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Extrusion Dies & Tooling
Proprietary extrusion tooling, crossheads and BAT tooling technology, designed and built in our own machine shop.
Extrusion dies and tooling, designed and built here
MicroSpec stands alone as an independent extrusion house: every tool we extrude through is designed and fabricated in our own machine shop, and that machine shop is what most sets us apart from other extruders. Extrusion dies, tips and crossheads decide what a line can make. To extrude complex medical tubing, we handle extrusion die design in-house and engineer our own proprietary extrusion tooling. Because our machine shop is entirely in-house, our tooling experts respond to a request for change quickly and precisely. Tooling is often the difference between a part that runs and a part that never makes it out of development.
What our tooling does
- Holds geometry through draw-down, including multi-lumen and bump transitions
- Brings multiple materials together in our own co-extrusion and tri-extrusion crossheads
BAT tooling technology
In 2013 we invented BAT extrusion tooling. With it, we brought a 28-lumen tube into specification in 15 minutes, a breakthrough for multi-lumen extrusion. We applied BAT to other multi-lumen tubes and bump tubing in 2015, and used it for co-extrusion for the first time in 2024.
Our machine shop
- MasterCAM, which turns specifications into code
- State-of-the-art wire EDM machines that turn that code into precision cuts. Our first wire EDM arrived in 2008, with a second added in 2011 and a third in 2021; the original control panel went to our in-house museum in 2024
- CNC lathes, toolroom lathes and mills for tips, dies and fixtures
- Tools for keeping our dryers, extruders and lines in peak condition
The precision of our tooling comes from collaboration between our manufacturing team, our engineering and development team and our extrusion specialists. In 2023, for example, that team redesigned our spiral crosshead chuck.
On this page
Tooling facts
| Machine shop | In-house since 2006 |
| First wire EDM | 2008 |
| BAT tooling | Invented 2013 |
| Programming | MasterCAM |
| Quality system | ISO 13485:2016 |
How a tool gets made
From your print to a running die.
01
Design
Engineering turns your dimensions into a tool design, allowing for how the resin will draw down and relax.
02
Program
MasterCAM converts the design into machine code and keeps the history of previous tools.
03
Cut
Wire EDM and CNC equipment cut tips, dies and crosshead parts to precise dimensions.
04
Prove and refine
The tool runs on the line, the part is measured, and the tool is adjusted in-house until it is right.
Inside the shop
Where our tooling is made.
Why in-house tooling matters
Changes in days, not weeks.
When a die needs adjusting, our toolmakers are a short walk from the extrusion line. There is no waiting on an outside shop and no loss of knowledge between the people who design the tool and the people who run it. That speed matters most during development and validation, when every iteration counts.
It is also why we can take on parts others decline to quote. Our machine shop can make highly complex multi-lumen tools in days, not weeks.
Questions
Tooling, answered.
Questions about tooling for your part? Ask us.
Do you make your own extrusion tooling?
Yes. We design and build our own proprietary tips, dies and crossheads in our in-house machine shop.
What is BAT tooling?
BAT is the proprietary extrusion tooling technology we invented in 2013. It brought a 28-lumen tube into specification in 15 minutes and is now used across our multi-lumen, bump and co-extruded parts.
Who owns the tooling?
All tooling is proprietary to MicroSpec.
How quickly can tools be modified?
Because the machine shop is in-house, tool changes typically happen quickly, which shortens development and validation.
Have a part that needs new tooling?
Send us your specs, drawing or just describe the problem. A member of our team will follow up personally to walk through tolerances, materials and schedule.
Start a project
Tell us about your part and our team will follow up personally.
Have full drawings and tolerances? Use our detailed request form.