Midwest Prototyping

Midwest Prototyping opened its doors early in 2001 with a single SLA 250 machine contained in the same office space as the founders desk. Steve Grundahl had been exposed to rapid prototyping technology while earning a degree from MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering) several years earlier and could never shake his fascination with it. Sensing a maturation of the technology and greater acceptance in the product development and manufacturing industries gave him confidence to take the plunge. Shortly after, satisfied customers began asking for additional services such as machining, fabrication, assembly and show quality finishing options. Larger part requests resulted in the addition of a second large scale SLA machine as well. The makings of a full service prototyping shop were well underway. By 2005, the acquisition of a local machine shop and hiring of a full time machinist meant that Midwest now occupied 4000 square feet and was ready for a bigger facility. By the end of 2006 the company moved into a new 18,000 square foot facility to enable future growth. This extra space allowed upgrades to several divisions of the business as new CNC machining and rapid prototyping equipment was installed shortly after the move. In 2008, the acquisition of longtime competitor Manitowoc Prototypes was completed and provided additional capacity for the rapid prototyping division. Along the way, urethane casting became another significant offering as customers began requesting that they provide that service. Recent years have brought more space with the acquisition of a second building that houses their CNC and fabrication shop. Their fleet of additive manufacturing equipment has continued to grow and has us positioned as one of the largest independent service bureaus in the U.S. They operate every day with a commitment to excellent customer service as they strive to be easy to do business with.

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