ERIE, PA (June 16, 2022). Micro Mold Co., Inc, a precision moldmaker headquartered in Erie, PA, is making room for a new Yasda YMC650 high speed 5-Axis milling center along with a 3R Workpartner automation cell. This additional 5-axis milling machine is extremely accurate to 1 Micron (0.000040”), ideal for high volume, ultra-precision tooling work.
Chris Hanes, Micro Mold’s General Manager commented, “The new 5-Axis Yasda is a welcomed addition to our tooling capabilities. We expect to increase our ability to hard mill more work, which reduces the additional steps required in our CNC EDM rooms. We are also excited to see what new complexity the Yasda can attain as well as reduced setup requirements that are usually needed on 3-axis centers.”
The recent investment will also further increase Micro Mold’s light’s out manufacturing capabilities, which has been an on-going effort for the better part of a decade now throughout all departments, where possible. It also comes as a direct response to sister companies, Plastikos and Plastikos Medical, venturing into new markets since the beginning of the pandemic such as fluid connection for vaccine delivery as well as testing & diagnostics.
Chris continued, “In parallel, a significant renovation project is also underway to repurpose existing shop space to accommodate the new equipment. A climate-controlled workspace has been created to properly house the new equipment and maximize its performance.”
Ryan Katen, President of Micro Mold further adds, “This interior renovation project involved downsizing our manual grinding room. This was a little bittersweet for me to remove 6 surface grinders from service knowing how many pieces and parts they created during their many years of use at Micro Mold. However, the removal of those machines gives us the opportunity to equip ourselves with a brand new, state-of-the-art manufacturing work cells. It also will free up additional shop floor space for future investments in the latest technologies, as we continue to grow.”
Overall, Micro Mold has more than doubled sales over the last three years and expect sales to be approximately 15%-20% higher in 2022. With that growth, workforce development continues to be a cornerstone at Micro Mold. The active journeyman apprenticeship program that Micro Mold developed has been the primary method of training and recruiting new talent to support the additional & future growth.
Ryan concluded: “We have openings right now in several departments, especially in design, and we’d like to add another experienced toolmaker this year. Our journeyman program is certainly a helpful way to grow our next generation of toolmakers, but that is a multi-year commitment once someone starts the program.”
About Plastikos, Inc. & Micro Mold Co., Inc.:
Based in Erie, Pa., Micro Mold & Plastikos specialize in precision mold design & fabrication as well as tight-tolerance injection molding. Plastikos Medical came online in 2019 and is 100% dedicated to supporting the Medical OEM customer-base. With over 100,000+ square-feet of combined mold design & fabrication, engineering, as well as cleanroom and white room manufacturing space, our primary fields of expertise relating to plastic manufacturing include medication delivery systems, surgical eye care, microfluidic, and electronic connector, among others. Our medical molding rooms are controlled through two ISO 7 clean rooms and one ISO 8 clean room.
