Changes/Problems – your knowledge base determines how you approach them

As engineers, we are problem solvers. It is said, effective problem solving requires a clear understanding of the problem, a defined objective and sufficient information to allow the discovery of an acceptable resolution to the problem.

In plastic/composite injection molding there are two knowledge bases: injection molding processing, and material science knowledge regarding the resin being processed. Which one is more critical to getting parts from a mold?

I read a recent opinion piece talking about the changes ahead for the injection molding automotive suppliers as legislation starts to dictate the move from internal combustion to electric vehicles (EV).* Designers will require new resins to replace metal, and molders will have to learn to use these new resins, on an accelerated scale.

At a Memorial Day Weekend civic festival, I met a great many relatives of a friend, who were curious about me and what I did. After explaining our molding business and replying that yes there are many competitors, I explained what makes us better to earn market share and new customers.  

The concept of keeping up with resin changes dovetails into my frequent conversations on what sets PlastiCert apart.

Conventional thinking has educational institutions and manufacturers thinking they need to teach/train people how to injection mold first, and then how to work with different resins based upon that molding knowledge base.

At PlastiCert, our engineers have a material science education, and then learned how to injection mold. We think that understanding the material and then incorporating that into BOTH the mold design AND the molding process makes for a more successful mold start-up and efficient manufacturing process.

All of our engineers are graduates of the Composite Materials Engineering program at Winona State University. We feel this approach, understanding the resins, and then how to apply that to the mold and molding, has been instrumental to our success. Having our mold design and build capability in-house also means that the message of what the customer wants and what we need to do in molding production gets communicated and implemented.

We have had numerous programs transferred into PlastiCert, from molders that “could not make the part” consistently.

Is your molder struggling to make your part? Higher scrap and raising prices due to that and increased molding inefficiencies?

Give us a call. PlastiCert is an expert at incorporating new and “difficult” resins to complex part designs. In fact, we’ve been told, “that is the most complex part in that resin I have ever seen”.