Moldmaker Hones in on Medical Projects

Matrix Tooling Inc. of Wood Dale,  IL takes on projects others say can’t be done. It’s their niche. And  Gary Johansson, Vice President, Quality says that Matrix is a “one-stop shop” with services such as mold design, precision moldmaking, close-tolerance injection molding, micromolding, overmolding and specialty tooling. With about 70 percent of its business in the medical arena, their facility has a cleanroom for developing medical parts such as a smaller than four-inch long cartridge for a surgical stapler to suture veins.

Along with technology moving forward, and being able to design and produce these types of parts, you also have to be able to prove to the customer through inspection work that you can document it, verify it.

This is a strength of Matrix Tooling—they’ve  combined a mini-DVD player with a 3D stereoscope so when a part comes off the press they can make movies, take snapshots, and (using a web interface like Glance or Go-To-Meeting), they can talk on the phone with customers as they view their part under the microscope.

According to Johansson, they are working on other projects for the medical industry that they cannot talk about because it’s not even going to be available for a couple years. They are working on biodegradable parts for cancer patients that can pinpoint radiation treatments.  

Matrix’s parts allow doctors to do beating heart surgeries. They can do the suturing in seconds, rather than a quarter of an hour. “To be part of that is really cool.  Yes, it’s a struggle to keep up with those increasing demands,  but when you’re able to do something that’s cutting edge, it’s very rewarding. We’re helping – we’re pushing the envelope,” says Johansson.

For More Information:
Matrix Tooling, Inc.
(630) 595-6144  
matrixtooling.com