Used Comet Industries Equipment Sold by Meadoworks

Comet Industries was founded in 1955 in Chicago, Illinois by thermoforming pioneer Bob Kostur. From its earliest years the company commanded a dominant share of the American thermoforming machine market, at one point holding roughly 75 percent of U.S. sales. Comet wrote many of the foundational design standards for the industry, including motorized platens, gas and electric ovens, fully automatic sequencing, all-aluminum clamp frames, pressure forming, and twin sheet pressure forming. In 1996, MAAC Machinery of Carol Stream, Illinois acquired Comet Industries, absorbing its design heritage into a fourth-generation product line that continues to carry the Comet name.

Comet Industries built its reputation on sheet-fed thermoforming equipment in two primary configurations: rotary and shuttle. Rotary thermoformers are offered in three-station and four-station layouts, with variants including the double-oven R4D for heavier gauge materials, the R4U with a dedicated unload station for fast cycles, and the R4C with a cooling station for slow-cooling resins. Shuttle thermoformers, including single-station models such as the C104S, are valued for their flexibility across part sizes and forming techniques. Alongside its thermoforming line, the Comet brand also encompasses auxiliary plastics processing equipment, most notably the HCD Series honeycomb dehumidifying dryers. The HCD uses a rotating honeycomb rotor to maintain continuous dewpoints as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit, making it well suited for drying large quantities of hygroscopic resins.

Comet thermoformers and dryers serve a broad range of plastics processing industries. End markets include packaging, automotive components, medical device manufacturing, appliance housings, building products, signage and displays, leisure vehicles, and aerospace fabrication. The machines are used wherever large-format, heavy-gauge thermoplastic sheet must be formed with consistent wall thickness and tight tolerances. Comet auxiliary dryers support injection molding, blow molding, and extrusion operations that process moisture-sensitive engineering resins.

Buyers seeking used Comet Industries equipment on the secondary market are drawn by the brand's reputation for robust mechanical construction and long service life. The Chicago-style motorized platen design is straightforward to maintain, and replacement parts remain available through MAAC Machinery, which continues to support legacy Comet models. The machines hold their value well because their core mechanical architecture has changed little over decades, meaning a well-maintained used Comet thermoformer or HCD dryer can deliver reliable production performance at a fraction of the cost of new equipment.

Meadoworks is your trusted source for used Comet Industries equipment. As third-generation industrial equipment dealers and AMEA-certified appraisers with over 50 years of experience, we offer quality-inspected Comet Industries machines at competitive prices. Most of our Comet Industries inventory sells before we can list it online — call 800-323-0307 for equipment not yet listed.

Every machine includes detailed specifications and high-resolution photos, and inspection visits are available for most equipment. We ship worldwide with experienced rigging partners and offer financing for qualified buyers. Have Comet Industries equipment to sell? Get a free valuation or contact our team.