Although set up to provide tooling for our in-house RIM moulding factory, with a dedicated Patternshop, Midas can also provide specialist tooling and modelmaking services.
When approached by Etna Ovens, a specialist in the manufacture of outdoor pizza ovens, the Midas team helped develop a special mould so they could cast the iconic concrete fire brick domes that make these increasingly popular garden products so eye-catching. To date the company has already cast 50 new domes using the mould, and Etna ovens are available to view at exhibitions up and down the country, including the Ideal Home Show and Grand Designs Live.
Etna Ovens is a relatively young company started by directors Giuseppe Buttice and Rene D'Argenio. Based on the traditional Italian wood-fired oven shape, Etna’s ovens are some of the most aesthetically pleasing on the market. All of the ovens are insulated and designed to retain heat for a longer period of time. The extra insulation gives customers a quicker heat-up process and better heat retention with less wood consumption. They can be used not only for cooking pizzas, but for roasting, grilling, baking bread, smoking and stewing. Based near Bedford, Etna sells its ovens direct, typically to garden centres and nurseries all over the UK.
Each oven is fully tested for durability, quality and its ability to withstand high temperatures. As the dome takes the brunt of the heat, it has to be made from heat-resistant concrete.
“We knew of Midas Pattern as they are local to us and it proved a good decision to get them involved in the mould for our domes,” says Mr Buttice. “They helped enormously in the development process, ensuring that the mould was user-friendly and minimised production time. We cast the domes ourselves, here on site, and have already produced around 50 using the new mould.”
“The low cost, composite moulds in which Midas specialise were ideal for our requirements,” says Mr Buttice. “Although we are only producing in relatively low volumes, quality is essential. We were probably liaising with Midas for about two years in the lead-up to finalising the design.”
On all projects, the aim of Midas is to provide its customers with full support throughout the new product development cycle, from concept, through prototype creations, and on to long-term production. By experience, this strategy proves highly successful for low volume requirements where quality finishes are essential, complex and organic forms are desired, and risk and tooling investment need to be minimised. If you have a similar project then get in touch or take a look through some of our case study PU moulding examples.
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