With only 25 employees but a customer roster that includes Lambert St. Louis International Airport, NASA, the FAA and many other government agencies, Masterclock, based in St. Charles, Missouri, is a small, local manufacturer that thinks on a global scale.
So it’s no surprise that president and CEO John Clark was curious about digital printing, which is rapidly changing the manufacturing industry. But as a small business without an enormous R&D budget, making an informed investment in the technology needed for digital printing was a huge challenge.
“We weren’t in a position to make huge bets on the equipment,” says Clark.
Thanks to an engineering analysis conducted by Missouri S&T, he didn’t have to. Dr. Richard Billo, director of the university’s Kummer Center for Advanced Manufacturing, led the analysis. Based on current market conditions, the analysis showed that for now the cost of required equipment outweighs potential savings. But the analysis also revealed that the cost of many 3D-printed parts is now competitive, on a per-part basis, with those that are traditionally fabricated.
That’s great news for Clark, who would like to optimize his company’s relationship with the supply chain.
“I got a world-class, real-time review of how what’s on the market lines up with what we’d like to do,” he says.
Billo says the work his team did with Masterclock is an example of S&T’s commitment to helping manufacturers across Missouri become more innovative and competitive in the global marketplace. It’s a commitment that’s about to get a lot more tangible.
In October, S&T broke ground on the Missouri Protoplex®, an advanced manufacturing research and development facility that will anchor the university’s planned manufacturing technology and innovation campus. When it opens in fall 2025, the Protoplex will house equipment for use by manufacturers like Masterclock and S&T students and researchers. The facility will also serve as headquarters for the network Billo and others are building through partnerships with the Missouri Association of Manufacturers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and community colleges and tech schools across the state.
In addition to offering an opportunity for manufacturers to learn about new methods and technologies, Billo says the equipment housed in the Protoplex will help S&T students develop skills they’ll need when they join the workforce.
“There’s lots of apprehension around advanced manufacturing because there’s a skills shortage in the workforce,” he says. “Missouri S&T and the Missouri Protoplex are resources for these companies. We’re taking a collaborative approach, taking the time to understand what manufacturers really need rather than just telling them what courses we plan to offer.”