Polishing Achieves Crystal-Clear Finish

THE CHALLENGE

Pelco Tool and Mold came to Bales with a challenge. The custom plastic injection mold manufacturer was building a tool for a new customer, one that needed its highly visible parts—tumbler cups for the food and beverage industry—to have a very precise finish.

Fortunately, polishing steel molds to assure the finest finishes on visible parts is a Bales specialty. We’ve been providing diamond polishing since our founding in 1978; it’s how we initially made our mark in the industry.

Like Bales, Pelco has been around for decades. The company needed a partner that would support its reputation for designing and building high-precision, multiple-cavity tools.

THE SOLUTION

With Pelco—as we do with all our customers—we started by listening.

“We told them what we were looking to obtain, and Bales developed a procedure that would enable us to get there,” said Rick Hale, Plant Manager at Pelco. “We needed the mold to produce parts with a crystal-clear finish.”

What Bales recommended was polishing the mold to a #2 diamond finish, which not only assures a blemish-free part but also offers the added benefit of reducing friction and optimizing performance.

THE RESULT

Bales was able to provide the precise finish that the customer required—both aesthetically and functionally. As always, Pelco found the Bales team stands by their work.

“Their timing is exactly what they say it will be,” Hale said. “They are very easy to work with. They stand by their quote 100% of the time, and the delivery is within the time frame given.

Pelco has retained the tumbler customer ever since. Subsequently, they have awarded the ongoing business to Bales—because our team delivers quality they can count on.

“Bales continues to give us the correct finishes, allowing our tools to run just as the customer needs.”

In developing exactly what Pelco’s customer required, we made both the parts—and Pelco—shine.