By Lindsey Munson, editor, Plastics Business Molders and OEMs are accustomed to the industry’s pressures when it comes to onboarding suppliers, mold production cycles, meeting customer demands, implementing new protocols, and the list goes on – but, what about the pressure that comes with a new program start-up? Of course, most, if not all molders and OEMs have a strategy … [Read more...] about Best Practices for New Program Start-Up: The Supplier Perspective
Molds/Tooling
Design Concerns for Durable Products: IML/IMD/IME
By Paul O’Hearn, engineering manager, Profile Plastics Adding decoration to injection-molded parts not only increases the attractiveness of plastic products, but also functionality and value. The inherent durable nature of appliques or ink transfer process, coupled with the ever-expanding decorative options and addition of functional electrical circuits, provides original … [Read more...] about Design Concerns for Durable Products: IML/IMD/IME
North American Tooling Spend Forecasted to Reach $8.3 Billion in 2025
Harbour Results, Inc. (HRI), Southfield, Michigan, a leading authority to the manufacturing industry, recently released the results of the Harbour IQ in-depth study on the current state of the automotive vendor tooling industry. The analysis indicates automotive vendor tooling spend in North America will increase year-over-year at a rate of 13.4% resulting in $8.3B in spending … [Read more...] about North American Tooling Spend Forecasted to Reach $8.3 Billion in 2025
What’s New and What’s Possible in Additive Manufacturing for Plastics, Metal and More
by Liz Stevens, writer, Plastics Business 3D printing has come a long way from its origins in the 1980s when researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs in labs and garages imagined ground-breaking methods and built the first machines. At first a novelty and then embraced primarily by hobbyists, additive manufacturing has matured and become a workhorse in a growing variety of … [Read more...] about What’s New and What’s Possible in Additive Manufacturing for Plastics, Metal and More
Techniques for a Successful Mold-Building Partnership
by Gene Mussel, director, Harbour Results, Inc. Today, plastic processors have many challenges to manage to maintain a successful business – from raw material price increases to labor shortages – and, several of these issues are out of leadership’s control. However, one opportunity to drive efficiency and profitability improvement – and can be controlled – is the relationship … [Read more...] about Techniques for a Successful Mold-Building Partnership