Kinefac stays ahead through cutting-edge technology

Kinefac machines must maintain high levels of percision, some down to .0002 inches.

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By Savannah Donohue

Founded in 1962 by Howard Greis, Kinefac makes machines that make almost everything else.

“Our machines can be found making parts for everything from high-precision fashioners for the aerospace industry to large studs for the power generation industry,” said now Owner Leslie Greis.

Kinefac is typically assembling 20 to 30 machines at a time all in different stages of development from design to programming to construction.

“It is the staff up there that makes the difference,” said Jack Healy, former president at the trade organization Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, based in Worcester. “In Worcester, we had a large number of machine manufacturers. They are all gone, and why is Kinefac still there? The people come young and stay there.”

Continuing innovation

With increasing levels of automation in manufacturing, Kinefac stayed ahead through constant innovation.

“My father, the founder of Kinefac, always said, 'If the technology is available, use it.' As a result the emphasis is on innovation. The engineering that goes on here is really the best available within its niche,” said Greis.

In 2016, Kinefac built its largest centrifugal dryer. Designed to clean newly created parts and capture oil for reuse, Kinefac's centrifugal dryers use up to 324 g-force and use up to 225 degrees of heat, said Patrick Brogan, sales manager of the KineSpin division.

In addition, Kinefac developed a machine that can make its smallest round wire coils yet, said Mark Russell, sales engineer for the KineCoil division. Used mostly by the medical field for non-invasive surgeries these machines make coils out of wire less than the thickness of a human hair.

“Wire is so light, it is hard to guide, and static becomes a problem, but we are constantly improving,” he said.

Working on the future

Kinefac received a Manufacturing Innovation Grant for $20,000 from MassDevelopment last year, allowing the company to work with a Worcester Polytechnic Institute on internal research and development projects.

“We are constantly improving, not just not to meet the demands of our customers but to push the edges of technology,” said Greis.