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Tripling Production with Masking

Posted on Tuesday, April 1, 2014

When Pinnacle Precision Sheet Metal Corp., a sheet metal manufacturer and finisher in Anaheim, Calif., was faced with a multi-surface, complex shape masking issue, they turned to help from one of their masking suppliers, Caplugs. That was in early 2000, and according to Temo Guerra, project manager at Pinnacle Precision, the fabricator was so pleased with Caplugs’ ability to work quickly and arrive at a solution that since then Pinnacle has made Caplugs their sole supplier for masking, tape and plugs.

For the past 40 years, Pinnacle Precision has manufactured sheet metal products for the electronic industry, including audio, visual, medical, and defense. “We specialize in chassis, brackets, panels, and covers that require laser cutting, punching, forming, welding, hardware insertion, painting, and or silk screening,” says Guerra.

The masking solution that kick-started the 15-year business relationship, which included die-cut tape arranged in a grouping, assisted Pinnacle in increasing production and quality. “Using the die cut material, production was approximately tripled,” Guerra says.

Pinnacle uses both powder coating and liquid for their finishing needs. “Masking the parts we [finish] is challenging when requirements call for tight tolerances or when masking around complex shapes or bends,” Guerra says.

Pinnacle’s customers require masking to maintain grounding as well as protecting the installed hardware such as press studs or nuts. “Masking improves functionality— especially in the powder coating process, where threads would be unusable if they were not masked,” Guerra says.

In addition to custom die-cut tape, Caplugs also manufactures other protection products, including caps, plugs, tubing, containers, edge liners, fasteners, and netting. The company specializes in injection molding, vinyl- dip molding and extrusion.

“Pinnacle has been partnered with Caplugs since early 2000, and eventually Caplugs became our sole source supplier. The pricing and excellent customer service keeps us coming back,” Guerra concludes.

For more information on the companies mentioned in this article, visit their websites: www.pinnacleprecisionsheetmetal.com and www.caplugs.com.