Aprios: Leading Innovator in Custom Injection & Additive Manufacturing

Employee-owned Aprios is a custom contract manufacturer specializing in high-precision, close-tolerance, injection-molded and digitally manufactured components for medical device, filtration, aerospace, and a variety of other industrial markets. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., the company provides comprehensive design and manufacturing services from Design for Injection Molding (DfIM) assistance and mold construction to intricate molding and cleanroom assembly.

Aprios, originally named Diversified Plastics, Inc., was founded in 1977 by James R. Dow and William J. Cullen. Cullen retired in 2000, while Dow retired in 2017. On November 1, 2011, the employees took ownership as part of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). The company’s chief executive officer is Alex Danzberger.

Aprios started production with 13 employees and three injection molding machines, renting 2,300 square feet of space in another manufacturer’s building. Design Tool & Engineering, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aprios since 1984, handles all injection mold design services and maintenance. In 2018, Aprios became a Carbon production partner. A service of Aprios’s Acceleration Station™, Carbon’s Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) technology provides Carbon DLS Prototyping and additive manufacturing services for end-use parts using engineering-grade materials customized for mechanical properties, surface finish, and stability. In 2019, Aprios acquired Pacific Plastics Injection Molding in Vista, Calif.

Aprios is uniquely qualified to offer high-precision Medical Injection Molding, cleanroom assembly, and medical device manufacturing. The company’s ISO Class 8 cleanroom (Class 100,000) has positive airflow and is temperature and humidity-controlled to produce precise medical components. In addition, Aprios has two environmentally controlled molding and assembly areas. Sonic welding, assembly, and medical packaging are several of the available secondary manufacturing processes.

Aprios is ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified, ITAR registered, and UL recognized. Registered with the FDA, the company follows FDA 21 CFR 820 specifications. Its procedures include Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), Performance Qualification (PQ), and other validation requirements. Strict lot traceability is maintained at all times. Aprios has extensive experience molding PEEK, Ultem, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and many other medical-grade resins, including FDA-approved dyes. The company also delivers 3D Printed Prototypes, Medical Device Prototypes, Rapid Prototyping Services, mold making, assembly, machining, decoration, silk screening, and general packaging.