About Us and our Plastic Injection Molding

1959 – 1961
United Plastic Products, Founded by Craig O. Hollenbeck.
Distributor of plastic rod, sheet and tubing,

1961 – 1965
Became a manufacturer of fabricated plastic parts.
Development of first plastic ball grinder. Form ground 3/32” dia. Nylon ball blanks for Hartford Bearing from plastic rod. Balls used in bearing for a propeller that ignited fuse for cluster bombs. Form ground that was developed for military use in cluster bombs. Form ground handles for Penn Fishing Reels.  Form ground first plastic balls for gun turrets on Abrahms Tanks.

1965 – 1993
Company moved and changed names to Clifton Plastics, Inc.
1966 – purchased first plastic injection molding machine. Began molding plastic ball blanks for lower cost and faster production. Added Tool-and-Die shop to the facility to build plastic injection molds, jigs, and fixtures.
1967 – purchased precision metal ball lapping equipment from SKF Bearings.
Converted lappers to grind precision plastic balls.
1968 – added Automatic Screw Machines to fabrication area to machine PVC balls for valves from bar stock. Machined valve stems, bodies and tops for two, three and four-way ball valves.
1970 – Clifton Plastic becomes a major custom injection molder for precision components. Developed plastic bullets for 40mm and 50mm guns for use during pilot training.
1975 – increased plant size from 20,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet. Added additional injection molding capacity.
1976 – developed special coated plastic balls for radioimmunoassay tests with Abbott Laboratory. First laboratory test kits for Hepatitis.
1985 – Craig Hollenbeck Retires and sons take over the business.
1993 – Clifton Plastics sells everything but ball grinding operations to an investment firm.

1993 –  1998
Formation of Craig Technologies, Inc. specializing in the manufacture of precision plastic balls. Sizes range from 1/16” to 10” in diameter. All standard metric and fractional sizes are available. Today, Craig is known in the industry as a specialty ball manufacturer.  We have the ability to custom manufacture any size ball in a wide variety of plastic materials.  Our product is sold worldwide direct to original equipment manufacturers and distributors. Our product is used in household appliances such as automatic drip coffee makers, to high load bearings on sail boats, to I.V. backflow valves.

1998
Craig Technologies leaves PA facility and purchases 25,000 square foot industrial facility in Seaford Industrial Park. Expands ball grinding capacity and re-enters high volume ball manufacturing for industries such as automotive and non-aerosol spray pumps.

2006
Craig Technologies receives $570,000 in DE State financing to modernize and expand production capacity on plastic balls. New all electric injection molding equipment and mold tooling is purchased for captive molding of ball products, new 36” lap grinder purchased. DE State grant received to fund completion of ISO certification program.

Craig Ball Sales is established by the owner’s of Craig Tech in partnership with RGP International, Milan Italy as a Distributorship for USA sales of metal, glass and ceramic balls.

2007
Purchase of Flow Smart, producer of high purity polymer components by owners of Craig Technologies.

2008
Flow Smart moves into Craig Technologies’ facility.

2009
Purchase of Linus Tooling, producer of mold tooling, jigs and fixtures. Startup of Global Diversified Sales, LLC, Manufacturer Sales Representative Agency selling for CTI, CBS, FSI & LTI along with approved principles. Craig expands production on large diameter Frac balls for new horizontal oil well drilling.

2010
Lease/Purchase 13,500 sq. feet building, 108 Park Avenue, Seaford Industrial Park. RLDP/Craig applies for $500,000 in DE State Financing for renovations and move of Linus Tooling to Seaford, DE.  Lease 7500 sq. feet 118 Park Avenue, Bldg. 4, Seaford Industrial Park for Craig Ball Sales.

2011
Craig Technologies leases additional 7500 sq. feet 118 Park Avenue, Bldg. 1, Seaford Industrial Park.  Inventory from main facility to be transferred to make room for new 370 Ton Negri Bossi Injection Molding Press, and future other equipment later this year.  Craig Technologies purchases business assets of University Plastics, Ann Arbor, MI., and moves the molding equipment and injection ball tooling into Craig’s facility, Seaford, DE.

2012
Nesbitt Partners, LLC purchases Century Window building for $1.7 million. Building consist of 60,000 square feet and will house the Flow Smart operation. New molding and extrusion equipment to be added to manufacture gaskets and silicone hose inside newly constructed Class 7 & 8 clean rooms. Financing provided by DEDO, Strategic Fund for building purchase($980,000) & Grant of ($197,000) for 54 new employees. Infrastructure fund grant of $87,000 for road extension between Craig & Flow buildings granted to City of Seaford.   Craig Tech to also move warehousing from leased facilities to Flow Smart building, will occupy 25,000 sq. feet.

D & G Compression Products is established to purchase assets of Compression Products, Inc., in Sheffield, MA a mfg’r of preforms. Equipment and business assets are relocated to Seaford, DE to new 5,000 square feet space in back of Flow Smart building.

Craig Tech expands injection molding operation by purchasing a new 220 Ton Negri Bossi molding system to process Torlon and Peek materials for the ball product line.  Craig will now be totally captive in the molding of its proprietary plastic ball product line.  Craig also expands Compression Molding capacity with the purchase of additional equipment for added capacity on Frac balls and other components.

Linus Tooling expands capabilities by purchasing new Mazak Horizontal NC Quick Turn Nexus 350MY2KY 60” lathe for production of oil field components

2014
Craig purchases a new Makino A51 Production milling machine to expand fabrication capabilities at Linus.

Linus Tooling, Inc. changes its name to Craig Tooling and becomes an operating Division of Craig Technologies.

D & G Compression products as a corporation is closed and the operations are consolidated into Craig Technologies.

2015
Flow Smart operation is sold to Watson Marlow Fluid Technology, a Division of Spirex Sarco Engineering, UK.

2017

Purchased April 2017 new 200 Ton Wabash Compression Molding Press Model DA200-3636-2TMX 20" Stroke with 36" x 36" max mold size on platen.

2018

Purchased Oct. 2018 New Mazak Nexus 530C Verticle Milling Machine 60 Tool Magazine, 15,000 RPM Spindle, Renishaw Probe

2020

Purchased June 2020 New Fanuc Robodrill ADV RPM Haberle Verticle Machining Center 60 Tool holder capacity with 60 Pallets Renishaw Probe

Purchased Nov. 2020 New Wenzel CMM Model XO55 500mm with Y axis, Renishaw probes

We here at Craig Technologies are proud of our long history in the plastics field. Please fee free to read the below timeline of how we have grown into one of the leading manufacturers of plastic parts in the world.