Medical: MRPC adds cleanrooms, molding machines, and staff

Medical device component and assembly molder MRPC (Butler, WI) has invested $2 million in the addition of two new cleanrooms, complete with machiner. A 2000-sq-ft Class 10,000 and 3000-sq-ft Class 100,000 cleanroom have been added to its Butler headquarters, brining total clean-room space to 50,000 sq ft. Part of the focus of the new areas will be to increase liquid silicone rubber (LSR) molding and thermoplastic molding capabilities, with the company now offering a total of four clean-rooms for LSR molding, gum silicone molding, silicone extrusion, custom rubber molding, thermoplastic molding, and secondary assemblies.

The new clean rooms will house four new injection molding machines, in addition to existing equipment that has been relocated. Two SPT Sodick 40-ton liquid injection molding (LIM) machines for LSR, one 80-ton Arburg vertical LIM machine for over-molding LSR onto plastic or metal substrates, and one SPT Sodick thermoplastic injection molding machine for producing small to micro size implantable polyetheretherketone (PEEK) materials have been placed in the Class 100,00 and Class 10,000 clean rooms.

In early August, MRPC also added staff, hiring on Jeff Randall as its VP of engineering, Mark Brandstaetter as the national sales manager, and Scott Zygulski as East Coast territory manager. Randall has 23 years of professional molding experience, as well as a masters degree in project management from the University of Wisconsin. Brandstaetter has 25 years of experience in the silicone and thermoplastic molding, while Zyguski brings 12 years of experience in thermoplastic molding.

In business since 1921, when it began life as the Unbreakable Button Co., MRPC runs 15 injection presses, with clamping forces ranging 5 to 250 tons. Of those, 12 process thermoplastics and elastomers, with the remaining three running LSR. MRPC also has 35 transfer and compression presses for the processing of gum silicone and rubber (for more, read the February 2008 Spotlight on MRPC).