How Companies Like Minalex are Making Smaller Parts with Bigger Impact

The days of "Bigger is Better" as an oft repeated business buzz phrase are coming to an end. Across many industries, the trend in recent years has been all about miniaturization: the manufacturing of ever-smaller mechanical, optical, medical, and electronic products and devices. Take the electronics industry as an example: the size of microchips has grown smaller, and as a result everything related to it in the supply chain has adjusted to accommodate the new, compact size.

Many companies are realizing benefits such as efficiency, logistics and material reductions, so the expectation is that miniaturization will continue to be a major paradigm shift in advanced manufacturing. Minalex Corporation, family-owned and founded more than 50 years ago, has been at the forefront by manufacturing high-tolerance, small-profile custom aluminum extrusions. Product miniaturization demands innovative manufacturing technologies and techniques. The inherent properties of aluminum as a light, durable, rust proof material, and one that can be extruded to extremely tight tolerances, make it an ideal solution as parts and products get smaller across many industries. And, as products get smaller, using plastic is not always viable as plastic components cant be constructed to extremely tight tolerances at small sizes.
Computers are a perfect example of the endless progress and possibilities of miniaturization - while parts have grown smaller, advantages have increased: theyre lighter, occupy less space, consume less energy, require less material to manufacture, yet offer more data storage and process at higher speeds.
Michael Casey, Head of Extrusion Applications and Design at Minalex explains, "Just because something gets smaller does not change the expectation of performance. If anything, theres a presumption of improved performance. Precision in manufacturing then becomes of greater importance."
The Minalex Corporation seamlessly manages every phase of the design, extrusion, fabrication and finish of custom aluminum parts for multiple industries. Across the companys history, they have participated in the miniaturization movement first hand, and in virtually every industry sector:
Lighting
The lighting industry recognizes the advantages of miniaturization; LEDs for display and under-counter lighting are now miniscule in size, versus much larger channels fitted with traditional bulbs. With technological evolution, multiple channels fitted with LED strips offer greater, more even illumination and last longer. Minalex is at the forefront of production of the aluminum tracks that house these LED strips.
Aerospace
Satellites are shrinking in size, and that means the parts being developed are more intricate and still have to maintain core functionality. As satellites electronics get smaller, the cooling systems also have to shrink in size, yet provide optimum performance in harsh confines of outer space. Minalex manufactures the custom aluminum extrusions to help enable satellites cooling systems operate.
Medical
There has been a measured shift in size reduction within surgical and medical applications to support minimal or non-invasive surgeries. Minalex produces an aluminum extruded rod for use within a bone saw that is as thin as a piece of spaghetti, yet precisely crafted for durability and optimum performance throughout the lifecycle of the device.
Electronics
The dimensions of handheld scanners have dramatically diminished in recent years. What started out as a rather large and bulky device, is today produced at less than half the size. Minalex creates the interior extrusions that secure a scanners electronic components. When the company initially started producing them, scanners were more than double the size they are now. However, even at roughly half the previous size, there is, similar to many other electronic devices, every indication of outstanding performance.
"The miniaturization trend will continue into the foreseeable future," Casey concluded. "And as the growing legions of end users continue to have a higher expectation of product and technology performance, supply chain manufacturers must continue to meet the challenges of delivering high quality at small scales. At Minalex, we have the advantage of more than 50 years of experience producing custom extrusions at extremely small sizes and tight tolerances. Our entire team is experienced and well prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities that miniaturization represents."
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About Minalex Corporation
Minalex Corporation, located in Whitehouse Station, NJ, has been a family-owned business since it was founded more than 50 years ago. An industry leader, The Company manufactures high-tolerance, small-profile aluminum extrusions specializing and excelling at producing the most custom solutions. As a full-service organization, it provides finished, high-quality products, both standard and custom, that conform exactly to customer specifications. Minalex Corporation is a fully AS9100 and ISO9001 certified company with AMS Specs, MIL Spec and QQ Specs.
For more information about Minalex Corporation, please visit: http://www.minalex.com