VIDEO: From Basement Beginnings to 3D Printing Success
Zero Tolerance grew from humble beginnings into a moldmaking powerhouse by blending traditional machining with innovative plastic and metal 3D printing.
Watch this “View from the Shop” series produced by MMT sister brand Modern Machine Shop with Senior Editor Julie Hider.
Steve and Jamie Michon are familiar figures in MoldMaking Technology. Their company, Zero Tolerance, has been featured numerous times. Founded with a strong family foundation and plenty of grit, this shop has since carved out a reputation for blending traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. In 2011, what started in a Kansas basement quickly evolved into a thriving moldmaking and injection molding business.
Early challenges—living with parents, raising four kids and starting a shop from scratch—didn’t slow the team down. Instead, they turned obstacles into opportunities. By diving into both toolmaking and molding, they discovered ways to set themselves apart, most notably through the integration of 3D printing.
At first, 3D printing was a personal curiosity, with parts being printed on a MakerBot in the basement. That curiosity quickly became an advantage when the shop began producing fixtures, tooling components and even customer parts using both plastic and metal 3D printing. From pad-printing fixtures and end-of-arm tooling to complex conformal cooling inserts, 3D printing has helped them cut costs, improve precision and reduce cycle times.
Their shop floor today showcases not just high-end five-axis machining and EDM capabilities, but also a compact Xact Metal 3D printer running stainless steel. The combination allows Zero Tolerance to merge additive and subtractive technologies, taking prototypes and production molds to a new level of efficiency.
As they continue to serve demanding markets like medical, defense and aerospace, Zero Tolerance’s journey proves that success in moldmaking comes from equal parts resilience, innovation and an openness to new ideas.
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