Editorial Advisory Board 2023-2026: Meet New Board Member Mike Close, SMC Ltd.

Meet Mike Close. Mike is a senior tooling engineer for medical device manufacturer SMC Ltd. headquartered in Somerset, Wisconsin. He works with a program team of mold builders and designers in the Devens, Massachusetts, facility on product design to ensure that molds are designed and built to SMC standards. He also performs mold qualifications and troubleshoots tooling that malfunctions or produces out-of-spec parts by working with the toolroom technicians on corrective actions. In addition, Mike inspects fixture design, handles automated assembly equipment and works with metrology to adjust ambiguous dimensions and answer geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) questions.

Meet Mike Close. Mike is a senior tooling engineer for medical device manufacturer SMC Ltd.

Mike began his moldmaking journey in 1976 while working at Superior Injection Molds in Southern California. He worked as a moldmaker, general manager and owner of a small 10- to 12-man shop in Anaheim, California, until it closed in 2009. For five years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mike was a tooling manager and tooling engineer for companies that designed and produced plastic parts. He learned much about plastic product design and material properties during that time. In 2010, he moved to Thailand to take on the role of technical director for a 70-man mold shop, where he received a solid understanding of the Asian moldmaking process. Then in 2012, he moved back to the U.S. for his current role with SMC.

Mike’s expertise lies in product and mold design. He’s learned to work efficiently and effectively with engineers to help develop a product design that meets all engineering, manufacturing and moldmaking requirements. He also excels at working with designers to ensure the mold design meets the customer’s requirements for use at their facility and that the toolroom team can easily maintain and repair the mold.

Mike enjoys finding ways to streamline the manufacturing process. He is also an RJG Master Molder 1.

While serving on the board, Mike plans to contribute insight and feedback on CAD/CAM, workflow, equipment, mold materials, mold components, 3D printing, cobots, training, workforce development and global competition. During his term, he hopes to pass along his specialized knowledge and experience to the next generation and do some part-time consulting once he retires.

Mike has been married to his high school sweetheart for 46 years and has two grown daughters and eight grandchildren. He enjoys glass blowing (lampworking) and making tools for the glass-blowing industry. He also collects antique marbles and makes silver and gold jewelry in his spare time.