Tagged with 'Automotive'

How To Mask Steering and Suspension Components

Masking designs for steering and suspension components

Masking is crucial in the coating process, especially for complex components like those found in steering and suspension systems. These parts often feature complex geometries, tight tolerances, and critical surfaces that must remain uncoated to ensure optimal performance.

Throughout this post, we will take you through various masking products and designs used to mask shock tubes, steering knuckles, tie-rods, and control arms that are manufactured for today's most famous automotive, heavy machinery, and power sports vehicles!

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Industry Spotlight - Integrated Suppliers and Echo Engineering

Echo Engineering Integrated suppliers

In the fast-paced world of manufacturing and engineering, staying ahead of the competition requires not only innovation but also strategic partnerships. Echo Engineering has been at the forefront of this paradigm shift, leading the way with its groundbreaking collaborations with integrated suppliers. In this industry-highlight blog post, we'll explore how Echo's commitment to seamless integration is transforming the landscape and redefining the possibilities for businesses across various sectors.

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Injection Molding Pricing: Domestic vs. Offshore vs. Hybrid

Injection molding pricing domestic vs offshore

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.

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Automotive Plastic Fasteners: Fir Tree Design Basics

Fir tree design for plastic fasteners

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.

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Converting Metal Brackets and Fasteners to Plastic

Converting Metal Brackets and Fasteners to Plastic

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.

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Living Hinge Design | Automotive Clips & Fasteners

nylon living hinge design

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.

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High Temp Masking Material Alternatives to Silicone

silicone alternatives

Due to the fear of silicone volatiles, some facilities will not even remotely consider using the material. In the automotive industry specifically, silicone is sometimes not even allowed into the paint production environments.  So, what this means is they need alternative solutions. Luckily, we've received these requests many times before so in this post we will take you through the majority of the options you'll typically have.

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Masking Ergonomics for High-Volume Manufacturing Lines

masking ergonomics

Repetitive motion injuries. Labor shortages. Manufacturing line bottleneck.  These are just a few of the many reasons why it's time to take a closer look into the ergonomics and efficiencies of your masking operations.

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Automotive Materials | Thermoplastic Vulcanizate (TPV)

Automotive thermoplastics - TPV

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.

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