British Manufacturing since 1897
2024 marks 100 years since Willie J Charlesworth, our great great grandfather, ventured into the exciting new world of moulding plastics. In 1924 Willie J, with his son Percy, started to experiment with compression moulding the latest resin, O.20 (Owe-twenty). They were the first customer in the Birmingham area of the Damard Lacquer Co, which later become Bakelite. Initially moulding insulated terminals, plugs and sockets for wireless equipment he soon saw the potential for this remarkable new material.
One hundred years later, while we continue to use traditional materials and processes that would be familiar to Willie J, we also strive to utilise the latest advances in materials and processes.
Whatever your requirement, benefit from Charlesworths heritage of bespoke plastic and rubber moulding.
Charlesworths are able to offer our customers injection moulding & compression moulding of thermoplastic & thermosetting plastic materials, insert & outsert moulding, advice and assistance with product design and material choice, rapid prototype using 3D printing, tool design and manufacture.
Charlesworth & Son Videos
Charlesworth & Son History
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1960’s
An increase in demand for technical mouldings led to Percy designing & building another new type of Transfer Moulding machine. This time to achieve accuracy in moulding micro components, with or without inserts.. Our first automatic Injection Moulding machine, an Italian GBF, was bought in 1962, allowing long production runs for the first time. It was at this time…
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1950’s
1950’s By Easter 1950 Percy had a built our first Transfer Moulding press. This was designed, manufactured & assembled completely in house using our own tool-room, and are still very much in use today. Cyril & Joyce’s daughter Jeannette was born in December. In 1951 we started producing our first mouldings in thermoplastics -acrylic Diakon, nylon…
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1940’s
The outbreak of war in 1939 saw a massive decline in demand for Charlesworth Mouldings existing products. Percy began working with another local moulding company, but before long demand for plastic components to support the war effort had increased. 1941 saw Percy & Cyril form a business on their own as Charlesworth & Son. They…
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Early Years
Willie J Charlesworth was born in Nottingham in 1864. He became a skilled toolmaker, working all over the country in places such as Woolwich Arsenal, London; Grantham; West Hartlepool; Bristol. Moving to Aston, Birmingham in the 1890’s working for Webley & Scott, Wolseley, Austin & Thomas Walker & Son. By 1897 he had started his…