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The Goal: revolutionizing the fiberglass tooling industry. The Concept: adapt technology used in the automotive and aerospace industries to be affordable for the marine and fiberglass industries. The Tool: CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machining for producing patterns, prototypes and molds. Upon purchasing and installing a small 5-axis CNC mill that was being used for trimming complex shapes in the plastics industry, experimentation began on materials and methods. After countless trials and material failures, finally success was achieved and the basic system was developed. Over the years, MOLLICAM has refined their system with new techniques and advanced materials to produce the best patterns and molds in the industry. The first parts produced were surfboards. However, with a background in recreational boat building, Mollicam founders began offering their services to local boat manufacturers. But an industry buried deep in traditional practices was, at first, not an easy sell. Some forward looking companies recognized the advantages of this new technology and small patterns were produced. Soon, word spread of Mollicam's fast turn around time and unprecedented accuracy. Manufacturers began requesting larger parts including full size hulls and decks. So in 1993, Mollicam purchased a new custom build 5-axis machine with an envelope of 32 feet by 10 feet by 6 feet. This further reduced the turn around time to produce their high quality patterns and molds. Now, Mollicam realized that it was not enough to develop a new and better method, the biggest job would be to convince the traditional industry to change it's ways. Mollicam began giving presentations at boat building and fiberglass industry trade shows as well as writing articles in trade magazines about their methods. This was done with the feeling that what was good for the industry would be good for Mollicam. Today, automated pattern construction is recognized by all leading boat manufacturers as the prerequisite to constructing a high quality product. In 1997, Mollicam moved into it's own modern 15,000 square foot facility in Merritt Island, Florida to allow room for their third and fourth machines. A machining envelope of 50 feet by 16 feet by 10 feet allowed Mollicam to further reduce their turnaround time for larger projects. Mollicam's facility is less than 5 miles from Port Canaveral, the second largest port in the country. While Mollicam brought boat manufacturers into the age of technology, not everything was shared. Proprietary techniques and materials remain with the company. These coupled with a constant program of research and upgrading insure that Mollicam remains the leader in this field.
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