If you’re looking at buying a used injection molding machine, below are some things to know/ask before purchasing. Begin with getting the year, make, model, tonnage, shot, serial number, hours & location of the machine along with photos of the machine from all 4 sides, inside the electrical cabinets, the platens, the toggle mechanism or […]
Plastic parts made using the Structural Foam process have a cellular or a structural core, surrounded with a thick outer layer (skin) that combine to give the products a greater strength to weight ratio and up to as much as twice the rigidity of the solid plastic products that are of the same material and […]
Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) are synonyms for connected devices that allow the owner to gain more efficiency and productivity from their equipment. The ability to control light switches in a home with a voice command, t-shirts that recognize your heart rate while exercising, utilizing smart technology in your refrigerator to know […]
What is injection molding? Injection molding is a manufacturing process commonly used for fabricating items from plastic trinkets and toys to automotive body parts, cell phone cases, water bottles, and containers. Essentially many of the plastic parts that we use in every-day life are injection molded. It is a quick process to create a mass […]
One of the many age-old debates that crisscross the plastic injection molding industry is that critical decision to either attempt to extend the life of an older machine or replace it. I would dare say that this is a topic far too familiar with plastics manufacturing in the United States, with an installed base of […]
It cannot be overstated that the process of selecting the appropriate screw and barrel combination for your plastics application is a critical part of the success or failure of any particular machine cell. However, most people may not realize how often that this very selection process is done in error or even done incompletely. Unfortunately, […]
What is plastic extrusion? In a basic technical definition, it is the transformation of solid plastic mass converted into a shape that can be used as produced or converted into usable products. Plastic extrusion is used in the three primary processes of producing a plastic part – extrusion, injection molding and blow molding. There is […]
The very basis of the plastics industry is, and are the pelletized materials that are manipulated, combined, synthesized, heated, injected, extruded and blown into the myriad number of molds and auxiliaries that the industry has to offer. It seems that almost every month someone is improving the materials, the processing of the materials and even […]
Plastics manufacturers are some of the more safety concerned organizations in the US today. The efficacy and safety of the products they produce, whether in medical, automotive or even packaging and consumer goods is of utmost importance to their brand, their bottom line and the lives of those consumers that utilize those products. Within that […]
As the industry continues to discuss the ever growing value/opportunity or potential impact of the Industry 4.0 (IoT) segment of manufacturing (now valued at well over $5 Trillion), little attention is being brought up regarding the basic considerations surrounding entrance into a data rich and connected future. We are in the beginning of fourth industrial […]
