World Class Toolroom Facility Opens

Rapid tool development is essential to the quick delivery of new products for customers. Hence in-house tool design and production has been an essential feature of Condale Plastics service to its customers. With the successful growth of the business in recent years Condale had outgrown its previous tool-making facility.

In April 2008 the company opened a new purpose built tool room. It houses both tool design and manufacture. All tool design is completed on a CAD system and once approved is transferred directly across the network to the 3-axis CNC milling machines and the wire erosion machines. The new unit has a capacity of over 200 new tools per annum and also provides support to the extrusion production plant. In this environment close co-operation between designers, tool-makers and development engineers continually enhances their expertise which in turn relentlessly reduces tool production times.

With the future in mind, the new tool room is also equipped with host of environmental features. Lighting is all sensor controlled, automatically adjusting to changes in daylight and room occupancy. Rainwater is collected and re-used in the toilet systems, significantly reducing fresh water consumption. Lessons learned here are now being re-deployed in other areas of the business.