycle times and very high bandwidth utilization.
In a manufacturing landscape increasingly defined by digitalization and automation, the new controller’s advanced diagnostic and fault-finding capabilities promise to reduce downtime, enhance productivity, and improve overall operational efficiency. By minimizing disruptions, the device helps businesses save both time and money.
“That helps a lot because, if you see look at the demographics in our industry, you have less folks going into the industry, less folks being trained. Now we can do a lot more with less,” Puhalla explained.
The Mosaicx also introduces customizable operator access. With four levels of access, the controller provides a robust security framework ensuring sensitive data is protected.
Overcoming tariffs and economic pressures
The Mosaicx launch comes at a time of significant shifts in the geopolitical landscape, presenting new challenges for manufacturers.
“Business rarely goes without challenges; it’s just a different flavor challenge at different times,” said Milacron CEO Mac Jones. “Three years ago, we were still reeling from supply chain issues and some of the COVID aftershocks. This is a little bit different where you see a slowdown in some of the regions, specifically Europe and in the United States.”
“We’re all learning how to deal with these new challenges. Because some of these weren’t things that you learned in school or in your early years of business. They’re all kind of new,” Jones added.
In the current global economic climate, geopolitical tensions and US tariff policies are unavoidable factors affecting international trade. The imposition of new tariffs by US President Donald Trump is having far-reaching consequences for the manufacturing industry. Milacron, like many global manufacturers, has had to contend with the additional cost burdens these tariffs impose.
However, Milacron’s longstanding roots in the United States have positioned it advantageously within these turbulent times, Jones explained.
“Millicron has been a US manufacturer for 56 years. We’ve never left our roots in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have facilities across the US, in Kansas and in Georgia. We feel like we’re in a very good position from a manufacturing perspective. There’s some components we outsourced from the US over the last two to three decades, so there are some components we have to source. But we’ve remained committed to the US market—we want to be where our customers are. The fact that we’ve been there for so long, and remain there, gives us a much more favorable position when it comes to the call side of tariffs.”
While Milacron continues to solidify its position in North America, it is also looking abroad for growth opportunities. Milacron has its sight in becoming a solutions provider, looking to further grow in Latin American markets like Mexico and Colombia.
The company’s presence in India, where it has established a strong injection molding brand over the last 30 years, is one of the cornerstones of its international strategy. With the increasing demand for infrastructure development in emerging markets, Milacron sees tremendous potential for growth, Jones explained.
The CEO also hinted Milacron may be looking at strategic acquisitions on home soil.
“We feel like we can go after things that would round out our solution set, for which we don’t currently have a core competency” Jones said. “I think a lot of consolidation will occur over the next three years in the US market. You are starting to see family generations handing down and some people not willing to take over. That presents an opportunity. Folks like us who are bigger players in the industry can come in and take those businesses and technologies forward.”
Milacron itself parted ways with its previous owner Hillenbrand in early 2025. Its injection molding and extrusion business was sold to an affiliate of Bain Capital for $287 million.
AI: the future of extrusion?
Automation will remain a key component of Milacron’s strategy going forward. As automation can mean different things to different customers, Milacron is exploring new technologies that will allow manufacturers to increase efficiency, reduce labor dependency, and improve overall performance.
Within automation, Artificial intelligence (AI) is another area of interest for Milacron, though the company is cautious in its approach. While machine learning has already played a role in Milacron’s offerings, the company is taking a measured approach toward full AI implementation, given the technology’s evolving nature and associated risks.
“We’ve already got some solutions that are going to work really well for our customers,” Jones said. “At this point, we haven’t necessarily gone all in. We’re kind of dipping our toes in AI. I think most industrial folks are behind in that kind of technology. You have to be very intentional and cautious in your approach as well because there’s a lot of things about AI that we just don’t know yet,” Jones concluded.
