Dedicated to our Customers
At Uniphase Inc., we work to solve the problems of our customers; continuously developing new technologies in-house. We proactively apply original technologies that are new to the industry which ultimately are adopted and considered industry game-changers. Considered as a small, custom injection molder, Uniphase is far from a traditional small company. Led by our leadership team of engineers, who eagerly embrace new advancements, the achievements possible at Uniphase are not common among a company of our size.
Driven to always look beyond the horizon to see where technology developments can push program advancements for our customers, Uniphase has made several equipment investments to ensure we stay ahead of the curve with state-of-the-art and top-of-the-line machines. To demonstrate that strength, we have added new injection molding machines in the last few months, including a two-shot molding press and a liquid silicone rubber (LSR) capability.
Our customers consider Uniphase as their business partner. They are confident and choose to align with us because we set ourselves apart from other injection molders with expertise that solves manufacturing challenges. Due to capability shortcomings, many of the projects we receive were previously not attempted by other molders. Customers select Uniphase because of our in-house design capabilities with LSR technology.
Technology is Nothing Without the Uniphase Team
Working together and communicating across the generations, Uniphase is very collaborative. Our synergetic team also benefits from having an in-house tool shop to lean on. This allows the Uniphase production teams to be involved in the tool build; tool managers can watch the tool run, which results in a lot of collaboration between the two teams. Ultimately, this assures program launches are accurate and on time.
What Makes Uniphase a Grade Above the Rest?
Some of the applications Uniphase has developed solutions for include thin wall packaging, a fully automated cooler cell in which we’ve molded five different components and assembled them into a foam cooler. The Uniphase team is replacing gaskets with over-molded liquid silicone to reduce assembly for customers. Additionally, our fully automated in-mold labeling capabilities will prove to be an additional game changer for our customers and the plastics industry as a whole.
Technology to Continuously Improve Services and Products
By always looking to what is next, Uniphase has added robots to nearly every machine to improve our manufacturing process. We use technology in our tool room to standardize tool builds, and if anything needs to get replaced, we’re are not starting from scratch. Uniphase always relies on Mold Flow analysis to optimize the tool builds during the designing phase. Adding liquid silicone and two-shot molding also shows that we are always looking to take further action and attest we’re not just another thermal plastic shoot-and-ship molder.
We build all of our end-of-arm tools here at Uniphase; it’s never an afterthought when it comes to the production floor. By creating consistent molding conditions, our method reduces labor and allows for efficiency to be built into the mold design process. All of this ensures that we are always on cycle while avoiding the need to wait for operators. Uniphase addresses upfront, the automation to be implemented into a mold; therefore, confirming that when a program is ready for the production floor the total production design is already built into it.
Our in-house 3D printer is utilized to print a copy of the design and get a prototype to our customer’s engineers. It’s beneficial for everyone to visualize the part in-hand and best understand the component’s manufacturability. Another benefit of having an in-house 3D printer is if we need a custom gripper placed on a tool – we’re capable of printing those in-house, meaning that we are not relying on standard, off-the-shelf parts. Therefore, we’re not only designing the end-of-arm tool at Uniphase, but we are printing a custom end-of-arm gripper.
What would surprise most buyers about Uniphase’s commitment to technology?
Uniphase, Inc. has been flying under the radar, not aggressively boasting about our decades of success. As our achievements become more and more pronounced and our commitments to advanced manufacturing technologies are secured, buyers are becoming more aware of the cutting-edge processes that are taking place at Uniphase. Our team has been showcasing to new and existing customers our established techniques in automation and end-of-arm tooling that will be successful for their applications. For us, it comes down to just making a customer more aware of our capabilities and offerings.
We always look at the totality of customers’ products, and we won’t deliver a 10-million-dollar solution if they are looking for only a thousand parts a year. However, if a customer has a low-volume production need, we will build the tool and the production cell to meet their demands, helping them get more value for their program. On the other end of the spectrum, if there is a potential for large volumes or extremely complex parts, we have the tools already in-house; we’ll go through the practice development process by partnering with our customers to deliver a full solution. Ultimately, it is all about right-sizing our solution for the challenges our customers face.
At Uniphase, we want the reputation to be a solution provider — we will look at the program as a whole, offering solutions formulated from years of experience and cutting-edge technology – this is a two-way street between us and the customer. In every situation, we want to make sure that we’re partnering with customers that appreciate that relationship and lean on us to help them deliver solutions. Uniphase is well-positioned for that.
Every team member is committed to making Uniphase a go-to partner, continuously developing new technologies in-house. Team members that have been here for over 30 years continually guide and work with our enthusiastic and inventive younger team. We are here to serve our customer’s purpose, molding many complex parts, but we are very much about that value-add. We are excited that we have several other things that we are working on that will prove to be game-changers in the plastics industry. Although flying under the radar, our commitment is becoming more prominent as we advance to newer technologies and educating buyers of the cutting-edge practices we are directing. At Uniphase Inc., we are a solutions provider – these are just a few of the elements that make Uniphase unique.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Uniphase can assist with your complex molding application, contact us to start the conversations today!
