About Hunter: From CAD Design to Assembly

Above: Pro-E software and stereo lithography are among the rapid development tools utilized by the Hunter engineering department.

At Hunter, making sprinklers involves more than assembling parts. Our Sales and Marketing Departments meet regularly with distributors, landscape contractors and specifiers to determine the types of products and features needed for today’s water-efficient projects. This active involvement with our customers helps us define the needs of the marketplace and assists us in developing products with features asked for by industry professionals.

After extensive testing to ensure value and reliability, a new product goes into production. Sophisticated CAD drawings are transferred to our main manufacturing facility and toolmakers create new tools for the molding machines. More than 125 molding machines are in use around the clock at the San Marcos facility, and more than 30 in our Cary plant.

Hunter molds thousands of parts daily – from tiny, intricate gears to very large, durable sprinkler bodies. Over 75 different types of plastic are utilized at Hunter, and we are constantly testing new materials that are stronger, more resilient and mold more consistently. This capability enables us to be at the forefront of materials research.

New manufacturing technologies are always being integrated into our production processes. Sonic welding, for example, produces an intense but precise heat that melts the plastic and forms an impenetrable weld on all assemblies.

As automated manufacturing becomes increasingly sophisticated, more Hunter products will be assembled mechanically. A complete spray sprinkler, for example, can now be built in one continuous line operation on a high-speed, Hunter-designed assembly machine.