MMT Chats: Molding Capabilities Yield New Customers, Team Growth

^{This episode is brought to you by ISCAR with New Ideas for Machining Intelligently.}

Last month we lost Mike Eden, president of Eden Tool and Eden Manufacturing in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. Mike is a true treasure to the moldmaking community, and such a positive force to be around. His passions were evident even after you met him one time—family, moldmaking, American manufacturing, and of course hot rods. It was a privilege to get to know Mike the past few years while working with him, Dave and Jake on feature stories and video chats with MoldMaking Technology Magazine. He will be missed but what a legacy remains!

A few months ago, I checked in with Mike, Dave Tomic and Jake Eden in Engineering at Eden Tool and Eden Manufacturing in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, to get an update on the company since MMT featured the shop earlier this year …  a lot has happened.

At the time of the story, the team was ready to apply its predictive manufacturing principles to the molding side of the business under Eden Manufacturing. They had one molding press and COVID delayed the groundbreaking of the new facility that is set to house Eden Manufacturing. Listen in to hear what has transpired this past year with the facility, team and business.

But first, let me remind you what predictive manufacturing is, as this is a fundamental principle at Eden Tool and Eden Manufacturing, to which they attribute much of their growth and success.

In the words of Dave Tomic, “Hard milling is the foundation of predictable manufacturing. The ability to know when to use hard milling, sinker or wire EDM to your advantage. Is the ability to consistently achieve intended results allowing for lights out and unattended manufacturing.” When asked how they bring predictable manufacturing from the tooling world to medical molding, Tomic explains that it is based on the same fundamental principles.

Here are some key conversation points to whet your appetite for the rest of this MMT Chats interview:

• Process, and machine customization and support are key to processes on both the tooling and molding sides of the business.
• As for an update on the new facility, Mike shares that they have kicked off the new building’s structure with a plan to finish the project this winter.
• The team is testing new processes and equipment in the current facility (beta site), so they can hit the ground running once the new building is ready—including two molding presses, automation, boxing line, monitoring system, etc.
• Eden Tool and Eden Manufacturing are redundant suppliers for several big customers due to supply chain challenges, and quickly becoming the main supplier.
• “Even with the downturn, don’t be afraid to invest right now,” Mike Eden.
• Interested in slide mechanisms, collapsible cores, software, etc.
• The company’s succession plan includes owner’s son, Jake Eden, who dreams of his launching his own medical product line, but in the meantime is working in engineering at Eden Tool while studying biomedical engineering at Penn State University, particularly materials and medical devices.
• Passion for hot rods continues to help promote the industry and company.

For the full quick chat, watch above, and for more MMT Chats, click here.

This episode is brought to you by ISCAR with New Ideas for Machining Intelligently.