One of the great truths of modern life is that we use dozens, if not hundreds, of products every day, yet we know so very little about the expertise, controls, and care that go into making them. One of the best illustrations of this maxim comes from a privately owned company in Minnesota named RTP Company, which combines precision manufacturing with the strictest standards of material purity.

RTP is in the business of producing custom-engineered thermal plastics. As consumers, we may encounter these ultra pure and clean compounds when they are utilized in critical applications such as drug packaging, biotechnology, electronics, food handling, and healthcare devices.

For its most environmentally sensitive work, the company has established a 3,300 square foot ultra-clean compounding center with three extrusion lines. Only approved persons and materials can enter the facility through a positive pressure-locked door. Clean-room controls mitigate against dust, aerosol particles and chemical vapors. Extrusion, cooling, pellet-forming and packaging can all be conducted in the clean room.

The extruders are automated with touch-screen controls, allowing immediate access to data and traceability. Employees are trained to ensure extrusions are accurately completed to precise tolerances. The facility can produce quantities of compounds ranging from 50 pounds to truckload quantities, and extensive quality assurance processes are in place to ensure quality regardless of compound or volume.

In addition to its headquarters facility in Winona, Minnesota, RTP produces compounds at other factories in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota; Fort Worth; Indianapolis; South Boston, Virginia; and Dup, Illinois; as well as abroad in France, Mexico, Singapore, and China. All of the facilities have extensive quality controls in place, and all are ISO 9001 registered.