MADE IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
PAGE 26
September 28/29, 2021
PAID CONTENT
JUST THE FACTS
1232 Willow St., Faribault 507-334-8000 Tynikmolding.com sales@tynikmolding.com
3D printing has made it easier than ever to bring your designs to life, and TyNik Molding can help ensure your model is easily moldable. They’ve even begun using leading-edge 3D printing technology to create the molds themselves. (Photo courtesy of TyNik)
Dream it, design it, make it with TyNik Molding BY BRIDGET KRANZ
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f you dream it, TyNik Molding can make it. Owner Kevin Coon has four decades of experience in plastic injection molding and prototype development. He can help take a project from a sketch to a three-dimensional rendering, from a rendering to a mold, and from a mold to a finished product. Need help on just one leg of the journey? No problem. TyNik Molding can assist with that as well. Kevin started the business with his wife Brenda in 1985 under the name Innovative Mold Specialists. He had graduated from the Tool and Die program at Faribault Area Vocational Technical Institute a few years earlier and spent the first part of his career making and repairing molds at the former Northland Plastics in Faribault. Before that, Kevin had owned an auto repair shop since the age of 15 and had always loved working with and fixing machines. When Kevin and Brenda opened their own business, Kevin worked on tooling and sales, while Brenda ran the office and oversaw ordering. The company grew quickly and developed a large medical clientele. One highlight for Kevin was creating plastic parts for Medtronic pacemakers. Minneapolis investors purchased the
medical molding division in 2008, and Brenda and Kevin continued on as TyNik Molding -- named for their two sons, Tyler and Nik. Made in Faribault … Kevin and Brenda have helped several local clients over the years improve their businesses through quality, custommade plastic parts. They provide service that’s just down the street, keeping dollars in the local economy. One of Kevin’s favorite parts of the job is helping customers find new ways of incorporating plastic parts to improve their product — or working with companies to produce locally what they may currently be purchasing from out-of-state. While they have a diverse range of corporate clients, you don’t have to be an established business to work with TyNik Molding. Come in with a sketch for a product idea, and Kevin can help make it reality. One of the company’s specialties is prototype development, as well, helping clients work the kinks out of a design before going to market. “A woman came to us recently with a product idea that she’d had for over two decades. Everyone had told her that the job wasn’t big enough for them,” said Kevin. “She found us through a Google search and called me. Within days, I had
With the advent of 3D printing, it’s easier than ever to bring your own design to life — but many people jump to take advantage of this new technology, without fully understanding the molding process needed to then manufacture that product on a large scale. Kevin helps customers turn a sketch into a 3D model that will not only work from a fit and function standpoint but will also be easily moldable. “I have a lot of fun with converting sketches into 3D models. I love to help people, and it’s great to see their idea come to life,” he said. “There are more and more programs out there to design 3D models. Everyone is doing it, but not understanding the process. When it comes time to mold their parts, they find out the part isn’t moldable and have to start from scratch. I lend decades of design and molding experience to the creation of the 3D model — making it less costly in the long-run.” … used around the world (and beyond)! While TyNik Molding often works locally, they also export Faribault-made plastic products around the world — and to outer
TyNik Molding is a family business. Kevin Coon and his wife, Brenda, started the company in 1985. Their sons, Tyler, center, and Nik, right, inspired the business’ name. Both now work at the shop. (Photo courtesy of TyNik)
a three-dimensional model for her to look at. A month later, we had a mold and plastic parts and she’s now selling her product.”
space. One of the highlights of Kevin’s career has been making components for the Space Shuttle program. TyNik Molding also creates plastic parts for the character cos-
