The Rodon Blog - A Focus on Plastic Injection Molding and American Manufacturing

When working with any manufacturing process, a number of defects unique to that process commonly occur. This is true across many processes and industries, including injection molding and high volume injection molding.

As we have previously discussed on this blog, there are several common injecting molding defects; however, an injection molder who is vigilant about quality, like our team at The Rodon Group, will be able to manage these injection molding defects, minimizing or eliminating them all together.

At Rodon, we manufacture billions of parts every year and have done so since 1956.  We are proud to have earned a reputation for being one of the best in the industry, offering high-quality, low-cost solutions. When businesses have a need for high volume, high tolerance, intricate parts, they turn to custom plastic injection molding. 

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 also taking a larger role in the transportation, medical and construction industries. 

Here are five requirements to keep in mind when choosing your resin:

Before you can manufacture a plastic part you need to have a solid design in place. Once done, you can build an injection mold to meet the product specifications. 

The role of the Design Engineer is critical in this process. They assess the part design and make modifications and recommendations based on key product requirements including product usage and function. The engineer will need to know:

• How will the part be used? Is it a standalone product or a component of a larger assembly?
• What are the dimensional and tensile requirements?
• Does the part need to withstand elements, pressure, chemicals?

A plastic injection mold design is built with these criteria in mind. Mold cavities, vents and gate placement will vary based not only on the part design but the type of resin as well. Taking all of these manufacturing factors into account is a challenging task and one that requires a strong knowledge base, not only of mold design but the injection molding process as well.

There are many risks involved in selecting an OEM suppliers. Understanding them is essential to running a successful business. In our white paper "Hidden Risks in Your Offshore Supply Chain", we’ll examine three strategic areas to include in your supplier selection process: Cost, Scheduling, and Compliance.

Cost

Cost is not just the final price you pay for a part. Cost also includes shipping, time to market delays, quality control checks as well as labor. Cheap foreign labor is becoming more expensive.  Offshore suppliers face a more demanding workforce. And, today’s consumers are demanding that suppliers provide improved working conditions and pay. All of this is driving up the unit cost of goods sold.

This article written by Adam Robinson originally appeared on the Cerasis blog on October 28, 2015

In today's post, we feature a great infographic below from a joint report by Deloitte Manufacturing and the Manufacturing Institute. Before featuring this information so that manufacturers understand how the public views them, let's first go through a brief history of the American Manufacturing Industry by highlighting some moments & inventions that changed the way of life as we know it.