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1) |
What is your company niche and what does your company do that is
notable,
unique or different?
Precision MicroMolding
products less than 1 Gram, focusing on tool design, tool
fabrication and volume production. This is more specifically
directed towards the medical device industry, though the telecom
business is also using MicroMolding, as is mobile computing.
Rapidwerks offers Micro
Molding Workshops – We offer, by invitation only, workshops that
are geared toward educating the participants
about MicroMolding, building tools
for MicroMolding and the work cells used to produce
MicoMolded parts. With regard to the
work cells, we use a microsystem 50 (MS50)
 specifically,
which is state of the art and
is considered to be the Ferrari of MicroMolding systems, completely
automated Servo driven closed loop system, including vision
inspection, in process robots to aid in automated MicroMolding all
with built in “CLASS 10K” clean room to keep potential part
contamination low. Rapidwerks workshops will dive into detail and
describe each stage of production. Our workshops are a great
service to our customers that helps bridge the gap and build a
better relationship, because they, in turn, have a better education
on the technologies we utilize. |
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2)
3)
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When and how did you get into the industry, what attracted you to
it?
I was introduced to
the industry roughly 10 years ago through a great friend. We
designed and mass produced insert molded products for the mobile
electronics industry. I’ve been involved ever since and haven’t
looked back once. I personally enjoy the customer interaction, the
diversity of the applications and the challenges they bring. Not
one project is the same; they are all different and unique and
require creativity and passion to solve the challenges.
Relate a notable "best time" for your company.
Earlier this year when
Rapidwerks announced the
worlds smallest Micro-Molded Torlon part for the medical device
industry. The part is about .090” in length and about .030” inside
diameter, plus it has two .015” holes. Torlon is a material
manufactured by Solvay. First you MicroMold thermoset materials,
then you cure it. Torlon is a very difficult material to mold, but
it is best suited for this project because of its durability and
wear resistance. It acts much like a bearing surface. Determining
how to work with that material to give our customer the best, most
efficient molding solutions was a pretty notable achievement. |
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4) |
Similarly, relate notable challenges that your company has
overcome.
 Providing product to
our customer that meets their specifications for implantable
devices. To some manufacturers it is just taken for granted that
you build a tool and you make a part. Maybe it enters the body,
maybe it doesn’t. There are a lot of details that go into
developing a medical product. Being able to do that and meeting,
if not exceeding, a customer’s expectations is a challenge –
especially when you have a company that just made a major move from
Chicago to California.
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5)
6)
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When you are working on projects with your customers, what aspects
would you like them
to
better recognize?
The basics of injection molding and what is needed with regard to
tool design as compared to part design. Many times products are
designed not to be molded with tolerances, and drafts are not
thought of until they try to make a tool and mold a part. This kind
of thing plays on what we would talk about in our workshop. There
are a lot of good mechanical engineers out there that overlook some
important aspects that go into designing a part. Drafts are one.
I kind of look at it like Plastics 101. There’s an
incredible amount of pressure to get a mold built and parts in hand
and it can be costly if
we have to back up and make design changes later.
List newly acquired technology, machinery or
key personnel (in last
year).
Precision MicroMolding Technology
from Battenfeld, specifically the all electric Servo controlled
MicoMolding machine known as the MS50. It is a machine well ahead
of its time; truly a well engineered piece of equipment.
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7)
8) |
Has your company recently expanded? Plans to expand or form
partnerships/alliances? 
Rapidwerks recently
relocated to Pleasanton, California, from Chicago. I enjoyed
Chicago, but I wanted to be centrally located to my customer base.
The parent company, Stratos International, was experiencing some
challenges and decided it needed to consolidate it’s business units.
Rather than letting them close up the division I approached them and
asked if perhaps I could take it over and serve a niche market I
felt that there was potential in, and they were really great about
it and worked to help me accomplish that. In addition we’ve
recently re-certified as a U.L. ISO 9001-2000 facility.
Scotland office/facility – It is a
sales and marketing office now and the plan is to eventually have an
exact duplication of what we have here in California. It lends
itself nicely to an R&D facility that then goes into the production
side. We could potentially build the production facility in
the Galway area of Ireland where the medical market is
strong. Our goal is to have production in the U.K. within the
next 18 months.
Are you involved in any industry organizations or educational
programs related
to the trade?
Society of Plastics
Engineers, Tri-Valley Economic Business Development Council,
Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce.
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9)
10)
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What do you think about changes occurring in the industry due to
globalization? How has it
affected the way you do business?
We are definitely in
challenging times. Expect change in your business model. Those who
don’t react and change will be left behind. The key is stay
focused on your core market. You know your business best. Study
the market and don’t give in to distractions. “Listen” to your
customers. ~Out of adversity comes opportunity~
What will the industry look like in 3 to 5 years?
I’m very optimistic about what the future holds.
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Additional Background Information |
Number of years in business: 1 Year
Additional locations: U.K. (Scotland)
Website:
www.MicroMolding.Com
Types of tools built and/or run: Precision MicroMolding, Injection
Molding and Insert Molding.
Industries served: Consumer Electronics, Mobile Computing, Medical
Device Manufacturers, Telecommunications, Bio-Tech, automotive.
Rapidwerks Inc.
Scott Herbert-President
1257 Quarry Lane #140
Pleasanton, CA 94566
1-925-417-0124 Voice
1-925-417-0128 Fax
www.MicroMolding.Com |