A moldmaker or molder is a skilled tradesperson who fabricates molds for use in casting metal products.
Metal fabrication is the creation of metal structures by cutting, bending and assembling processes. It is a value-added process involving the creation of machines, parts, and structures from various raw materials.
A fab lab is a small-scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication.
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) is a global professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and education for professionals employed in the plastics industry.
Rotational molding involves a heated mold which is filled with a charge or shot weight of the material. It is then slowly rotated, causing the softened material to disperse and stick to the walls of the mold forming a hollow part. In order to form an even thickness throughout the part, the mold rotates at all times during the heating phase, and then continues to rotate during the cooling phase to avoid sagging or deformation. The process was applied to plastics in the 1950s but in the early years was little used because it was a slow process restricted to a small number of plastics. Over time, improvements in process control and developments with plastic powders have resulted in increased use.
Gerber Scientific Inc., is a parent company headquartered in Tolland, Connecticut, USA. It supplies software and hardware systems for apparel and technical textiles, sign-making and specialty graphics, composites, and packaging applications.
Metal injection molding (MIM) is a metalworking process in which finely-powdered metal is mixed with binder material to create a "feedstock" that is then shaped and solidified using injection molding. Metal injection molding combines the most useful characteristics of powder metallurgy and plastic injection molding to facilitate the production of small, complex-shaped metal components with outstanding mechanical properties. The molding process allows high volume, complex parts to be shaped in a single step. After molding, the part undergoes conditioning operations to remove the binder (debinding) and densify the powders. Finished products are small components used in many industries and applications.
Berry Global Group, Inc. is a Fortune 500 global manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, it has over 265+ facilities across the globe and more than 46,000+ employees With $14+ billion in revenues in fiscal year 2022, the company is one of the largest Indiana headquartered company in Fortune Magazine’s ranking. The company changed its name from Berry Plastics to Berry Global in 2017.
3D Systems, headquartered in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is a company that engineers, manufactures, and sells 3D printers, 3D printing materials, 3D scanners, and offers a 3D printing service. The company creates product concept models, precision and functional prototypes, master patterns for tooling, as well as production parts for direct digital manufacturing. It uses proprietary processes to fabricate physical objects using input from computer-aided design and manufacturing software, or 3D scanning and 3D sculpting devices.
Integrated Micro-electronics, Inc. provides electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and power semiconductor assembly and test services (SATS) with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Its headquarters is located in Biñan, Laguna.
Bruce Fox, Inc. is a designer and manufacturer of custom awards and branded displayable products, established in New Albany, Indiana, in 1938.
Merrick Machine Company is a U.S. manufacturer based out of Alda Nebraska that produces custom automated housing machinery, The Auto Dolly, and The Auto Dolly accessory products, Merrick Originals. Merrick Machine Co was the founding business under the parent name of Triad, which now includes five other companies, all owned by the Merrick family. These companies are structured as limited partnerships and include Triad Fastener, Denver Plastics Nebraska, Merrick Machine Company, Fu-Tek Tool, and Triad Products. Each business is a stand-alone company doing business in separate facilities with independent offices, manufacturing, and warehousing.
Protolabs is a company that provides rapid manufacturing of low-volume 3D printed, CNC-machined, sheet metal, and injection-molded custom parts for prototyping and short-run production. Markets like medical devices, electronics, appliances, automotive and consumer products use these parts. Protolabs' headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Maple Plain, Minnesota. The company also has manufacturing facilities in England, Germany, and Japan.
Core Molding Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1988 and now based in Columbus, Ohio. The company manufactures sheet molding compounds (SMC), and molds fiberglass reinforced plastics. It occupies over 1,000,000 square feet of manufacturing space and its main subsidiaries are in Matamoros, Mexico, Gaffney, South Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2011, Core Molding Technologies formed Core Specialty Composites, LLC.
UFP Technologies, Inc., founded in 1963 and based in Newburyport, Massachusetts, is a designer and custom manufacturer of components, sub-assemblies, products and packaging utilizing highly specialized foams, films, and plastics primarily for the medical market.
Agile tooling is the design and fabrication of manufacturing related-tools such as dies, molds, patterns, jigs and fixtures in a configuration that aims to maximise the tools' performance, minimise manufacturing time and cost, and avoid delay in prototyping. A fully functional agile tooling laboratory consists of CNC milling, turning and routing equipment. It can also include additive manufacturing platforms, hydroforming, vacuum forming, die casting, stamping, injection molding and welding equipment.
NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology was established in 1985 and offers ABET and ATMAE accredited programs in engineering and engineering technology. The college offers degree programs in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, engineering technology, and industrial technology.
Material extrusion-based additive manufacturing (EAM) represents one of the seven categories of 3d printing processes, defined by the ISO international standard 17296-2. While it is mostly used for plastics, under the name of FDM or FFF, it can also be used for metals and ceramics. In this AM process category, the feedstock materials are mixtures of a polymeric binder and a fine grain solid powder of metal or ceramic materials. Similar type of feedstock is also used in the Metal Injection Molding (MIM) and in the Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM) processes. The extruder pushes the material towards a heated nozzle thanks to
The Ensinger Group is engaged in the development and manufacture of compounds, semi-finished products, technical parts, composite materials and profiles made of engineering and high-performance plastics. The family-owned enterprise is represented in major industrial regions with manufacturing facilities or sales offices. The main office is located in Nufringen/Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
