As one of the fastest growing scientific and engineering technologies in the world, Nanotechnology holds an incredible amount of potential, especially in the manufacturing and plastics industries. But it is also being used in fields such as bioscience, medicine,...
While far from certain, the future of plastics manufacturing in the United States is showing some current trends that are worth watching closely. "Economists and analysts are watching trends in manufacturing closely, as it’s an industry that is in part driving the...
The world of injection molding has advanced substantially, and new approaches are being adopted continuously to reduce costs. Most of these approaches look to methods of lean manufacturing to save material, eliminate secondary processes and operations, and use smaller...
In the injection molding industry, waste is a problem. During the molding process, the generated waste can be expensive and…well, wasteful. Having a waste management system in place can help reduce waste and make the molding process more efficient and cost effective....
"The future of plastic manufacturing in the United States is far from certain, but many trends are beginning to take shape." 3D printing and similar innovations are accelerating pace. And new production procedures are always being talked about and modified, whether...
5 Major Advantages to Using Plastic Injection Molding for the Manufacturing of Parts Plastic injection molding is extremely versatile method of producing parts and products. It is one of the preferred methods for manufacturing parts because it has multiple advantages...
Creating and Managing Culture Change Whether it's a fully-fledged lean manufacturing shift or just a stronger sense of community in the break room, companies are becoming more concerned about creating a sense of culture in the work place, especially when change is...
In this article we will get into issues with tool design with shut-offs, parting line maintenance, and where the machine can contribute to flash. First, I would like to briefly go over how to define flash. Flash at times can be difficult to eliminate, and many will give up and accept this defect. Flash also can be miss-diagnosed at times with miss-matched parting lines or feather flash. I have seen miss-match called flash many times, but if it is flash you can see or feel it from both sides, miss-match will only be seen or felt from one side. “Feather flash” can also be incorrectly diagnosed as flash. Feather Flash is little stingy pieces of plastic along the edge of a part on the main parting line. This is caused from lack of clamp force and the mold blowing open under injection pressure, allowing the plastic to flow between the shut-offs. When the plastic pressure reduces, the clamp tonnage compresses the plastic and creates little stings.
I hope you found the first article on flash free molding interesting. [Read Flash Free Molding Part 1.] I covered cavity pressure versus clamp pressure and will talk tool deflection in this article. Tool design and construction can be a contributor to flash issues....
If you're looking for an injection molder for your project, it is important you find one that suits your needs and offers you the best possible injection molding service. In all probability, you will continue using the same molder for all your projects, as long as you...
Any amount of rework or scrap in lean manufacturing points to an opening for improvement. The biggest challenge is realizing the source of the problem. Once the root cause is determined, lean manufacturers can achieve improved levels of scrap minimization. If proper...
New research from MIT Sloan School of Management is finding that it's often more costly for companies to offshore. This is an interesting article, encouraging manufacturing companies to explore all their options before taking their manufacturing of products and parts...
Statistics are high for injuries and deaths in the work place. Manufacturers need to be more cautious than most, and so this article from Daily Safety Advisor is an important read. Outlining the biggest hazards to recognize, this post is a sample of the worst that can...
#140147603 / gettyimages.com "Despite the economic crunch facing the nation’s domestic manufacturers, a number of operators have managed to survive and flourish in tough conditions." Here is a great article from Dynamic Business that outlines just how some...
Bioplastics Play Increasing Role in Packaging Solutions #187837406 / gettyimages.com New trends in bioplastics include greener innovations to provide high-quality fully compostable packaging. Here is an interesting article from Plastics Today that discusses packaging...
Nearly all processing operations tend to generate regrind. Hence, it is important that you have the ability to reprocess that right into the operations, especially since the cost of resins and plastics is soaring sky-high. Moreover, some processes tend to generate...
