Take a look at recent headlines and you will notice a lot of buzz about manufacturing. Manufacturing in the United States is experiencing a renaissance along with all things made in America. Even Wal-Mart has pledged to increase the number of U.S. made products it purchases to $250 billion by 2032.
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Over the past 40 years, U.S. manufacturing has been off-shored to places like China and India. In 1965, manufacturing comprised 53 percent of the economy. By the end of the 1980’s, it had shrunk to a 39% share. By the first decade of the 21st century, manufacturing fell into the single digits at 9%.
There are many people that contribute to the success of our business. First, there are the employees who come to work every day to give their best. Some work in manufacturing making the finest injection molded products available. Others use their engineering skills to create innovative part designs. And the craftsmen, our tool makers, build precision and quality with hardened steel. Of course we can’t forget our support staff, the folks that keep the plant going, keep our customers happy, our quality standards high and make sure inventory is on hand and ships on demand.
During a recent quarterly meeting of the Manufacturing Alliance of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, business leaders gathered to discuss key issues impacting the local manufacturing climate.
The number of polymer compounds has grown over the past 20 years. As a result, plastics are being used in more applications than ever before. These materials are gaining a reputation for strength and endurance. Combine these improvements with the advantages of corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal and plastics are taking center stage in the manufacturing of many consumer and industrial components. Due to their versatility, strength and light weight characteristics, plastics are taking a larger role in the transportation, medical and construction industries.
Manufacturing high-quality plastic injection molded parts takes a lot of attention to detail. There are four key factors that determine if a large-volume project will go smoothly. They include:
Part Design -- Tool Design and Build -- Material Selection -- Manufacturing
The mere mention of robots taking over manufacturing sends apocalyptic terror throughout the factory. Tales of an army of zombie robots replacing workers may sell news stories, but it is far from the truth.There are many key differences between robots and zombies.
In our series on creating the perfect high-quality plastic part, we began by outlining four key factors that impact the process including part design, tool building, material selection and manufacturing. In this article, we will focus on the final stage, manufacturing.
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