Plastics molder beefs up metal fabrication center

June 27--Mack Molding is beefing up its metal fabrication center as market demand grows. The company has invested more than $1 million to significantly expand its laser cutting capacity and add new processes to its sheet metal fabrication center at its headquarters in Arlington, VT. "We've added several new services to our metal shop, including more laser cutting capacity, laser welding, part washing, and deburring," says Metals Operations Manager Ryan Southwick.

"Mack is able and willing to make vertically integrated investments in our existing core competencies, which include prototyping, custom injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, and manufacturing, especially when it pertains to the medical device marketplace," says Jeff Somple, president of Mack Molding's northern operations. "We're doing this, basically to tighten up the supply chain and provide additional benefits to our customers, including improved quality, shorter lead times, and a lot more flexibility. Our ability to react to schedule changes is now totally within our control. My vision is that a sheet metal comes in and a finished product goes out. And we're getting close ... really close."

Mack's sheet metal operation is making 19-inch rack enclosures, chassis for various medical devices, and a significant number of cases and trays for medical instrumentation and surgical equipment OEMs. "Adding the laser welding process and additional laser cutting capacity will be particularly significant to the surgical case and tray market, which has been a major area of growth for Mack," adds Somple.

"At the core [of its new equipment and capabilities] is a Finn-Power laser with superior speed and accuracy that produces the highest in production part quality," says Southwick, "and provides a huge amount of additional capacity for Mack." New equipment includes a Finn-Power FPL-6 high-speed 3500W laser, a Litron laser welder, and In-Line washline, and Royson vibratory deburr equipment.

Mack, with its roots in custom injection molding, is a supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts to companies in a range of industries.

Mack Molding operates in seven locations throughout the eastern United States, as well as seven demand/pull managed inventory locations in California, Texas, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Scotland. With sales of more than $250 million, Mack is consistently ranked among the top 10 non-automotive injection molders in North America.

This article is excerpted from an article by OnlineMetals (www.onlinemetals.com) For more information about Mack Molding, contact Ryan Southwick at [email protected].