by Drew Rosek, TZERO CAE specialist RJG, Inc. Part concept and design are vital elements to the molding process. Because of this, manufacturers are highly encouraged to spend additional time analyzing the design before creating the mold. Significant opportunities to decrease waste and time-to-market can be achieved with some up-front work. Factors that should be well … [Read more...] about Part Design Considerations for Manufacturability Optimization
Molds/Tooling
Preventing Unscheduled Mold Stops
by Steve Johnson, president MoldTrax Maintenance Solutions Every molder's goal is the same: to efficiently produce quality parts on time, regardless of the type of product molded. "Efficiently" was added to this mantra after the crash of 2007. In talking with thousands of employees from hundreds of molding companies all over the globe, one thing is certain - Unscheduled … [Read more...] about Preventing Unscheduled Mold Stops
Maximizing Mold Changeover Efficiency at Dorel Juvenile Products
Dorel Juvenile Group in Columbus, Indiana, is the largest child car seat manufacturer in the world. The company's 700 employees manufacture products sold under the Safety First, Costco and Eddie Bauer brands, and all molding is performed in the Columbus assembly plant on 68 injection molding machines. "Three years ago, we had 89 injection molding machines," said Gabe Revell, … [Read more...] about Maximizing Mold Changeover Efficiency at Dorel Juvenile Products
Collaboration Strategies for Tool Launches
by Dianna Brodine, managing editor Plastics Business Seven years ago, Rick Riesterer stood in front of an audience of his peers at a MAPP Benchmarking Conference and shared Plastic Components, Inc.'s best practices for program launches. Today, the best practices for the Germantown, Wisconsin, plastics molding company have a completely different starting point. While the … [Read more...] about Collaboration Strategies for Tool Launches
Investing in the Tool Room
by Dianna Brodine, Plastics Business Cosmetic Specialties is a custom package company serving the cosmetics and personal care industry in Oxnard, California. With 37 injection molding machines, 135 active mold bases and 276 sets of inserts, efficiencies - or inefficiencies - in the tool room have a significant opportunity to affect quality, delivery times and bottom-line … [Read more...] about Investing in the Tool Room