Protolabs has been named a winner in the National Association of Manufacturers’s Manufacturing Leadership Awards for its engineering and production technology.
The project that helped Protolabs win the award was a multi-toolpath engine that automated programming efforts to reduce customer lead times and lower production costs. The Protolabs team developed the toolpath generation software that could product smooth surface finishes for injection molds without increasing milling time. Because of the automation of that process, the company says there was a decrease in production costs while increasing the quality of surface finishes with shorter lead time.s
“We’re honored to be recognized for this project,” Vicki Holt, president and CEO of Protolabs, said in a press release. “We are committed to helping product developers from an array of industries succeed in bringing products to market quickly, and to do that, it’s necessary for us to place strong emphasis on continuous improvement, and more specifically, digitization of workflows and processes. The Multi-toolpath Engine project is a good example of how the fruits of those efforts ultimately benefit our customers.”
This is the fifth Manufacturing Leadership Award that Protolabs has won. It also won awards in the categories of Innovation Process Leadership, Customer Value Leadership, Operational Excellence and Manufacturer of the Year.
The 15th annual Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala will be held June 10-12 in Huntington Beach, Calif. where Protolabs will be recognized for its Manufacturing Leadership Award.