Production Process

CNC High Speed Machining/Wire EDM: The CNC process is great for tight tolerance projects in any volume and in just about any material including: aluminum, zinc, magnesium, titanium, steel and most plastics. Additionally, our wire EDM service is designed for those very small, tight tolerance metal parts.

USA Cut Tools: We understand time to market and quality go hand-in-hand and all of our tools are built to this standard. Our prototype tools are just that - prototypes tools that are built for speed and low volumes. We know they have a limited life, are not intended for high volumes and are not expected to last forever. This means we know how and where to help reduce costs and time without compromising the quality of the part. This time- and cost-savings method carries over to our production tools and parts.

Far East Tools: This is our Far East connection for prototype and/or production tools/parts. Our partners have been chosen for their quality, speed and cost-savings. An additional savings option from the Far East is to build there, but only ship the parts to the USA, saving on tax and import fees associated with imported products. We have established relations in China, Taiwan, Korea and Mexico.

Fiberglass: Our fiberglass tools and parts are like most others – except we can turn them around much faster. We either shoot or lay up fiberglass.

Blow Molding: Our blow mold tools follow the same school of thought as our prototype injection molded tools – they are built for speed and cost reduction. They can be shot in a prototype urethane material or in a production-grade material.

Vacuum Forming: We build a pattern, lay a sheet of material over it and apply heat/vacuum to draw the material down and retain the memory of the pattern. This is used for large and fairly simple design parts. The tool can produce thousands of parts.

Vacuum Casting: Starts with a pattern and then a layer of plastic. This is backed with sand and an additional layer of plastic. This sandwich of sorts is pulled under a vacuum to produce the tool. Then the metal is introduced and after it cools, the vacuum is released - giving us an aluminum cast part. The parts can be as large as 36” X 44” X 15”.

Sand Casting: A match-plate or parting-board is used as the patter. A flask covers the pattern and holds the packed sand, which serves as the tool for the metal castings. After the metal cools, the sand is removed and the part is cleaned up. The part can be as large as 18” X 18” X 9”.

Permanent Mold: Here we cut a tool from steel or cast iron and it is put between a small clamp press. he metal is poured into the permanent mold and allowed to cool. Then the mold is opened, the part is released and the tool is re-used. The parts can be as large as 18” X 18” X 9”.

Investment Casting: We cut a tool and shoot wax into the mold. Then these patterns are added to a tree that is dunked multiple times into a slurry/sand, creating a shell-tool. The wax is melted away and metal is cast into the shell-tool. The tool is broken and the parts cleaned up.

Die Casting: For high volumes, this method gives you the most low-cost part available. Die cast tools are cut from a hardened material, into which molten metal is shot. It is allowed to cool, the part is removed and the tool is reused. The surface finish is the smoothest and porosity is the least of all the methods.