Manufacturing Day: Hundreds of students get schooled on injection molding by M.R. Mold & Engineering

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M.R. Mold & Engineering’s founder and President, Rick Finnie, is laser-focused on changing the perception of manufacturing and promoting careers in the moldmaking industry. On Friday, Oct. 6, designated Manufacturing Day in the United States, M.R. Mold opened its doors to more than 300 students, faculty and parents in the Brea, CA, area to emphasize how important manufacturing is to our nation’s economy.“With many OEMs beginning to reshore their products and the current workforce getting close to retirement, there are very few millennials with knowledge of manufacturing,” said Finnie. “M.R. Mold understands that today’s students need to be made aware that there is an alternative to pursuing a college degree. Developing a career in manufacturing can provide job stability and good pay in high-skilled, high-tech positions.”Students, faculty and parents from eight area schools came by the bus loads to get a first-hand look at what manufacturing plastics and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) injection molds involves. These students are studying engineering, CAD and other technical courses at school. Being able to apply their knowledge in a real-world environment was an eye-opening experience for the students, said M.R. Mold.“Learning about engineering and mold flow analysis, advancing through the machine programming and cutting processes, and wrapping up with the actual molding of the product, the importance of each of these steps was explained to our guests,” said Finnie. R.D. Abbott, a material supplier to the rubber industry, partnered with M.R. Mold in educating the students on LSR chemistry and the manufacturing process.For its efforts, M.R. Mold received second place in the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) Educational Outreach Awards in honor of Manufacturing Day 2017. The award was presented to three mold companies for their outstanding work promoting careers in mold manufacturing. M.R. Mold received $2,000, which will be given to a scholarship program of Finnie’s choice.AMBA also provided M.R. Mold with a $1,000 grant to help subsidize bus costs for the eight schools that attended the company’s Manufacturing Day 2017 open house.Click through our slide show for a glimpse of the Manufacturing Day festivities.