Charles Gatto
Eastman Chemical
Inducted 1991
Charles Gatto (1922 – ), born in New York City, was an early pioneer in developing equipment and process technology for the extrusion of plastic pipe, tubing, and profiles. He began his career in the extrusion field in 1943 while employed by Anchor Plastics and then as a partner in Arcadia Plastics Corporation. He formed his own company in 1962 and devoted his time to inventing, engineering, and developing unique and efficient methods for the extrusion processing of plastics, particularly improved downstream extrusion machinery.
Gatto is the holder of 15 patents issued in the U.S. and foreign countries related to extrusion equipment, including:
● Belt pullers and extruder profile cutters
● Differential pressure calibration systems
● Rotary forming equipment
● Tubing, pipe, and profile extruder tooling
● Specialized equipment for complex medical tubing and catheters, pen barrels and refill tubing, drinking straws, and other tubing applications
Gatto’s development of special cutters to hold close tolerances on lengths of polypropylene tubing for ball-point pen tubes led to the creation of a new pen industry. These developments were then applied to various medical tubing and catheter applications. He pioneered “jam-free pullers” to ensure positive traction even with irregularities in the shape of the extrudate. Working with Eastman Chemical, he developed a new method of high-speed, close tolerance extrusion using a differential pressure calibration tank, leading to the extrusion of plastic drinking straws and other tubing.
To meet the growing demand for plastic pipe in the U.S., Gatto expanded vacuum sizing tanks or calibrators to handle up to 6” diameter pipe, then further to 36″ diameter, and eventually to 48″ in diameter. He was the first developer of downstream extrusion equipment to use direct current motor systems and several motors coupled with computer controls. Other ancillary equipment developed by Gatto to meet unique applications includes floating heads, long pipe pullers, planetary saws, vacuum calibrators, and quick-change die heads. His machinery developments continue to impact the pipe and profile extrusion field significantly.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastics machinery, Plastics management and sales
Related Links:
http://patents.justia.com/inventor/charles-gatto