MolyWorks Obtains ISO: 9001-2015 and AS: 9100AD

MolyWorks has obtained ISO: 9001-2015 and AS: 9100AD certification. ISO 9001 is an international norm for quality management systems. This certification means that it has been independently verified that a firm has done the necessary work to make its internal quality system adhere to this norm. This, in turn, means that the company has sufficiently mapped internal processes to the extent that they can perform as expected. The ISO norm allows clients to have an increased assumption that a firm can deliver on parts and services. It’s a quality signifier as well, telling you that the firm put in the time and work to perform in a more reliable and expected way.

MolyWorks Greyhound. Image courtesy of MolyWorks.

MolyWorks’ CEO Chris Eonta said:

“These certifications indicate MolyWorks commitment to provide the highest trusted products and services to our customers.” 

The AS: 9100AD certification is a standardised quality management system specifically for the aviation, defence and space industries. This stringent system is often required to work for or with other organisations that have AS: 9100AD. This is again a quality signifier in that, absent of other information; you are dealing with a serious firm that wants to be excellent.

It is also a gateway to working with these large exigent industries. Obtaining these norms and certifications is not easy. I’ve been involved in a few, and it’s frankly a nightmare. However, for companies engaged in aerospace and ancillary industries, they are a right of passage since it is a way to tell your peers and large companies alike that you’re serious about making things, promises most of all. 

The company’s in-house M290 building parts made from scrap. Image courtesy of eos.

Indeed MolyWorks spent over 1800 hours obtaining these certifications for the firm and its Cloverdale Greyhound production facility. This lets the firm make its powders according to its norms and should help it gain wider acceptance in the military and aerospace supply chain. Indeed the firm is already a long-term supplier to the US Department of Defense (DOD) through obtaining early funding for its containerised atomisation solution for metal powder manufacturing. In addition, MolyWorks has worked for NASA, the US Air Force, the Navy, and Army in making powders. Through its localised atomisation facilities, MolyWorks could be very important for these and other similar organisations. 

MolyWorks helps companies process scrap to create new parts all in one place. Image courtesy of MolyWorks.

MolyWorks could turn scrap metal into metal powder bed fusion powder locally. This could mean that an Army base could recycle its waste metal and print replacement parts. A modern military is essentially UPS with guns. In some cases, six people are working to deliver one soldier their much-needed goods. A kilo of material at a forward operating area could cost thousands of dollars due to the transport costs and the cost of protecting transport. Any time saved in getting new parts may save battles or soldiers, whereas any money saved will be quickly spent on getting troops more kits that they need more effectively.

Famously an army marches on its stomach. We have more to worry about on the modern battlefield than just grain, however. Specific parts are crucial to keeping the army working. Increasingly 3D printing will be able to make these specific bits as required when they are needed. What’s more, the firm could make recycling metal into powder cost-effective in an environmentally sustainable way. This would be of interest to companies recycling metal or those wishing to burnish their green credentials. Making powder manufacturing more spread out also lets companies that don’t have gas atomisation facilities put powder manufacturing close to where parts are needed. For countries bereft of atomisation facilities, putting in a MolyWorks Greyhound could make them more resilient and less dependent on others.

Specifically for defence, MolyWorks has a ginormous opportunity on its hands. For a merry band of inventors who started on a cofounder’s lawn, MolyWorks has a spectacular upward trajectory and potential. That is if it delivers on quality.