- Mike brings confidence and
experience that boosts our modelmaking resources to state-of-the-art
levels.
 Everyone
at Omnica believes they have the best job in the house. On the “bliss
scale”, however, no one comes close to Mike Ammerman’s score. He is
our Modelshop Manager (picture at left). His job is to build and
construct models from materials like aluminum, foam, urethane, and
acrylic, to name a few.
Mike
has been building models professionally for 33 years.
In
that time he has built hundreds of mock-ups, replicas, and
duplicates of existing and conceptual products. The list of models he has
constructed is amazing, ranging from tiny electronic component modules to
a 25-foot long fiberglass military tank (see
picture at right).
We
asked Mike to explain how modelmaking has changed over the years. “There
is more to modelmaking today than there was in the past. When I started,
everything was built from hand drawings in mostly acrylic and foam. CAD
has influenced the precision of models, and exotic materials like
the new urethanes can mimic some engineering plastics. Models can be
constructed faster and much more accurately these days. Those two factors
have made modelmaking a more integral part of the design process.
Customers are asking for models more often for product testing and sales
demonstrations. It makes a big difference when you can hold something in
your hand.”
He
can model just about anything.
Mike
believes the greatest contribution he makes to the team effort is the
confidence that he can figure a way to model just
about anything. His confidence is a gift he continues to develop by
constructing even the most complicated models starting from sometimes only
a hand sketch. His abilities benefit our customers by enabling us to
explore colors, form factors and different durometers – much faster than
“pre-Mike” days. Come visit and we’ll show you what he can do.
We
make a lot more than models. Click
here to learn about how we perform R and D at Omnica.
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