Forward Thinking
Manufacturing®

Precision manufacturing requires only the closest tolerances at scale, especially when the consequence of failure is high. Our state of the art Costa Rica facility offers complete machining of most materials including turning, milling, cutting, drilling, laser, polishing and finishing. Our specialties are in Swiss-turn, hard milling and EDM with the ability to go smaller than almost anyone else.

At Micro, our half century track record reveals that we take on projects that others have often failed at, or declared impossible. In these situations, we thrive. Subsequently, our work has gravitated towards parts with a high consequence of failure coupled with high complexity and multi-operations.

We couple our Swiss turn centers with the expertise of our people, because the machine is only as consistent as the operator. Great machining practice requires us to push the limits of what is possible at a reduced size and increased scale. We execute parts of any size and quantity, often well into the hundreds of thousands and millions. At this scale, we guarantee repeat consistency and we see this as our essential differentiator.

We standardize our tooling and machines where possible, and where there is no standard, we create custom components to get the job done. At Micro, we will create a custom drill or custom component where required because we are vertically integrated. We account for wear and tear, anticipating when a tool will reach its end of life on a machine, to customize the production flow efficiently. Because we’ve tested our machining capabilities over and over to develop the most robust processes, we know the capabilities and limits of our tooling, and we’re able to predict its wear and compensate for it.

Micro molding technology is changing at a rapid pace and although molding equipment has improved in recent years, we still require a high skill levels from the machine operator to see the desired result. For that reason, Micro employs only the best and most highly skilled workforce, and offers in depth training to ensure operators are consistent.

Tolerances include: 0.05mm – Plastic 0.005mm – Metal

We employ a methodology titled “Scientific Injection Molding” or SIM for short. SIM uses a series of scientific tests to collect data and based on that data, we can optimize the most robust process for production. SIM eliminates process variability and variation from shot to shot and run to run, often associated with injection molded plastics.

These tests include;

• Viscosity curve
• Cavity balance study
• Gate seal study
• Hold pressure optimization
• Cooling time study, and
• Design of experiments

In addition, we also use cavity pressure sensors to monitor and control in-process molding parameters, which enable us to know if it’s a good part even before the mold opens. Besides injection molding, most all our moldings have automation or an additional process integrated into production (such as insert molding, pad printing, or over-molding). This is seen in applications such as automotive sensors and cardiovascular medical devices.

With the capability to build custom automation, Micro assembles parts and units of any size, leveraging in-house intelligence and skill set to operate at maximum efficiency and economy. Our solutional bandwidth for automation and assembly is matched only by our own creativity and with a modular and recyclable methodology, we drive down setup costs for our clients whilst increasing efficiency and precision.

With robotics, we continue to find multiple examples whereby old automation processes are problematic and do not compare to Hubotics (the practice of robots mimicking humans in action and movement). We believe there’s an inflection coming whereby the standard assembly approach will be retired in preference to replaceable, modular, human-mimicking robotics.

Our group of in-house engineers are closely connected to our sub-component manufacturing level, and can assist with stamping, injection molding, micro machining and purchase components. Because We can understand the upstream processes involved, we develop superior automation that seamlessly handles the sub-components into the process for final assembly. That final assembly is driven by robotics, typically on rotary or walking beam automation, and uses various handling systems such as:

• Tape & Reel
• Bowl Feeding Systems
• Shaker Tables

From there, we use pick and place robots with customized end-of-arm to handle parts and assemble components to within thousands of an inch. We execute the following assembly methods:

• Screw driving / Screw insertion
• Heat staking
• Ultrasonic welding
• Dispensing systems
• UV bonding
• Wire welding (0.003-inch diameter)
• Stamping insertion / staking

We use vision systems and inspection sensors to ensure proper placement, assembly and function for critical components.

At Micro, our process integration allows us to control a part design all the way through to production. In “Micro Labs”, we have a function inside of Micro dedicated to taking ideas that solve challenges and create newly improved designs. MicroLabs can also take an existing customer design and provide alternative iterations to enhance productivity and function.

By building 3D parts quickly, Micro can prototype, iterate, or create efficient dies, molds and machine parts assembled together into a final product.

Rapid prototyping via additive manufacturing (3D printing) gives customers quick feedback loops and empowered iterative design, empowering them to move quickly towards production and improvement.

Moving outside of the engineering office onto the factory floor, Micro give clients the intelligence they need to decide how best to manufacture a component. In some instances, it’s not an either/or scenario but a combined/collaborate approach that gets the best possible outcome at the most efficient outlay.

Whilst additive manufacturing is advancing at a rapid rate, it is yet to be perceived as a serious production option. In the future, we foresee that the economies of scale that additive manufacturing will should make it a viable option for clients to consider even for larger runs without sacrificing precision, finishes or tolerances.

At Micro, our fine stamping has run for 55 years and our specialty lies in 0.001-inch thickness using specialty and precious metal alloys. Good stamping requires great tooling, and our tooling is designed and built in house by Micro for that very reason, often with 0 clearance tolerances.

Fine stamping still retains both art and science, and for that reason we preserve the age-old tool and die maker apprenticeship program to pass down knowledge from craftsmen to craftsmen, to keep the trade alive.

Our rigorous die maintenance program ensures the quality of our parts are maintained over the life of the die, and that the dies are always maintained and in proper working order, with a system of replacements available to support the life of the program at any time.

Our high-speed presses and skilled technicians produce fine metal stamping of any shape, at virtually any size, and made of almost any metal, alloy or composite material. Once machinery and dies are set, our processes can run in a highly-automated manner to create greater cost efficiency per part and highly consistent quality and accuracy.

Because our main factory is held in a controlled environment and to a higher cleanliness standard, we’re use more modular and flexible clean rooms on demand, maintaining our efficient layout, and adapting to client needs with maximum responsiveness. At Micro, we can deploy modular and cost effective clean rooms that are easily scalable and quickly validated, responding to client needs on a dime.

Mostly, manufacturers create clean rooms to segregate the areas that need to be clean and whilst we can and do execute that approach when needed, Micro’s modular workplace model allows us to create an entirely clean factory floor and segregate the unclean areas via non-clean rooms. Anything that creates contaminants into the air goes into our Micro non-clean rooms, each with its own HVAC system for disposal. With this approach, we take cleanliness standards to a new level of consistency whereby cleanliness becomes nominal.

For medical clean room requirements, we erect soft-sided modular rooms in the form of clean plastic tents that are movable, easy to expand, and completely validated to ISO Class 8.

With decades of experience serving automotive OEMs as well as the most demanding industries on the planet, Micro has cultivated an ability to manage not just our production standards but how they integrate into client assembly lines. Often, we can set up supermarkets inside of your warehouses with vendor managed replenishment. The result is seamless and efficient part management for you, providing peace of mind and efficient space usage.

Centrally located in Costa Rica, Micro’s Central American warehouse provides maximum responsiveness in handling efficient and economic logistics for clients, and currently, we ship direct to over 39 countries. Our experience in logistics allows our parts to freely flow across borders without any issues and with JIT integration, we empower you to operate at nominal inventory levels, confident that Micro can deliver what you need on time, when needed.

Micro offers to parts; MicroTech, and MicroLabs. MicroTech is designed for manufacturing, creating simplicity via a robust approach, and ease of scale.

In MicroLabs, we provide innovation engineering to our clients that drives better manufacturing capabilities. MicroLabs engineers engage a disruptive process that reinvents the wheel and more innovatively imagines solutions for your challenges and problems. Through this process, we assist clients with design, prototyping, problem solving, value-added revisions and project management.

Our engineering department personnel are hand-picked, working in tandem with our completely vertically integrated processes, and available to engineer solutions that augment your engineering team’s capacity. Each Micro Engineer has a core competency and is a subject matter expert – However they are also trained in real-world problem solving to better understand your real engineering problems and how to provide solutions that work in production. Our diversity in different markets such as aerospace, automotive, HVAC and medical enables us to adapt solutions already proven out in other industries and deliver you something entirely new for your application

Visit the MicroLabs page to find out more.