The weekend comes to an end and the time comes to bring the molding floor back online for the beginning of a new work week. A molder can sometimes dread the tasks associated with a full plant restart. There are many potential failures that can occur as a plant is returned to a production state. Despite these risks, much of the headache can be avoided simply through proper shutdown and start up procedures. The following article addresses many key components that often lead to poor restarts. It also provides insight into some of the methods that can be implemented to not only reduce system breakdowns, but also can offer smoother start-ups with fewer problems…
Plastic injection processing has experienced massive change in the last 20 years. The days of molding by time and pressure have given way to molding by position, peak pressure and robust process. RJG and John Bozzelli were major pioneers in the development of decoupled and scientific molding as the procedures were developed and given structure. Plastic injection as an “art” gave way to plastics processing as a science of repeatable, standardized processes.
It is possible for machines to run too fast—find the sweet spot where maximum output overlaps with good parts.
In today’s fast paced plastic injection industry, lean manufacturing is a primary driver of profitability. Without lean, organizations find their operations are sluggish and ineffective. This not only affects a company’s ability to successfully grow and prosper, but the capability of taking on new work also suffers because current systems have not been effectively streamlined. This article addresses cycle time optimization, outlining the different variables within the molding process that can be used to maximize profits.
One of the first points that needs to be made when addressing this topic is to acknowledge that it is possible for machines to run too fast. Every molding job is different, and the following conditions must be satisfied to properly assure that the optimization is successful……
