Coastal Enterprises finds Opportunities amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Coastal Enterprises, Manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, was recently featured in the pages of Composites World, a leading magazine in the composites and tooling industry.  They talked to Chip Going, Sales Manager, and Tai Freligh, Marketing Manager, about how the company’s U.S.-integrated supply chain and custom services have helped them to overcome situational challenges for their customers.  Read some excerpts below and then head over to their website for the full article.

composites world

Here are some quotes from the article:

“The positive side of it is that through adversity, oftentimes, it’s the fuel we need to find a better way,” says Chip Going, sales manager for Coastal Enterprises. Going uses the word “nimble” to describe the company’s adaptability over the past few months. Coastal Enterprises’ relatively small size and private ownership, for example, have allowed it to quickly make high-level decisions, from adding new densities to its product lineup, to adding more custom bonding and cutting services, to slipping new, accelerated projects into the schedule. “Right now, things are changing so fast that for us to be able to react to people’s needs in real time is a huge advantage for us,” Going adds.

“You hear the word ‘pivot’ a lot,” adds Tai Freligh, marketing manager at Coastal Enterprises. “That’s another opportunity for us. I think people are discovering just how versatile Precision Board is.” For example, the company has seen several of its customers pivot their usual manufacturing capabilities to help alleviate shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE), or to build products to help with social distancing such as sanitized wall panels or partitions.

composites world

If you want to read the entire article, you can find it at the Composites World website HERE.  You can also check out our Composites World page here on the website for previous articles in the magazine over the past few years.

Coastal Enterprises is a 30-year old privately-owned company, located in California.  Our manufacturing producst and processes are fully integrated in the United States, which has allowed us to avoid supply chain disruptions and maintain unparalleled market stability. For thirty years we have manufactured Precision Board, a high-density urethane tooling board used in many different applications including composite tooling, prototyping, thermoform tooling, pattern making, theming, dimensional signage and more. It is currently being used in many essential industries including aerospace, defense, transportation, energy and healthcare. You can get pricing, free samples, sign up for newsletters or contact us.

How many parts can be pulled from a Precision Board mold?

When discussing the use of Precision Board as a tooling substrate for thermoforming molds, customers often ask “How many parts can I pull off a Precision Board tool?” That’s an important and straight forward question but the answer can be complex which we will help with in the blog below.  We’ll also give a current example of how Precision Board was used by a company to pivot from their usual theme park work into a completely new application- making face shields from readily available PBHT-48 Precision Board.  In the process, they were able to keep their business open during the Coronavirus Pandemic and pull hundreds of parts from Precision Board molds for PPE.

The number of parts that can be produced using a Precision Board mold is heavily dependent on a number of factors, namely;

  • Process Temperature
  • Cycle Times
  • Material Being Formed
  • Tool Use
  • Tool Geometry
  • The Precision Board Density Being Used

Depending on the part being produced and the density selected, Precision Board can be used to produce short runs of a few parts or thousands of parts in a production setting. That’s one of the best features of the Precision Board line. With 16 different density offerings, all available in high-temp PBHT and low-temp PBLT options, we have a Precision Board option that can fit just about any project’s requirements.

There are many ways to approach your project.  You might decide using a lower density Precision Board option coated with a more robust surface coat best fits your needs or perhaps a higher density Precision Board tool that does not need to be coated at all best suits your budget and physical requirement. Either way, when it comes to selecting the right Precision Board option for your specific job, contact our technical sales team to make sure you get a tool that will successfully pull the number of parts you are looking for.

To help explain in greater detail, we’re going to share a more specific example of a company currently making multiple parts from Precision Board.

 

This face shield mold was made out of Precision Board PBHT-48. In this application, Monster City Studios (Fresno, CA), who normally produces environments for amusement parks and props for trade shows, shifted their business to producing face shields at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. They needed to produce these tools quickly and start making parts right away.  They knew Coastal Enterprises could help.

The PBHT-48 material was on their floor within 2 days from placing an order. Since Precision Board can be cut at accelerated feed rates as compared to alternative tooling substrates, the tools were able to be machined quickly and Monster City Studios were pulling their first parts within a week from placing their order. These tools were sanded with 1000 grit and they were able to get over 300 pulls from the part with nearly no degradation and with no maintenance. After a quick resurfacing, these parts went back into production and they were able to pull 1500 parts on this particular mold before swapping out to another PBHT-48 mold.  You can also read the story about Coastal Enterprises and Monster City Studios on the COVID-19 Industry Updates page on the Composites World website from May 7th.

Give us a call at 800-845-0745 or send us an email at hdu@precisionboard.com. We have PBHT-48 in stock as well as all 16 densities of Precision Board with shipping times of 1-2 days.  Let us help you get back on track with readily available Precision Board HDU.

Coastal Enterprises is a privately-owned company, located in California.  Our manufacturing processes are fully integrated in the United States, which has allowed us to avoid supply chain disruptions and maintain unparalleled market stability. We manufacture Precision Board, a high-density urethane tooling board used in many different applications including composite tooling, prototyping, thermoform tooling, pattern making, theming, dimensional signage and more. It is currently being used in many essential industries including aerospace, defense, transportation, energy and healthcare. You can get pricing, free samples, sign up for newsletters or contact us.

Pause, Pivot, Positive: Tapping Into New Markets

Pause. Pivot. Positive. It is a conflict management system devised by Kerry Wekelo, but it can easily be applied to how businesses are responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Here at Coastal Enterprises we are focusing on tangible actions we can take to support you during these challenging times. We will be sharing frequent blogs with different ways you can pause and pivot to the positive with Precision Board.

This week’s ‘Pause, Pivot, Positive’ blog focuses on ways to tap into new markets, make new products and attract new customers using readily available Precision Board Urethane Tooling.

As we all figure out how to move forward in the new normal, what has become clear is that those who can adapt quickly and pivot to supporting immediate market needs are not only surviving, but in many cases thriving.  When it comes to shifting your resources to produce new products, Precision Board can help make your idea a reality.

Precision Board is a perfect substrate for:

  • Prototypes
  • Quick Molds
  • Masters
  • Production Tools

With 16 different density options (all available in high temp or low temp formulations), we have a Precision Board option that can help bring your idea from design through proof of concept and into production in a matter of days, not weeks.

Give us a call at 800-845-0745 or shoot us an email at hdu@precisionboard.com to discuss how we can help you pause and pivot to positive with Precision Board.  We’d love to hear from you!

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane material used extensively in the tooling industry.  It is a closed-cell, rigid, dimensionally-stable substrate that is ideal for use in a number of different tooling applications.

Request free samples, get a quote or sign up for weekly e-blasts packed with helpful information.

Using Precision Board PBHT to Make PPE

Did you know that our high-temp PBHT Precision Board Urethane is a fast and easy to use tooling substrate that is excellent for use when forming plastics parts used in medical devices, face shields and other critical PPE?  With 1 to 3 working day lead times on most standard size blocks, we can help you get your new tooling made in DAYS, not weeks.

Monster City Studios in Fresno, California, used our high-temp PBHT Precision Board to form a plastic face shield as part of a push to support hospitals and help alleviate the shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment).  They shared photos with us and their process in creating a face shield prototype using Precision Board HDU.

ppe

UPDATE: Check out this story by the local Fresno, California ABC News station on their face shield efforts!

Monster City Studios forming plastic over the molds to make face shields / Courtesy ABC30 Action News Fresno.

From the Monster City Studios Instagram:

“Doing some prototyping after hours. Making a form for vacuum forming some hospital essential equipment. Let’s hope all goes well. We’ll see in the morning!”

Another update from their Instagram:

“Made some progress on this form today and started the next! Thanks again @coastalenterprises ! This needs just a touch of polishing before it is ready for the vacuum former.”

An update from their Facebook page:

“We now have PETG face shields with forehead protection in .030 and .060 thicknesses! Frame by PRUSA, cast by Monster City Studios.”

“We have vacuformed PETG face shields with forehead cover! Coastal Enterprises Company @healthdataengineering We can produce in quantity. Want info? info@monstercitystudios.com”

And just today (4/9/20), another update on the process on their Instagram:

“We are making face shields at MonsterCity Studios! These are vacuum formed with PETG on a mold made from @coastalenterprises 48lb precision board! First prototype came together quick. Now time to hone and speed up the process!”

Email us at hdu@precisionboard.com or contact our technical sales department at (800) 845-0745 to see how we can help and to answer any technical questions you might have about using Precision Board PBHT for forming plastic parts on PPE.  We’ll update this post with Monster City Studios progress, so check back to see how it turns out!