From its 50,000-square-foot production facility just north of Point Pleasant, PTI Custom Molding designs, engineers and manufacturers plastic injection-molded products for clients in industries ranging from automotive, electrical and communications, to medical, defense and recreation.
PTI’s 50 employees work in three shifts to produce functional parts using thermoplastic and thermoset injection and compression presses to produce components used around the world. Developing affordable solutions to diverse clients’ manufacturing challenges is a hallmark of the locally owned business.
When PTI faced a manufacturing challenge of its own recently, company officials turned to the expertise of the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) for assistance.
PTI produces thousands of electrical covers each month for one client using compression molding equipment. The process begins by pouring fiberglass-infused polymer into an open steel mold. The material is strong and nonconductive, making it ideal for the application. The mold is then closed, creating pressure that forces the material to fill the mold.
Because the amount of material must slightly exceed what is needed to fill the mold, it creates “flash” (as it’s called in the industry), excess material that must be removed after the molding process is complete.
Until recently, the PTI team removed the flash one part at a time, using hand files, a painstaking and time-consuming process that occasionally damaged the components, leading to waste. The PTI team knew there had to be a better way.
A representative contacted MAMC. Jerry Jefferson, longtime MAMC machinist and technical trainer, will tell you that one of the most satisfying aspects of his job is solving manufacturing challenges. Toward that end, Jefferson set to work devising a solution.
First, he designed and manufactured an aluminum fixture plate to which the electrical covers could be clamped inside a Haas VF2 CNC mill. Then he wrote a computer program to create very precise paths to automate the flash removal process using the mill’s tooling.
The new cleaning process reduced production time and saved money. For PTI, that’s particularly important when you consider that each run may include thousands of individual components.
“Throughput has increase as well as the consistence of product we are providing,” said Nick Jeffers, PTI process engineer. “A CNC machine is far more consistent than hand cleaning these parts.”
Over the years, MAMC’s team of machinist and engineers have worked with PTI on numerous manufacturing projects, from other custom fixtures to 3D printed metal nozzles with specialized cooling channels to speed up the production process for a particular product line.
And the technical assistance doesn’t just flow one way. When MAMC purchased injection molding technology in the early 2020s, PTI sent experienced staff to MAMC to provide training on the new technology.
“PTI is a world-class operation with a lot of manufacturing capabilities,” said MAMC Director Derek Scarbro. “Our team is always ready to assist them in any way, from helping improve production processes to designing fixtures and computer programs to automate processes. That’s a focus of our mission. In addition, we know that we can rely on the PTI team when their expertise can provide us with technical assistance.”
Jeffers echoed those sentiments. “PTI was worked with [MAMC] in the past and we continue to value the working relationship that has been built through the years. We appreciate the partnership where our strengths can complement each other. The team at MAC is top notch at what they do.”
To learn more about PTI, visit www.pti-incorporated.com.
Sept. 28, 2026
