MWI is pleased to announce the purchase of its latest high speed 5-axis CNC machine. MWI’s latest investment is a large capacity 5-axis CNC designed for high-speed machining of carbon, graphite and advanced composites. The large work envelope of 144.48” x 53.34” allows MWI to stage multiple projects without the need for costly setups and change overs. By using advanced 5-axis tool paths and lean optimization of our work envelope, we can provide our customers with single setup solution for the most challenging projects.
Canadians Win the 7th Annual Graphite Cup
Congratulations to the Canadians for winning the 7th Annual Graphite Cup. Our friends north of the border returned to form to capture the coveted Graphite Cup. We appreciate all the participants and volunteers who make the Graphite Cup such a special event.
News Release: MWI, Inc. Awarded ISO 9001:2008 Certification
Pittsburgh, PA, September 25, 2015
SRI Quality System Registrar is pleased to announce that it has recently awarded an ISO 9001:2008 Management System certificate to MWI, Inc., located in Rochester, New York, for the distribution and machining of graphite and carbon-based products.
According to Edward L. Maschmeier, Director, Certification: “We are pleased to acknowledge that MWI, Inc. has demonstrated effective implementation of a management system. ISO 9000 certification provides evidence to customers, suppliers, employees, and their community of their commitment to producing a quality product (service) and providing customer satisfaction.”
ISO 9001:2008 is process-based; certification recognizes organizations that can link business objectives with operating effectiveness. Companies that achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification have demonstrated effective implementation of documentation and records management, top management’s commitment to their customers, establishment of clear policy, good planning and implementation, good resource management, efficient process control, measurement and analysis. Continual improvement has been institutionalized.
SRI Quality System Registrar is an internationally accredited registrar for management systems standards, such as ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO/TS 16949, OHSAS 18001, ISO 13485, ISO 20000-1, ISO 27001, ISO 22000 and environmental management systems standards such as ISO 14001, RC14001, and RCMS. SRI also provides public training for auditing, implementing, and maintaining these standards.
Democrat & Chronicle Features MWI, Inc.
On the machine shop floor sits a six-foot-wide slab of round graphite. Imagine the lead for a mechanical pencil the size of a skyscraper.
Each day at MWI, Inc. in Henrietta, a manufacturer of polysilicon composite, almost every shape and dimension of graphite stock imaginable is worked into molds for high-temperature applications.
“It’s one-tenth the weight of steel, yet it withstands temperatures greater than 1,000 degrees Celsius,” said Brian McMahon, MWI vice president of operations.
An easy-to-mill product and an excellent conductor of electricity, graphite is a commodity for several industries. Because it strengthens when heated, it is no surprise that one of the most interesting industries happens to be aerospace technology. MWI has been commissioned to make molds that form huge satellite reflectors.
“We’re also working on experimental airplane components,” McMahon said, “and heat-treat tooling for ongoing space programs.”
Graphite molds can also be used for the medical industry, to create parts for the coating of heart valves, the LED market for processing wafers, fuel cell flow fields and solar applications.
“Because the product is inert, it won’t decompose in a certain chemical environment,” said McMahon. “That makes it very useful in applications where most materials would break down. Graphite actually doubles in strength at temperatures where metals have since vaporized.”
The company spends a great deal of effort to keep the facility free from dust, which helps maintain a contaminant-free process. To enable this, MWI operates two enormous furnaces that operate in excess of 2,000 degrees Celsius.
“We’re using basing chemistry to vaporize any molecules that aren’t carbon,” McMahon said. “The process is to ensure that our customers receive the purist, uncontaminated product, because impurities will affect their process.”
MWI employs 110 people, about half in administration, sales, and support, and the rest in operations. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, Indiana, and California. Other offices are located in Oregon, Texas, and Michigan. Because machinists are difficult to come by, the company has established its own machinist’s program, and has hired graduates of National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Monroe Community College.
McMahon said the company is constantly reinvesting in the business, and will spend $2 million in the next year, mostly in equipment. He recently returned from Italy, where he had a hands-on demonstration of some prospective machines.
“I love working with the employees, the customers, the vendors — all of it,” he said. “Not every day can be a gem, but when we work hard to ship tangible product that was made by hand and machine, it’s very rewarding.”
Russo is a freelance writer covering the Rochester area.
Brian McMahon’s Five Must-Do’s
1. Hire and retain great employees.
2. Listen to employees and empower them to make change at every level.
3. Invest in technology to enhance your service and increase morale.
4. Eliminate all obstacles to gain and retain your customers’ business.
5. Manage cash flow.
Check out the feature story in the Democrat & Chronicle.