"We're making a substantial move toward using product families in our operations and with the acquisition of our new Arburg injection molding machines, we have taken a significant step towards streamlining our processes even further," said Jason Stein, manufacturing manager at Johnson Precision. "Now, we're looking at reduced set-up times and a stricter approach to process control, which will serve to help us continue our industry leadership through the products and services that we offer."

Johnson Precision's commitment to excellence by its management team "makes a big difference," Zygulski said. "We have a lot of exciting programs in the pipeline."

Currently, the company operates 18 presses up to 200 tons. Part of the newly installed clean room is spoken for with a new blood filtration device program, in which Johnson Precision will be the distributor for the product after it is returned from the sterilization house, rather than having the products shipped from the sterilization company, Zygulski explained.

Zygulski added that while Johnson Precision does not build its own molds, the company operates a fully capable mold shop for repair, maintenance and ECOs of the molds it runs.

reverse-engineering tools to efficiently create solid models from scanned data, particularly useful for repairing or redesigning molds;

Planning for the future of the company also requires thinking about apprentices and their growing role in the company's success. Johnson Precision also announced that it has acquired a machining intern from Nashua (NH) Technology Center through the end of 2014. Michael Small, a precision machining student at the Nashua Technology Center, will learn and observe the fundamentals of tool making as well as the construction and repair of injection molds.

In a separate announcement, Johnson Precision welcomed three industry veterans to its upper management staff. Stefan Rasch will act as the company's new director of engineering; Randy Pell was hired as senior design engineer, and Brian Fischer as senior program manager.

Mold and die manufacturers just got a powerful new all-in-one tool from Hexagon Manufacturing that bundles the company’s technologies into a suite of tools allowing plastic flow analysis, reverse engineering, modeling of solids and surfaces, and more.

"The tool making industry has been slowly aging and disappearing over the last 10-15 years, as a result of off-shoring," said Michelle Mountain, director of human resources for the company. "The technical skills required are still being taught in a few schools, such as the Nashua Technology Center, specifically in their Precision Machining Program, and we were fortunate enough to be able to build a strong partnership through this internship program."

"We were sourcing over 90% of our tools in Asia with joint venture partners, 85% of those being medical and device related," Zygulski said. "However, with the new hires we will certainly look to their relationships from a domestic standpoint to build tools."

Randy Pell, formerly owner of Pell Design, recently spent 17 years with Mack Molding. Pell holds two industry patents, and has spent his career involved in part and mold design, and procurement of tooling for new and existing customers. Brian Fischer will be responsible for all program launches, oversee the sustainable growth of selected major key accounts, and comes to Johnson Precision after nine years with Nypro Inc. Fischer holds a BS Degree in Plastics Engineering from U Mass-Lowell.

Johnson Precision has seen substantial growth - 17% over the last fiscal year - building on the company's existing customer base consisting of the top 10 medical OEMs. "We've done a good job of getting new business, so we've had to explore building tools domestically."

For injection mold makers, the HxGN Mould and Die suite integrates CAD/CAE/CAM workflow to provide data-based insights into mold creation and function through:

automated design and simulation of electrical discharge machining electrodes and holders to simplify the creation of intricate or hard-to-machine mold features;

Stefan Rasch, a 28-year veteran of the injection molding industry, has help positions with Mack Molding, GE Plastics and most recently, Sinicon. Rasch holds a BA degree in Biology and BS degree in Medical Terminology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, MA.

Johnson Precision's Owner Jim Umland commented, "Being able to welcome three distinguished industry leaders to our growing team is a pleasure for our company and a gateway to prolific future growth."

Geoff Giordano is a tech journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in all facets of publishing. He has reported extensively on the gamut of plastics manufacturing technologies and issues, including 3D printing materials and methods; injection, blow, micro and rotomolding; additives, colorants and nanomodifiers; blown and cast films; packaging; thermoforming; tooling; ancillary equipment; and the circular economy. Contact him at [email protected].

"The HxGN Mould and Die suite is an exciting development, combining our customers’ challenges with our deep domain knowledge to achieve more," said Parth Joshi, chief product and technology officer at Hexagon. "We are refocusing innovation to bring our ecosystem technologies together and help production teams make better-informed decisions, faster."

In today's globally competitive environment, people make the difference, explained Scott Zygulski, VP of sales and marketing, in an interview with PlasticsToday. "We can all buy the same equipment but at the end of the day it's about the people running the business. We've made a concerted effort to hire experienced people with expertise in this industry."

"We took everything we know about mold-and-die manufacturing, including our best-in-class Hexagon technologies, to build a specialized suite that empowers mold and die shops of any size to get the best results faster," said Chuck Mathews, general manager of production software at Hexagon. "Their competitive edge will be enhanced with Nexus, which connects desktop software via the cloud to provide further automation and collaboration opportunities. It also gives teams an easy way to share 3D models with customers through secure web-based visualization, and consolidates access to libraries for tooling, fixtures, and materials from their desktop apps."

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

It takes continued upgrading of both equipment and talent to be a successful mold manufacturer and molder in today's global marketplace. Johnson Precision Inc., a global manufacturer of thermoplastic injection molded components and assemblies to the medical device marketplace, announced its acquisition of three new, state-of-the-art Arburg injection molding machines. The company has also added three new members to its management team.

Hexagon Manufacturing has bundled its state-of-the-art technologies into a suite of tools, giving mold and die shops of all sizes a competitive edge.

It takes continued upgrading of both equipment and talent to be a successful mold manufacturer and molder in today's global marketplace. Johnson Precision Inc., a global manufacturer of thermoplastic injection molded components and assemblies to the medical device marketplace, announced its acquisition of three new, state-of-the-art Arburg injection molding machines. The company has also added three new members to its management team.

The new equipment replaces the company's existing injection molding equipment, and represents a significant technical upgrade from the previous machinery the company used, and highlights Johnson Precision's continued drive toward manufacturing excellence. The three Arburg machines consist of two 55-ton models and a 28-ton model, and will be housed in Johnson Precision's 5,000-sq-ft, ISO Class 8 cleanroom. Each machine features innovative touch screen controls and advanced calibration options, while the 28-ton machine will give the company the capability to mold components on a micro-scale.