MTD Micromolding, the Charlton, Mass., molder of micro-sized parts and builder of its own molds, has purchased two Sodick injection molding machines, other equipment for automated full production lines, and two new pieces of metalworking equipment.
MTD is adding the two Sodicks, each with 20-tons of clamping force, and company officials said the investment includes full automation and in-line inspection. On the mold-making side, MTD has purchased a coordinate measuring machine and a high-speed milling machine.
Lindsay Mann, MTD Micromolding's director of marketing, said all the equipment is scheduled for installation this summer.
The molding production lines are going into the company's existing Class 8 cleanrooms, which house the entire plastics operations including medical implants. About three-quarters of MTD's parts are bio-absorbable, meaning they are absorbed into your body, for example after non-invasive surgery.
“I am really looking forward to the CMM machine because it will allow us to level-up our tooling accuracy even higher,” said Gary Hulecki, MTD's executive vice president.
MTD was a finalist for Plastics News' 2015 Processor of the Year Award.
MTD's current accuracy target is 42 millionths, which enables part features such as wall thicknesses of 0.002 inch, aspect ratios of 250:1, zero draft and tip radii of 5 microns.
