Thermat Precision Technology, Inc.

Company: Thermat Precision Technology, Inc.
Product: Precision Powder Injection Molding
Annual Sales: $1 million
Number of Employees: 8
Year Founded: 1995
Location: Corry, PA

Situation:

Tom Roche, former executive vice president of Erie Plastics, wanted to investigate investment opportunities in cutting-edge technologies.

Project:

PTDC technical director Larry Partch demonstrated to Roche numerous new plastics processing technologies, including powder injection molding (PIM). PIM produces metal parts by extruding, molding, debinding, and sintering a feedstock mixture of powdered metals and plastics.

Result:

Roche was introduced to the Penn State Particulate Metals Lab for further investigation of the PIM process. There he met Dr. Karl Hens, founder and director of Penn State's PIM Consortium. Hens, who patented an improved method of PIM that adds a cross-linking step for greater dimensional control, had already resigned his academic post to search for investors for his new company, Thermat Precision Technology, Inc. The pair opened a 23,000 square-foot production plant in Corry, Pa., in late 1995; they plan to employ 33 people by 1998.

Company Comments from Tom Roche, Chairman:

"The PTDC was instrumental in putting this partnership together; Larry shepherded the relationship. Without the Center's help, I never would have discovered this new technology, or Karl."