Northwest Aerospace News February | March 2019 Issue No. 7 | Page 44

K
urt, Greg and I started Proto Technol-
ogies with the concept of rapid prototyping,
when there were no other businesses in
Washington State doing this, claims Rory.
Greg kept his job at Keytronics for six more
months, so that we could have an income
while we built momentum with the company.
Beginning with Stereolithography (SLA),
Proto Technologies entered into developing a
new technology, providing an opportunity for
businesses to avoid expensive start-up and
unplanned design changes. In 1995 the pro-
cess of SLA was at the beginning of a steep
industry growth curve. Most companies did
not even know this technology existed, states
Rory. It was a groundbreaking opportunity
to test designs very quickly, compared to
other processes of the day. The business grew
over the next eight years — Greg and Rory
bought Kurt’s interest in Proto Technologies
in 2003, to become sole owners.
While Rory remains president and CEO, hus-
band Greg is the vice president of operations,
managing the production and engineering
intricacies for the diverse startup and first-run
projects that Proto Technologies tackles with
their many client partners.
Advancing over the past 24 years, “We still
have that same SLA machine, as we take
very good care of our equipment; of course
there have been many advancements in the
types of resins available,” states Rory. In
addition, Proto Technologies services tout not
only SLA but also Fused Deposition Model-
ing (FDM), Poly Jet, Silicon Mold, Cast Ure-
thane, Thermoforming, Full CNC Machine
Shop, Pad Printing and in-house Painting.
We are also proud of the fact we recently
received our AS9100 Rev D Certification,
as we work closely with many aerospace
clients.
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NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS