Manufacturing Tooling Design Fundamentals
There are many types of specialized tools used in manufacturing to make every imaginable kind of product, from shoes to submarines and everything in between. Because their variety and application are so broad, we’d like to focus our attention on forming tools, and we’ll explain how they differ from other tools found on the factory […]
A Complete Guide to Overmolding vs Insert Molding
In this article, we discuss insert molding and overmolding, the advantages of each, and the applications they’re best suited for. We hope these manufacturing insights, along with useful design tips, will help you get great results on your next plastic injection molding project. Insert molding tool What is Overmolding? Overmolding is a special form of […]
Rapid Prototyping With Polyurethane Vacuum Casting
Many plastic injection molding projects start off by first making a series of rapid prototypes. These are used to further refine the look and feel of the part, to test its functionality, and to improve the design before investing in steel injection mold tools. In this video, Gordon Styles explains why rapid prototyping using the […]
Manufacturing Cycle Times and How To Improve Them
Every business has a vested interest in carefully monitoring its productivity, especially in a manufacturing environment where repetitive tasks can be standardized and optimized. The most common metrics used for this purpose are manufacturing cycle times, lead times, and takt times. Progressive companies try to control these factors in order to save money, conserve valuable […]
Color Consistency in Plastic Injection Molding
It’s a big challenge to achieve color consistency for large production runs of plastic injection molded parts. To ensure consistency when molding colors, it’s essential that you have careful process control at every step. It’s important to note that plastic color is highly subjective – subjective in how you see and interpret plastic color. It […]
Machine Screw Thread Applications for Product Developers
In part one of this series, we looked at the fundamentals of machine screw thread design. This information is invaluable for engineers and product designers, and it’s also a fascinating look at one of history’s fundamental machine tools. Now that we know something about threads and screws in a general sense, it’s time to apply that information to specific applications. The Weakest Link Screws, threaded fittings, […]
