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HOME : PLANTS : PLASTIFORM DIVISION : ABOUT Plastiform Division, Norfolk, Nebraska, USA The Plastiform Division of Arnold started as a business within the 3M Corp. (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Corp.). 3M acquired the flexible magnet product line from Leyman Corporation in the late 1960's. Manufacturing of calendered flexible ferrite magnets continued in Cincinnati, Ohio until 1975. Plastiform Division Plant, Norfolk, Nebraska A 175 acre site was purchased in Norfolk and buildings constructed with production starting there in late 1975. The plant manufactured ferrite powder which was then mixed with selected rubber binders to make the compound for calendering into continuous flexible strips. Calendering is a process of pressing the pellets of compound between rollers to form a continuous sheet. Finishing operations include slitting to width, stamping, cutting to length, sanding to precise dimension, edge profiling, coating, and laminating. Injection Molded Magnets In the early 1980's the product line was expanded to include injection molded ferrite magnets. Demand for this product type was growing rapidly in the automotive marketplace. Arnold purchased the bonded magnet business from 3M in December of 1992. The bonded magnet products offered by the Norfolk plant fit well with the existing Arnold products. The Norfolk 3M manufacturing facility was named the Plastiform Division of The Arnold Engineering Company. During 1993 the Customer Services organization was relocated from St. Paul, Minnesota to Norfolk. Construction was also started on a Product Development Laboratory which was completed in 1994. This laboratory, in conjunction with the Magnetics Technology Center at Arnold Engineering in Marengo, Illinois, have introduced numerous new products and are eminently well prepared to serve magnet customer development requirements. Compression Bonded Magnets 1995 saw the installation of a compression bonded magnet manufacturing line which consists of blending equipment, several presses, curing ovens, a paint spray-coating facility, associated quality testing equipment and a large magnetizer capable of magnetizing the strongest rare earth formulations. During the period from 1992 to 1996 numerous new products were introduced containing neodymium-iron-boron, samarium cobalt, and combinations of ferrite and rare earth -- products referred to as "hybrid" magnets. Flexible Bonded Magnets In 1996, Arnold acquired Dynacast's bonded magnet business. The injection molded magnet operation was relocated to Norfolk, Nebraska. The same year an expansion of the Norfolk plant was started, adding 30,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Completed in 1997, it provided more space for existing equipment, support functions and room for expansion. The Plastiform Division has always had excellent quality systems. For example, a plant-wide computer system allows operators process control functions at their work stations. Supervisory personnel can monitor quality performance from various office locations. In May of 1999, after several months of intense work involving all plant personnel, the Plastiform Division received QS 9000 Certification. Today, the Plastiform Division's production capabilities include complete integration from raw material preparation (ferrite manufacture and compounding) to a full range of finishing operations for flexible bonded magnets to serve the automotive, industrial, medical, craft & hobby and other market segments. TOP | BACK | HOME | HELP | MAP | CONTACT Copyright © Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Please send all web related questions/comments to the Webmaster.