Three local companies have formed a consortium that is using laser technology to produce molds used by makers of plastic parts.
Two plastic molders, Frantz Industries Inc. in Chagrin Falls and Frantz Tool & Design Inc. in Mentor, have hooked up with Astro Model Development Corp., a diversified metalworking job shop in Eastlake. The technology they're using is called stereolithography, which uses a computer-guided laser to solidify a liquid polymer to form a three-dimensional shape.
The molds made from the solidified plastic are cast in metal. The metal molds are injected with plastic by the final users to make a finished part.
The Astro-Frantz approach to mold manufacturing is faster than the traditional method of producing molds, which is done by cutting the mold from a solid block of tool steel, according to Mark Horner, Astro's director of rapid prototyping technical sales.
"We can cut about 30% off the time it takes to produce a mold compared with one that is produced by traditional machining," Mr. Horner said. We can also cut about 30% off the cost."
Joseph P. Frantz, president of Frantz Industries, said his family-owned companies bring to the consortium plastic molding expertise and a knowledge of the plastics marketplace. Mr. Frantz said that background complements Astro's knowledge of stereolithography, which the company has used since 1990.
Mr. Horner said the consortium isn't a legal entity and operates under a handshake agreement. He said profits from sales are divided among the three companies according to a formula that recognizes which company generated the initial sale.
Although the consortium has just begun to market itself, it has a big fan already in Gemma Eiswerth, a communication specialist at KeyCorp. Ms. Eiswerth went through the phone book earlier this year in search of a company to make about 200 small, highly detailed plastic figurines that will be given to employees as a memento.
"Because of the initial cost of the tooling, some plastic companies quoted a price as high as $20,000," Ms. Eiswerth said. "When I contacted Frantz they told me they had a new process that could suit my purposes and they came in with a price at a fraction of the earlier cost."
William Overton, president and chief executive officer of the Edison Polymer Innovation Corp. in Brecksville, a state-sponsored economic development group serving the plastics industry, said the Astro-Frantz technology will be especially useful for the production of small parts with complex shapes. Mr. Overton said these parts require tooling that is difficult and time-consuming to produce using traditional machining techniques.
"They (Astro-Frantz) can serve a valuable niche in the marketplace," Mr. Overton said.
The consortium got a big boost three weeks ago when it demonstrated its technology at the Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing '96 Show in Dearborn, Mich. The show was sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
"We've been getting about six new orders a week because of the show," Mr. Horner said. He said the orders are for molds and finished parts.
