A toolmaker, a die,
and the rest is extrusion.
In 1971, Thomas Hannen, a tool and die maker by trade, founded Patwin Plastics. Thomas understood something most people didn't: the die is the heart of any extrusion. Get the die right and the profile takes care of itself. He started by running OEM profiles like T-molding, U-channels, and bumper molding for customers who needed precise, repeatable parts.
Outwater Plastics became one of the earliest distribution partners and still moves Patwin product today. Most of what we extruded in those early decades shipped under someone else's name, into the furniture industry, into point-of-purchase displays, into the back of products you'd recognize without ever knowing we made the part.
In the late 1990s we asked a different question: what else can we make? The answer turned out to be fencing, then decking, then mouldings, railings, siding, and porch flooring. American Pro Building Products launched in 2001 as the brand for the building products line, the first time finished product ever shipped under our own name.
Still in the family
Patwin is run today by Thomas's sons, Timothy Hannen and Thomas Hannen Jr., with the next generation of the family already coming up through the business. The plant has changed. The ownership structure hasn't.
What we believe
Most of what we make still doesn't carry our name. American Pro is what we ship under our own banner: the cellular PVC products we'd install on our own homes.
We don't chase trends. We cut dies, run extrusions, ship on time, and stand behind every linear foot. Fifty-plus years in, the same family is still running the plant.
The story so far
What we do
in-house.
Patwin Plastics is a vertically integrated polymer extruder handling compound chemistry, tooling, extrusion, and reinforced composite co-extrusion under one roof in Linden, NJ. One point of accountability from drawing to production sample, with the full polymer slate, the die work, and the finished profile owned by the same engineering team.
Compound mixed on-site
100% in-house compounding, no pellet sourcing. We control filler load, impact modifier, UV package, and regrind blend by lot, with full color matching on any color the job requires. Same compound feeds every Patwin profile, from OEM parts to American Pro decking.
A full tool room, in-house
Patwin runs a fully staffed engineering and machine shop, with both wire and sinker EDM, in-house die design, and polymer flow simulation. Dies, calibration tooling, cooling tanks, vacuum tables, and downstream pullers are designed and built here, as a matched system. Outside tooling work is welcome, with preference for exclusive production use on Patwin lines.
Profiles up to 15" × 8"
Single-, dual-, and tri-extrusion across the full polymer slate, in profiles up to 15" wide and 8" thick. Reinforced co-extrusion is run in-house with continuous glass fiber, aluminum, or carbon fiber cores bonded to polymer in a single pass. Capacity scales to meet OEM production volumes.
3D-printed profile prototypes
Bring a drawing, a sample, or a problem. We model the profile, 3D-print a prototype for fit and feasibility, iterate the geometry against downstream operations, then cut the production die. Customers see a part in hand before committing to tooling.
Three ways to engage: send a drawing, send a sample, or describe the problem. A 3D-printed prototype is the fastest feasibility path before tooling is cut, and we can quote back tolerances, materials, and price from any of the three.
Talk to engineeringTry the
real thing.
The best way to understand what we make is to hold it. We'll send you full-size product samples, no obligation, no follow-up calls unless you ask for them.