MADE IN NEVADA: Triad Technologies

in The Biggest Little City can make practically any hard object you can possibly imagine.

The process starts with a high-tech machine. "It's called a stereolithography machine and it creates prototypes similar to a 3D printer although these are very accurate and robust and you can actually test them for function," said the owner of Triad Technologies,

Greg Lattimer.

This machine creates parts with a laser beam in a vat of liquid solution.

The laser hardens the liquid it touches and the finished product is accurate to one thousandth of an inch, which is thinner than a piece of paper.

The Tritensile Fork and Spoon is one product made at Triad Technologies located at 8900 Double Diamond Parkway.

This product started with one man and his idea with a desire for camping-friendly utensils.

"These are the models that we would get from customers and then we would go through some levels of design for manufacturing," said Greg.

A prototype allows designers to identify any possible problems that need to be changed before mass production.

Tool maker Michael Botelho programs the design on a computer. Then the concept is made physical. It can take between two and twelve weeks to make just one mold.

Triad Technologies can choose from 40,000 different materials to melt and inject into molds. Some are so strong that car manufacturers make engine parts from them.

A CNC machine cuts the mold from a large metal steel block. They can weigh between 50 and 6,000 pounds.

The Tritensile Fork and Spoon is made from a special fiberglass filled nylon with some special additives to eliminate bacterial growth.

Small granules are loaded into a machine where they are melted to between 520 and 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid clear polycarbonate and the black ABS material is then injected in a mold.

Several utensils are created every minute. They call out of the machine and are then packaged by hand. You can find them on a store shelf at Scheels in Sparks.

Assistant store leader Harrison Highwood says this brand is his favorite.

"It snaps together real easy... fork, spoon, and knife...you can stab a raw carrot with this with out worrying about this breaking (and it) cuts very well. No problems," he continued.

This is just one of nearly 1,000 products made at Triad Technologies. The Company also makes medical equipment including the ZipStitch Laceration Kit.

"It's just neat to be a part of something that might be helping someone not have pain. Not suffer," said Michael.

The ZipStitch is made just like the utensils, but the mold is smaller in size. The product is three times faster and eight times stronger than sutures, according to ZipLine Medical Inc.

Triad Technologies also makes circuit boards for all kinds of applications. Some will go into lockers.

Traid Technologies is hiring highly skilled plastic injection mold makers, entry level molding machine operators, and experienced electronics technicians for printed circuit board assembly.