How moldmakers become equipment builders

13.08.2015

Moldmakers are more than just moldmakers. Most of them can do a lot more than follow the dimensions on a CAD file or stand at a CNC machine and watch chips fly. Moldmakers are innovative and creative, and most can come up with solutions that are way outside the box when it comes to making molds. Many even go beyond making molds and become equipment designers and manufacturers.

MGS Mfg. Group (Germantown, WI), through its tooling division, Moldmakers Inc., has long been known for the molds it makes that include multi-cavity, high-volume precision molds for a variety of markets. John Hahn, Vice President of Engineering for MGS, related how the company got into the equipment side (multi-shot machinery and automation systems), which today represents approximately 10% of the company's business. "Customer demand pushed us. First we were moldmakers and we built high-end molds for complex parts," said Hahn. "Then customers wanted us to build equipment for their molding operations. We don't say no, so we began building equipment for customers when they asked. Obviously we had to come up with more resources from time to time to accommodate these requests."