Technical Member Profile: Boston Centerless

As a PMPA technical member, Boston Centerless supplies precision ground bar materials and grinding services to precision machining companies. The ISO 9001:2000-certifed company is known for providing extremely close tolerances.

Boston Centerless was founded in 1958 by Len Tamasi. Today, 50 years later, his two sons run the business: Steve Tamasi is chief executive officer and Michael Tamasi is president.

In its early years, Boston Centerless provided through-feed centerless grinding services for other companies. The business gradually expanded its offering to include in-feed centerless, cylin-drical and internal grinding.

After more than 30 years in Malden, Mass., Boston Centerless moved to its current headquarters in nearby Woburn in 1999. The company operates in a lean manufacturing environment at its 45,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.

Boston Centerless now has three divisions: AccuRod, GrindAll and PinGage. The majority of the business is handled by the AccuRod Division, which provides ultra-precise ground bars for close-tolerance machining applications. The company works with materials such as stainless steels, titanium, aluminum and plastics, among others. The precise straightness and roundness of the bars enable increased feeds and speeds and longer tool life.

The GrindAll Division offers a range of grinding services using centerless grinders, as well as cylindrical and internal grinding of complex components.

The company’s PinGage Division manufactures a line of extremely precise gages. In addition to thread and gear measuring wires, cylindrical plug gages and optical flats, the division offers cylindrical lapping and calibration/inspection services.

More than half of Boston Centerless’ business is in the medical device market. Other markets include automotive, defense and aerospace. The company also sells to contract manufacturing firms serving a variety of industries.

Boston Centerless has been a PMPA member for the past 5 years. "The information and reports we get from PMPA are super," says Steve Tamasi. "We find them very useful. I like the economic information, such as the Maryland Economic Report. I also think the Raw Material Report is excellent. I check it out all the time."

Mr. Tamasi adds that at least eight of his employees use the PMPA Listserve. "Everyone from HR and engineering to the salespeople and executives use it," he explains. "It’s a great way for people to communicate. A lot of Listserve questions are about the machining process and material types, so we’re able to help people with that sometimes."

Although Mr. Tamasi hasn’t been to the PMPA annual meetings himself, he has sent his managers. "They get a lot of good information there," he says. The company is also active in the PMPA’s Eastern New England District and is set to host a chapter meeting in the first quarter of 2009.

Mr. Tamasi points to networking as another major benefit of PMPA. "A lot of PMPA members are potential customers," he states. "It’s a great avenue for us to try to understand what their needs are, so that we can serve them in a positive and productive manner.

"The PMPA gives us a good forum for polling members. They are all fairly progressive companies that are looking to improve their processes. We use that information as a sounding board for how we tailor our products and services to fit the market."

Boston Centerless is located at 11 Presidential Way, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801. Phone: (781) 994-5000. Toll Free: (800) 343-4111. Fax: (781) 994-5001. Web site: www.bostoncenterless.com