Erie, Pa. — The Beaumont Family of Companies has expanded its services to meet customer needs.
What started out as Beaumont Runner Technologies — founded in 1998 by Plastics Hall of Famer John Beaumont — now includes four units: Technology, Development, Advanced Processing and the AIM Institute, an injection molding training program.
"We started as consulting and now we've grown to three locations," Operations Director Eric Bowersox said Sept. 25 at an Executive Summit hosted by the firm in its hometown of Erie.
In Erie, Beaumont Advanced Processing employs 50 and operates 24 injection molding machines, with presses ranging in size from 3 tons to 330 tons. Bowersox said the firm does low-to-mid-volume production and specializes in product launches and validation.
BAP grew its focus in January when it acquired Skylon Mold & Machining, a tooling shop in Sugar Grove, Pa., about an hour away from Erie. That unit does tooling work and designs and builds injection molds. Since making the acquisition, Beaumont has increased the size of its staff from eight to 15.
In Cranesville, Pa. — near Erie — the firm operates its Material Characterization unit, which evaluates the injection moldability of a plastic melt. The unit uses Autodesk Moldflow simulation analysis software, as well as the Therma-flo testing process patented by Beaumont founder John Beaumont.
Therma-flo is a molding and polymer analysis method and software that measures and displays the material properties of a plastic melt in actual molding conditions. The Cranesville site operates equipment that was moved in 2017 from an Autodesk Moldflow site in Ithaca, N.Y.
Bowersox said that the firm still does consulting work and now can also do sampling and clean room injection molding at the Erie site. The Beaumont business also works with customers using MeltFlipper, a patented runner design that influences plastic flow to promote uniformity and higher quality in molded products.
John Beaumont developed MeltFlipper while teaching in the plastics program at Penn State Erie. He later bought the patent from the school. Beaumont's firm has sold thousands of MeltFlipper systems to companies around the world.
Officials said MeltFlipper runner design helps an injection mold perform to its highest capability, allowing molders to get the most out of their molds by controlling variations that occur naturally during injection molding. MeltFlipper is compatible with new and existing molds. Officials said the design guarantees improved performance and consistency in the molding process.