Crystal Group expands production in Hiawatha

Crystal Group, an employee-owned small business in Hiawatha, has expanded its manufacturing capabilities.

Michael Kruger, Crystal Group vice president of manufacturing, said in a news release that the company has added conformal coating automation and two state-of-the-art computer numerical control (CNC) machines.

Conformal coating automation allows the company to produce consistent coating protection on circuit boards. The coatings protect circuit boards against moisture, chemicals, large temperature variations, mechanical vibration and other harsh environment conditions.

Last year, Crystal Group moved its CNC operation to a new 10,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the company's factory in Hiawatha. Two new high-speed CNC machines were added this month, according to Kruger.

He said the new machines will serve the company's growing need for precision milled aluminum components used in the rugged chassis manufacturing and to meet faster turnaround times.

'Our growth in sales orders has driven expansion in our production line as well as our CNC foot print,” Kruger said. 'Our ability to enhance product reliability by manufacturing consistently high-quality rugged units can reduce potentially costly early field breakdowns.”

Crystal Group designs and manufactures rugged custom commercial computers, displays, switches and storage devices. The company has built products for defense, government and industrial markets since 1987.