In response to growing customer demand in its global medical device and drug delivery business, advanced manufacturer GW Plastics has expanded and upgraded its tooling facility in Vermont with additive manufacturing technology. The company has renovated and enhanced its tooling facility in Royalton, Vt., and purchased advanced metal 3D printing equipment to build precision mold components.

GW Plastics has invested in metal 3D printing technology for conformal cooling to improve cycle times—in some cases up to 30 percent—as well as component quality and design flexibility. “This additive manufacturing technology streamlines tool design, reducing the components needed to build a mold and the overall investment our customers need to make,” said Timothy Holmes, vice president of engineering. “We are proud to offer this level of technology to our customers to ensure their products are being manufactured in the best mold possible.”

GW Plastics is one of only a handful of precision mold builders that have invested in this technology. The company has invested more than $2 million in its Royalton mold-building facility in the last 12 months to support its R&D and expansion efforts.

The announcement of GW Plastic’s facility upgrade comes months after the company purchased Avenue Mould Solutions, an Irish premier precision mold-building, machining, and injecting molding firm. The acquisition gives GW Plastics a unique industry position with precision mold-building facilities in North America, Asia, and Europe, in addition to injection molding and contract manufacturing. GW Plastics now ranks as one of the plastic industry’s largest precision mold manufacturers.

“More importantly than just having advanced tooling capability, GW Plastics now has the global capacity to handle large-scale programs, including ultra-high cavitation, multi-component, and silicone mold-building for our multinational customers,” said Brenan Riehl, president and CEO. “With recent expansions of our tooling facilities in the U.S. and China, and the acquisition of Avenue Mould Solutions in Ireland, GW Plastics now has both the expertise and infrastructure to give our customers the peace of mind that we can support their complex programs on three continents.”

Founded in 1955, GW Plastics offers precision tooling, injection molding, and contract manufacturing services to companies in the healthcare, automotive, safety-critical, and consumer/industrial markets. Specializing in complex injection-molded thermoplastic and silicone solutions, GW Plastics excels at close tolerance and mold building, precision injection molding, and contract manufacturing. Headquartered in Bethel, Vt., the company’s three manufacturing facilities are located in Bethel and Royalton; San Antonio, Texas; Tuscon, Ariz.; Quer étaro, Mexico; Dongguan, China; and Sligo, Ireland.