The latest from Europe
Greetings from Protomold World Headquarters. That's right... Protomold is going international. Our new subsidiary, The Protomold Company Limited, will be opening a full service facility in the United Kingdom sometime in the fourth quarter of of this year, initially serving customers in the UK and Germany.
Meanwhile, closer to home…
Our North American business continues to expand as well. In order to keep up with customer demand, we're opening a second site a short distance from our Maple Plain, MN headquarters. The new manufacturing space will expand our production capacity by about 50% by the end of 2005.
In addition, we will begin exports to Canada in the third quarter.Not just bigger, but better
In addition to expanding capacity, we are expanding our capabilities as well. Ten months ago, we announced the ability to support simple undercuts with up to two side actions per mold. We have now expanded that capability to four side actions per mold. The available side core dimensions and pull lengths are shown in the following table.
| Width | Height | Pull |
| 8.419 | 2.377 | 1.445 |
| 3.024 | 2.377 | 1.445 |
| 3.024 | 1.523 | 1.445 |
| 3.024 | 1.038 | 1.639 |
| 3.024 | 0.553 | 1.736 |
As before, those side actions must be at the mold parting line and their availability on a quick-turn basis will depend upon factors such as part complexity and size.
In addition, we can now produce molds with deeper cuts than ever before - handy for taller ribs and similar features. If you are unsure whether we can accommodate your design, try our new Parts Tester (see Web Watch, below). You might be surprised.
Yes, we have no Ultem™
Important announcement for Ultem users: GE has recently informed us that they have experienced "an unforeseen malfunction in one of the critical reactors used to manufacture Ultem Resins". So for the foreseeable future, Protomold will not have the ability to offer this material for prototype parts. We will let you know if the situation at GE changes.
Meet the Professor
If you haven't been introduced yet, keep an eye out for our spokes-expert, the ever-opinionated Professor Plastic. So far, we don't think that Heloise or Dear Abby have anything to worry about, but he sure seems to know a lot about plastic in general and rapid injection molding in particular. And a little about fashion and recycling as well.
Being a full-time professional authority keeps the professor - or Fountain of Knowledge, as he likes to be known - pretty busy, so we've had to screen his phone calls. But he does answer the occasional email. Address any inquiries to professorplastic@protomold.com. Protomold reserves the right to publish your correspondence along with the professor's response.
Web watch
With new facilities here and abroad, new capabilities, and a new self-proclaimed in-house expert, our old web site was starting to look a little dated, so we did some redecorating. Same easy-to-remember address - www.protomold.com - but a new look, new easy navigation, and even some new features. Want to know if your 3D CAD part design is compatible with fast, cost-effective rapid injection molding? Just go to the web site and click on Part Tester. You'll have an answer within one business day without having to go through a full-blown quote.
We hate to brag, but…
Since our last email update, we've had the good fortune to be recognized with several local and national awards. These have included:
- Deloitte's prestigious Technology Fast 50 for Minnesota companies, recognizing Protomold as one of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the state (in case you're wondering - we were #2… maybe next year we'll do a little better).
- A ranking of #48 on the 2004 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, a listing of the fastest-growing technology companies in North America (Google® was #1).
- Recognition by The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as the fastest-growing private company in the Twin Cities, based on revenue growth over the past three years.
- A 2004 Tekne Award - a program acknowledging technology innovations and leaders of Minnesota's technology businesses - as the year's best emerging company in the advanced manufacturing category.
Something for our quick-turn customers
As you might imagine, we think plastic is really swell stuff. But leather is nice too. And so, as long as supplies last, we will send anyone who uses any of our premium quick-turn services a very nice leather portfolio. It's our way of saying "thanks for letting us show you just how fast we can be." (One per customer, please.)
ProtoQuote®
Upload your 3D CAD model and we will email to you an informative ProtoQuote
Part Tester
See if your design is ready for Rapid Injection Molding.
Sample Part
If you'd like an instructional sample part with the do's and don'ts of rapid injection molding, we'll happily send one free of charge. Just call (763) 479-3680, or email us at: marketing@protomold.com
Friendly Advice
Need some friendly advice about plastics? Want to know how to save some money on laundry? Visit the professor's lab today.
Design Guidelines
As always, you can visit the Protomold Design Guidelines for helpful Rapid Injection Molding design information.
