Learn effective strategies to offset the impact of expanded China tariffs on plastic and rubber components. Discover options like shifting production to Malaysia or Michigan, planning ahead for on-demand parts, and consolidating shipments to keep costs low and your supply chain reliable.
When considering injection molding, manufacturers have two primary options: domestic and international production. In this blog post, we'll provide an in-depth comparison of domestic and international injection molding pricing, as well as a hybrid model, to give you valuable insights to help you make a more informed decision on your next project.
The fir tree design (also called the x-mas tree design) on fasteners and clips is a solid design capable of high removal forces to ensure it remains in place. It is most commonly found on many off-the-shelf push panel fasteners that are widely available from various sources. But what about when you need more of a custom solution for your application?
In this post, we will take you through the pros of using fir-tree features, some commonly used designs, and a few other technical elements you should know.
Automotive manufacturers have used metal fasteners as a norm for decades. However, as car manufacturers continue to focus on reducing the weight of their vehicles to improve fuel and battery efficiency, there has been a growing interest in replacing metal fasteners with plastic alternatives. This shift is driven by several factors, including plastic's lighter weight, corrosion resistance, and the ability to mold and shape plastic into complex geometries. In this post, we'll take you through the pros and cons of injection molded fasteners, design elements to focus on, and other factors that play major rolls in a fastener's success.
Since its introduction into the world in the 1980s, additive manufacturing has been impacting the planet. Every single year additive technologies advance more and more. When done correctly, additive manufacturing speeds up the production process, reduces waste, and saves companies a ton of money. One area, in particular, is additive manufacturing's role in product validation.
The EV market has brought about a surge in demand for the latest and greatest vehicles. It has also brought us massive supply chain disruption with parts like chip shortages. What it has also brought to the world is the need for innovation with additive manufacturing. Manufacturers are now being asked to prototype and validate new parts in much smaller timeframes. This post will take you through how additive manufacturing is used to support this need. We will also take you through some of the fundamentals of this technology and the available techniques commonly used today.
In this post, we are going to take you through not just the basics but also design tips, material breakdown, and what you absolutely need to get right when with the tooling and injection molding process for a successful living hinge.
In this post, we take you through the basics of thermoplastics, including the different groups, classes, and types of thermoplastics that are used to make products such as water bottles, clips, plugs, and so much more.
In this post, we are going to take you through a specific thermoplastic material, commonly referred to as TPV (or thermoplastic vulcanizate), that has grown in popularity in the automotive sector and evolved over the years since its introduction in 1981.
In this post, we cover two forms of sustainable plastics that automotive manufacturers are using or should be highly considering over the course of the next few years: Plastics used on the finished vehicle and bioplastics used for shipment protection.
Have you ever looked at a plastic part and seen some sort of surface defect that didn't look good? In this post we take you throughmost common injection-molded surface defects and the possible sources that are causing them.
