Lower Cost & Faster Delivery  

To meet the changing needs of customers, MDI is undergoing change management to help our customers meet new opportunities in their respective markets. Our focus will be to drastically reduce lead times and slash prices to levels once only found off-shore. These goals are being achieved with new internal processes and new equipment. MDI will be taking delivery of a new Haas VF2 CNC Machine Center to produce Tooling, Fixtures and Molds faster than ever with the lowest possible cost.

Hass VF2

MDI welcomes the opportunity to discuss Dip Molding, Injection Molding, or Dip Coating with anyone that has questions about any of these processes. Contact us today at 951-531-4872

Any manufacturer that has struggled in the past decade with unrelenting competition from China should take notice that America is aligning for a comeback. The Boston Consulting Group is predicting that China’s manufacturing cost will be the same as the U.S. in 2015. Events like the tsunami in Japan has caused manufacturing executives to more closely match supply location with where the demand is. Major companies like Caterpillar, General Motors, and Boeing had their global supply chains compromised by the tsunami which has spurred re-shoring back to the U.S. They are now re-shoring back to the U.S. to reduce supply chain vulnerability.

In 2000, hourly manufacturing wages in the U.S. were 32 times higher than in China. U.S. wages are expected to be only 6 times that of Chinese workers in 2015.

Federal, state and local governments are offering tax breaks, subsidies, employee training and other incentives to assist manufacturers. Interest rates are low and a ready labor pool is ready to work at reasonable wages. This is the ideal situation to make the slogan “made in the U.S.A” shine once again.

The U.S. will compete on traditional qualities like innovation and design while competing on price to once again become the preeminent manufacturer of goods in the World. There has been a growing trend for American companies to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. Businesses are coming back because the projected cost savings were never realized. The hidden costs in shipping, duties, quality, and delays erased cost savings.

Shipping cost has risen 71% in the last 4 years due to higher oil prices and less available ships and containers. IHS Global Insight

U.S. business leaders need to take steps now to be ready for the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing. While overall manufacturing cost will be converging in the next couple of years with off shore rivals, it will still be necessary to innovate and use cutting edge technologies to take advantage of this opportunity. Having competitive pricing alone won’t win back business, but innovation will.

A new paradigm will be needed to take advantage of future manufacturing opportunities. The U.S. labor force was 25% in 1980 and now accounts for just 12% of the labor force, but value of goods has remained constant. Doing more with less is the likely path manufacturing will be heading. Riding the wave of the manufacturing renaissance will require investments in technology, training, product development and more. Now is the time to build U.S. manufacturing capability to new heights.

Plastic assemblies bonded with adhesives provide higher bond strength versus mechanical fasteners. Mechanical fasteners concentrate stress in one area making failure more likely than an adhesive bond that distributes the load over a larger area. The application of mechanical fasteners is more labor intensive and thus more expensive compared to an adhesive bond. To keep costs low and bond strengths high, plastics and adhesives should be selected at the same time. The success of adhesive bonds depends upon many factors including, material type, joint geometry, operating environment, loading conditions, cure type, volume, etc. Some adhesives provide outstanding chemical and heat resistance while others offer good flexibility, and impact resistance. It’s important to consider the environment and stresses the adhesive will be in exposed to when selecting best adhesive.

Plastics like ABS, polycarbonate, polystyrene PS or polyamide PA are easy to bond with adhesive , but polyolefin’s, fluoro-polymers and silicones are more difficult and may require considerable levels of pre-treatment to bond. There are many types of adhesives to choose from in terms of chemistries epoxies, acrylics, polyurethanes etc. Adhesives can come in the form of a liquid, paste, film etc and can be cured by chemical reaction, heat, or ultra violet light. As a rule of thumb, the more similar the adhesive chemistry is to the polymer to bond then the greater the likelihood of compatibility. However, the choice of potentially suitable adhesives is complicated by the fact that there are many plastics and as many possible adhesives commercially available. With this in mind it is necessary to consider adhesive bonding technology as a serious process which requires planning and research.

The use of plastic has been around for over 150 years. Alexander Parkes invented one of the first plastic products in Great Britain in 1861. Over the decades, goods have been manufactured with plastic because of its light weight, and durability. In 1868, John Wesley Hyatt with the aid of his brother invented the first injection molding machine that would lead into the manufacturing of a simple comb. From this beginning, injection molding has gone from simple parts to the most complex parts used in today’s modern automobiles, planes, consumer products and much more.

Today, vehicles are created with a new wave of the future that includes custom injection molding. Automotive parts like dashboards, interior panels, and mechanical components are being made with plastic technology. Even car bumpers are commonly made of polyurethane bumpers which are durable and light weight. These bumpers are scratch resistant on impact which saves insurance companies money on claims. With the increasing durability of new plastics, car doors, bumpers, and other exterior parts can be added to cars with equivalent or superior safety when compared to other materials.

Plastic processors like injection molders have developed injection molding technology to replace heavy and expensive materials like metal. Plastic offers the benefits of being light weight, cost effective with improved performance. The automobile industry is an example of plastics making cars more fuel efficient and less expensive for consumers to purchase and operate.

I came across an article today in Plastic News that was quite disturbing. Apparently an injection molder shipped out a toy mold to be refurbished. Unfortunately the service provider was in China and attempted to sell the injection molds. Incredibly the owners of the tooling were tipped off by colleagues that suspected foul play. The story ends well and the rightful owners were able to recover their property, but it’s a danger that not many consider including me until I came across this article. Be certain that whoever comes in possession of your injection molds is reputable and you have some recourse if things go sorry.The full story can be read at Plastic News 

The Japanese earthquake and tsunami have led to shortages and price increases that will be felt all over the world. Processors and consumers of plastic parts will need to brace for yet another round of price increases. PVC has already spiked more than $100/ton with other resins expected to follow suit.

The steady rise in crude oil has already made for prices to increase for plastic resins. Crude oil is the feed stock for resin and moves with crude oil. Additionally, resin is a relatively small market when compared to the market for fuel oil and heating oil which accounts for 50% of the market. Resin makes up less than 5% of the market.

Plastic assemblies bonded with adhesives provide higher bond strength versus mechanical fasteners. Mechanical fasteners concentrate stress in one area making failure more likely than an adhesive bond that distributes the load over a larger area.  The application of mechanical fasteners is more labor intensive and thus more expensive compared to an adhesive bond.

To keep costs low and bond strengths high, plastics and adhesives should be selected at the same time. The success of adhesive bonds depends upon many factors including, material type, joint geometry, operating environment, loading conditions, cure type, volume, etc.  Some adhesives provide outstanding chemical and heat resistance while others offer good flexibility, and impact resistance.  It’s important to consider the environment and stresses the adhesive will be in exposed to when selecting best adhesive.

Plastics like ABS, polycarbonate,  polystyrene PS or polyamide PA are easy to bond with adhesive , but  polyolefin’s, fluoro-polymers and silicones are more difficult and may require considerable levels of pre-treatment to bond.

There are many types of adhesives to choose from in terms of chemistries epoxies, acrylics, polyurethanes etc. Adhesives can come in the form of a liquid, paste, film etc and can be cured by chemical reaction, heat, or ultra violet light. As a rule of thumb, the more similar the adhesive chemistry is to the polymer to bond then the greater the likelihood of compatibility.  However, the choice of potentially suitable adhesives is complicated by the fact that there are many plastics and as many possible adhesives commercially available.  With this in mind it is necessary to consider adhesive bonding technology as a serious process which requires planning and research.

Benefits of Adhesive Bonding

Reduce or eliminate mechanical fasteners

Reduce weight

Manufacture complex shapes more economically

Manual and automation application possible

Improved stress distribution

Increased production

1) Prototypes can be used to confirm the products fit and function. Many design issues are identified and corrected during this stage. Having a functional part allows deeper understanding and enhances innovation.

2) Prototypes can also be used for marketing and customer response. A product can be validated by end-users to ensure a positive market response before the final product is delivered.

3) Test many concepts quickly and inexpensively. Product development often involves many failures before the best product is finally produced. Rapid prototypes can be done in a matter of hours if 3-D model is a

Stereolithography is the most common form of rapid prototypes (SLA).  Stereolithography is a layered manufacturing method that uses photo curable liquid resin in combination with an ultraviolet laser. When the laser passes over the curable resin, it hardens the surface of what will become a layer of the formed part. Each layer is formed in 0.002″ to 0.004″ steps until the part is complete.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is another rapid prototyping process that offers improved physical properties compared to stereolithography (SLA). Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) rapid prototypes are made in layers like SLA, but instead of a curable liquid, SLS uses powdered materials that are fused with a CO2 laser. A thin layer of powder is laid down and the CO2 laser draws on the powder, sintering the particles together. Layers are produced in 0.004″ steps until the part is complete. Once the SLS part is complete, it will be a durable and functional part that can be finished and painted.

Stereolithography (SLA) offers high accuracy and excellent finish, but has moderate strength. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is strong and offers a variety of materials to closely match production materials. Finish isn’t as good as SLA, but SLS can be painted. Contact MDI if you need assistance selecting the right technology.

Why Plastic Prices are Rising

Plastic manufacturers have had a wild ride enduring one resin price increase after another. Many plastic manufacturers have had little choice but to pass at least some of these prices increases along to their customers’ or suffer eroding profit margins.

Resin prices have gone up because of an increase in crude oil. Crude oil is the feed stock that is used to make plastic resins.  The price of crude oil and the price of resin are directly linked.  A complete explanation for the rise in crude oil goes beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that factors such as exchange rates, supply and demand, political climate and terrorism factor into the equation. Resin prices are even more difficult to predict because they are the second derivative of crude oil. Thermoplastic resins only account for  4% of petroleum based products. This makes the market for thermoplastic resins less important than gasoline or heating oil, which accounts for 70% of crude oil production.

You may have you heard from a plastics supplier that prices are going up because of crude oil? Have you ever gotten a call announcing price decreases because crude oil prices have declined? I have not and you probably haven’t either.  Fortunately  there are things you can do to  keep your cost for molded parts in check:

1) Consider Long Term agreements with fixed pricing from your supplier. This allows the supplier to secure thermoplastic resins on better terms that can be extended you.

2) Qualify multiple brands of resin. This may require re-qualification and extensive testing, but the reward may be worth it, if material cost is major factor in the cost of the part.

3)Open dimensional tolerances whenever possible, this will allow more resins with different shrink rates to potentially be used in your parts.

4) Consider designs that reduce the weight of the part while maintaining functional and physical requirements.  Many molded parts are over engineered making this a good place to look for savings.

5) Review resin cost savings with your supplier. Simple analysis of order patterns can allow smarter buying of resins and more efficient scheduling that may yield instant cost reductions.

Anyone that buys parts that are made of plastic should be talking to their supplier about forecasting how the likely increase in raw materials may affect the plastic parts costs. Don’t limit yourself to recommendations in this article. Collaboration with your supplier can lead to an infinite amount of possibilities to reduce cost and even improve quality at the same time.