Micro Mold Undergoes Renovations, Invests in New Equipment

Micro Mold, a precision moldmaker headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, is making room for a new Yasda YMC650 high-speed five-axis milling center along with a 3R Workpartner automation cell. This additional five-axis milling machine is said to be extremely accurate to 1 micron (0.000040 inch), ideal for high-volume, ultra-precision tooling work.

“The new five-axis mill will be used for electrode manufacturing as well as to finish hard mill applications,” Chris Hanes, micro mold general manager, says. “We expect to increase our ability to hard mill more work, which reduces the additional steps required in our CNC EDM rooms. We are also excited to see what new complexity the Yasda can attain as well as reduced setup requirements that are usually needed on three-axis centers.”

The recent investment also further increases Micro Mold’s lights-out manufacturing capabilities, which has been an ongoing effort for the better part of a decade now throughout all departments, where possible. It also comes as a direct response to sister companies, Plastikos and Plastikos Medical, venturing into new markets since the beginning of the pandemic, such as fluid connection for vaccine delivery as well as testing and diagnostics.

“In parallel, a significant renovation project is also underway to repurpose existing shop space to accommodate the new equipment,” Chris continues. “A climate-controlled workspace has been created to properly house the new equipment and maximize its performance.”

“This interior renovation project involved downsizing our manual grinding room. This was a little bittersweet for me to remove six surface grinders from service knowing how many pieces and parts they created during their many years of use at Micro Mold,” Ryan Katen, president of Micro Mold adds. “However, the removal of those machines gives us the opportunity to equip ourselves with a brand new, state-of-the-art manufacturing work cells. It also will free up additional shop floor space for future investments in the latest technologies, as we continue to grow.”

Overall, Micro Mold reports that it has more than doubled sales over the last three years and expect sales to be approximately 15-20% higher in 2022. With that growth, workforce development continues to be a cornerstone at Micro Mold. The active journeyman apprenticeship program that Micro Mold developed has been the primary method of training and recruiting new talent.

Ryan concluded: “We have openings right now in several departments, especially in design, and we’d like to add another experienced toolmaker this year,” Katen concludes. “Our journeyman program is certainly a helpful way to grow our next generation of toolmakers, but that is a multi-year commitment once someone starts the program.”