Micro Mini Stencil boosts productivity following Additive Manufacturing training from CMTC
January 24, 2023
California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), Torrance, California, USA, has provided Additive Manufacturing training to Mini Micro Stencil, San Marcos, California, in an effort to help the company increase its in-house capabilities, thereby improving productivity and reducing lead times.
Mini Micro Stencil provides printed circuit board (PCB) and surface mount technology (SMT) tools, as well as contract rework services for the military, aerospace, medical, commercial electronics, and transportation industries. The company’s contract rework is a major portion of the company’s revenues and is growing due to increasing military contracts.
Mini Micro Stencil has experience in Computer Aided Design, but the team required outside resources to build its knowledge of Design for Additive Manufacturing after outside contractors’ lead times were too long and offered the company no timing or quality control. In April 2022, the company engaged CMTC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Services (AMTS) Program to help employees become more proficient in DfAM and the use of Additive Manufacturing software.
CMTC helped Mini Micro Stencil understand how to utilise advanced manufacturing tools such as Additive Manufacturing to produce tooling and products in-house in less time than traditional manufacturing or outsourced manufacturing. CMTC instructors also provided classroom instruction on the use of the OnShape program and enabled practical applications of the software by offering opportunities for students to design fixtures. They also provided an evaluation of the financial impact and improvement opportunities by incorporating Advanced Manufacturing into the company’s operations.
With the training from CMTC, Mini Micro Stencil is reputedly able to deliver AM designs in house, reducing each design’s lead time by one week. The increased productivity and shorter lead times offered to Mini Micro Stencil’s customers is expected to increase their revenue in the next twelve months and allow it to retain business that may have otherwise been lost to competitors with shorter lead times.
