The new color-matching system helps the digital manufacturer to form plastic parts in nearly any color within days
 
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.—June 11, 2019—Digital manufacturing leader, Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) has launched an all-new color-matching system into its plastic injection molding service. PolyOne's PINPOINT Express Color and Dosing System, featuring 3M precision dispensing and dosing technologies, allows Protolabs to establish custom colors on site, drastically reducing the time it takes to mold short-run plastic parts in precise colors.
 
When a part design is set, customers can specify which Pantone number they require or simply give a sample part that can be scanned and color matched. Once a material is selected from 13 available resin combinations, PolyOne's PINPOINT system creates a liquid formula that is dispensed and mixed before moving to the injection molding press. The material is then fed through the doser and injection molded. The result is parts—in custom colors—in customers' hands within days versus weeks as it typically takes.
 
'These new color-matching capabilities are a wide leap for the manufacturing industry, one piled with benefits for our customers who are developing highly tailored products,' said Joel Matthews, global product manager at Protolabs. 'With development cycles shrinking to meet the market need for improved customization, this is yet another tool to help our customers accelerate product launches and streamline supply chains.'
 
Protolabs, which specializes in on-demand manufacturing, has also recently included new injection molding capabilities to further its position as a single-source supplier from prototyping to production. Along with custom color matching it has launched numerous secondary processes and finishing options to support true end-to-end manufacturing. These include pad printing and laser engraving, threaded inserts, mold texturing for Mold-Tech finishes, and part assembly.
 
'All of these new capabilities are things that our customers have wanted for a while, so we're excited to finally be able to offer it to them—while still delivering finished parts at industry-leading speeds,' said Matthews.
 
Customers seem to agree.
 
'Speed and flexibility—being able to deploy different manufacturing options—and a commitment to customer service, are the principal reasons we use Protolabs,' mentioned Andy Homyk, senior engineer at HemoSonics, a medtech firm that incorporated secondary processes to launch its new medical device in a fraction of the time traditional manufacturing would have taken.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com