Fast-growing MOS Plastics Inc. of San Jose, Calif., has logged gains in efficiency, value-added assembly and clean room capability, its top official said at Medical Design & Manufacturing West in Anaheim, held Jan. 31-Feb. 2.
Medical work accounts for about 60 percent of the firm's business. Douglas Cullum, president and chief executive officer since 1999, said MOS concentrates on high-tolerance molding of small parts. Cullum said his company has been working on a FlashGel system, among other projects.
The company collaborated with Cambrex Bio Science Inc. in Rockland, Maine, and licensed technology sources to develop FlashGel, which rapidly separates nucleic acids for analysis. Cambrex introduced the system in late 2005.
MOS makes and assembles the polycarbonate FlashGel docking station, a $399 electrophoresis apparatus with a built-in transilluminator. Weekly, MOS molds thousands of polystyrene FlashGel cassettes, which contain precast, pre-stained agarose gels and buffer.
A domestic original equipment manufacturer has worked with MOS over five years to create an applicator for injecting a pellet of medicine into a person's eye. Components are molded with polycarbonate, a PC/ABS blend, polyetherimide and polypropylene. The undisclosed OEM is selling the applicator in Europe and Japan and conducting clinical trials in the United States.
During 2005, MOS invested $300,000 to install an 800-square-foot Class 10,000 clean room and equipment. Currently, the room houses two hydraulic presses and has space for a third machine. MOS has used portable clean molding hoods and continues that practice as needed with two Class 10,000 units.
KS Manufacturing Group, which acquired MOS in March 2002, also owns two San Leandro, Calif., injection molders. Kennerley-Spratling Inc. focuses on commercial and industrial jobs using presses with clamping forces of 200-1,000 tons. Minority-owned business KS Automotive handles design, engineering, injection molding and assembly tasks for carmakers in northern California.
MOS employs 125, including two mold makers, in a 60,000-square-foot site and has 32 injection presses of 28-550 tons. The 2005 purchases included three injection molding machines, robotic systems and a dryer.
Cullum projects 2006 sales will be 18 percent higher than last year. Without disclosing details, he said 2005 sales were 38 percent above those in 2004.