LED lighting company TecNiq recently added five injection molding machines to its new production facility in Galesburg MI.
The company said it made the move because of increasing concerns about tariffs and higher-priced trade goods.
In 2004, Jeff Condon and Mark Pruss, co-founders of TecNiq, started the company with the mission of creating the “most efficient and cost-saving LED product available.” TecNiq’s LEDs primarily are sold as lighting solutions for fleet trucks, emergency vehicles, construction trailers and other light-duty trailers and heavy-duty equipment.
TecNiq said the new plastic injection molding machines from Toshiba will help it “amp up” its proprietary lens manufacturing. The machines, along with Sepro 5 axis robots and a Novatec central material handling/drying system, are at the heart of the company’s new setup.
“The injection molding machines were chosen because of their precision, and being all-electric with the latest servo design, they are very energy efficient,” said Travis Arbogast, manager of the injection molding department. “The Sepro’s are fully programmable with five-axis movement, which makes them able to manipulate parts for removal from the molds, degating and packing, as well as automation and insert molding.
“The Novatec material handling system is a fully expandable system that has the latest technology for proper drying and conveying of the plastic resin.”
With continued pressure from the current administration on overseas products, this move helped bring a key component of TecNiq’s productions to the US, the company said, helping offset some of the potential new tariffs. The new injection molding machines helped TecNiq reduce on-site inventory and the number of goods in transit, while also enabling quicker turnaround times and higher internal quality control.
TecNiq said its investment in plastic injection molding complements its 3D printing capabilities. Now, company officials said, they can go from 3D-printed prototype to production products in approximately four weeks, in some cases, with an increase in quality because of the ability to immediately address any part or tool issues.
