Wing It 101: Tour of the Floor

We got to visit the Freeform Polymers factory where the discs are being made and see how they make them.  They walked us through the whole process.

At the beginning of the process was the multiple machines they used to make the mold.  This is a picture of one of the awesome machines they have at the factory.

Next, we got to see the plastics that were being used to make our discs.  The picture on the left is some of the stuff they add to the plastic that will add color to the discs.  This comes in all sorts of different colors and the colors can be mixed to make other combinations.  The picture on the right is the main type of plastic that is being used for the discs.  They have pallets loaded with this stuff.

This is the actual mold!  I know I’ve shown pictures before, but this is what the mold looks like when it’s all put together, not in the machine.  Honestly it was smaller than I was expecting when I saw it in person, still large, but I guess a disc isn’t actually all that big, so it doesn’t have to be huge.

This last picture is one of the bins full of different discs from different practice runs that Freeform Polymers has been making.  Trying to get the timing right.  Trying to get the weight and the plastic combinations right.  They had to keep detailed notes to know what needed to change.  But all of that has paid off.  We got our discs consistently coming in at the right weight.  After that we sent three in for the official PDGA stamp of approval and we have heard back.  Our disc has been officially PDGA approved!

More soon, but for now, this is Jamin just winging it!