Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2023 winners
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Bioplastics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
October 10, 2014 02:00 AM

Linear takes additive manufacturing to new levels in tools, prototyping

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Linear Mold && Engineering Inc.
    Linear Mold && Engineering Inc. now has nine additive manufacturing machines.

    Additive manufacturing was a natural fit for Linear Mold & Engineering Inc.

    In 2005, the company purchased an EOS M270 metal additive manufacturing machine to speed production of prototype tools for its internal operations. The Livonia, Mich., mold maker's additive manufacturing operation has since grown to nine machines, with plans to quadruple that number in the years ahead.

    AM now represents 40 to 45 percent of Linear's sales, said John Tenbusch, Linear's president. In addition to building molds, Linear provides prototyping and production services for aerospace, medical, defense and oil and gas end markets.

    “There's a lot of different applications for the use of the technology. So for all of these different vertical markets that we're serving, the metal printing side of it is becoming a huge part of Linear's overall business,” Tenbusch said.

    Linear hit its AM stride “growing” tooling inserts with conformal cooling channels already inside. With AM, Linear can build molds with cooling water channels that would not be possible with traditional drilling, resulting in reduced cycle time, reduced scrap and better part quality, the company says.

    Because of its experience in mold building and quality requirements, Linear is also able to complete its post-machining and finishing of AM parts in-house.

    “It's a great crossover,” Tenbusch said.

    As an early adopter of the technology, Linear developed its own internal training program, something that is particularly important for AM because of its complexity, he said. And as that side of the business grew, he realized a need for education outside Linear.

    “We discovered that a lot of our customers … want to use the technology, but they're not really sure how they should use it, so we've actually put together a training program now,” he said.

    Linear currently offers customizable training classes for customers considering purchasing an AM machine. A second option, which Linear calls its center of excellence, provides training and technical support at a customer's location once they have purchased a machine. Linear currently has one machine on-site with a customer and a second similar contract in negotiations, said Kristen Eisiminger, marketing and sales coordinator at Linear.

    “We like to say that the machine is only 30 percent of the equation,” Eisiminger said. “All the rest goes into designing for the process, how to set up the build for the machine,” making sustained support crucial.

    “There's a lot of tricks to the technology, about being able to make successful parts very quickly,” Tenbusch agreed. “And so we found many of our OEM customers who bought the machines, they just struggled to make parts. So instead of allowing the technology to get a bad name, we actually show them.

    “You can take somebody who is very interested, wants to learn the technology, and you can fast-forward them probably by a year or a year-and-a-half, and within five, six weeks they're actually making parts,” Tenbusch said.

    Linear now is planning for a new phase of expansions that will include eight to 10 new machines within the next year and more to follow. The company will begin construction on an addition to its facility in the spring, with room for what the company is calling R&D Pods — dedicated, secured space where customers can develop and prototype new parts, and have access to technical support from Linear.

    Eisiminger said Linear has been successful working with customers thus far, and can handle the backlog when customers don't have the capacity, as Linear does, for 10 or more machines, so the company doesn't think of the training programs as “giving away their secrets.”

    “The more people that know about it, the more that we promote the technology, the more desire will be for parts to be made this way, which will only help grow the industry,” Tenbusch said.

    Harbour Results Inc./Graphic by Jessica Jordan

    Harbour Results Inc. has been tracking the mold and tool industry supplying the auto industry.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Production returning to normal in Europe with lower natural gas prices
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    PP resin prices saw a big drop in May
    2
    Plastics lead growth at Palmer Holland, new CEO says
    3
    Stelray boosts capabilities by adding its largest press
    4
    Resin Prices
    5
    Resin Prices - North America
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2023 winners
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Bioplastics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified